Japanese Emperor Naruhito visited Great Britain this week. His schedule was packed. He was the guest of honor at King Charles III’s banquet. He also visited the 225-foot-tall Westminster Abbey. But before any of that, he kicked off his tour with a trip to the River Thames (pronounced TEMZ).

Most people don’t think of the River Thames as a London hotspot. But the Emperor knows something they don’t: The waterway is one of the most important places in the city.

The Emperor realized this many years ago. He was a graduate student at the University of Oxford. Back then, he studied how the river has helped people do business for hundreds of years. He even wrote a book about it called The Thames and I.

Before all the fuss of the state visit, Emperor Naruhito visited the Thames Barrier. That’s a series of steel gates that can open and shut. The gates protect London from flooding while allowing ships to travel through the river.

During his Oxford days, the emperor enjoyed the life of a regular student. That’s probably something many future emperors never experienced. He explored city streets without being noticed. He spent hours working on his homework. He even enjoyed doing his own chores!

But behind it all was the River Thames. Emperor Naruhito began studying river trade as a boy. While he was growing up inside Japan’s palace, the roads and rivers offered a glimpse of freedom and adventure. So when he arrived in Oxford, it made sense to study the Thames.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. — Psalm 46:4