YDS 1999 Soru=53

We learn from the passage that the Sumida River .

By the beginning of the eighteenth century, the
population of Tokyo had grown about 1 million,
making it the largest city in Japan and one of the
most populous in the world. An especially lively
section of the city was along the Sumida River, where
pleasure boats and parties were common and whose
banks were lined with fashionable tea houses. Tea
was central to the Japanese not only in their homes,
but in the public life as well. In the bustling urban
centers of 18th century Japan, tea houses served a
role similar to the one played by coffeehouses in
Europe which were centers of discussion and
entertainment.