River A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

s of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

are characterized by their relatively short lengths and considerably steep gradients due to the narrow and mountainous topography of the country. An often-cited quote is 'this is not a river, but a waterfall' by the Dutch engineer (

o-yatoi gaikokujin The foreign employees in Meiji Japan, known in Japanese as ''O-yatoi Gaikokujin'' (Kyūjitai: , Shinjitai: , "hired foreigners"), were hired by the Japanese government and municipalities for their specialized knowledge and skill to assist in the m ...

)

Johannis de Rijke Johannis de Rijke (December 5, 1842 – January 20, 1913) was a Dutch civil engineer and a foreign advisor to the Japanese government in Meiji period Japan. Early life De Rijke was born in Colijnsplaat on the island Noord-Beveland. Rijsbergen, ...

who had visited the

Jōganji River The is a river in Toyama Prefecture, Japan, that flows through the city of Toyama as well as the town of Tateyama. The river was previously referred to as the Nii River (新川 ''Nii-kawa''). Route The river originates in the Tateyama Mountains ...

Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 1,044,588 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,247.61 km2 (1,640.01 sq mi). Toyama Prefecture borders Ishikawa Prefecture to the ...

. The Mogami, the

Fuji Fuji may refer to: Places China * Fuji, Xiangcheng City (付集镇), town in Xiangcheng City, Henan Japan * Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan * Fuji River * Fuji, Saga, town in Saga Prefecture * Fuji, Shizuoka, city in Shizuoka Prefectur ...

and the Kuma are regarded as the three most rapid rivers of Japan. Typical rivers of Japan rise from mountainous forests and cut out deep

V-shaped valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

s in their upper reaches, and form

alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the sma ...

s in their lower reaches which enable the Japanese to cultivate

rice fields A paddy field is a flooded field of arable land used for growing semiaquatic crops, most notably rice and taro. It originates from the Neolithic rice-farming cultures of the Yangtze River basin in southern China, associated with pre-Aust ...

and to set up cities. Most rivers are

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

med to supply both water and electricity. The longest river of Japan is the Shinano, which flows from

Nagano Nagano may refer to: Places * Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan ** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture *** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics *** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano *** Nagano Universi ...

to Niigata. The Tone has the largest watershed and serves water to more than 30 million inhabitants of

Tokyo metropolitan area The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi) as well as the pre ...

List of rivers in Japan

The list below is in geographical order (from north to south). See also :Rivers of Japan for an alphabetical list.

Hokkaidō

There are 326 rivers in

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

including 13 class A river systems (1級水系 ''Ikkyū suikei'') designated by the central government. See also :Rivers of Hokkaido.

Class A rivers

There are 13 class A river systems as follows. Their tributaries are also listed. The class A rivers are administrated by . * * ** ** ** *** *** * * * * * * * * * * *

Class B rivers

The rivers that are classified as class B rivers. * * * * * *

List of rivers in Hokkaidō by length

The following table is a list of rivers of Hokkaidō by length.

Honshu

Tōhoku

First class rivers under the control of Tohoku Regional Bureau (東北地方整備局) *

Iwaki River The is a river that crosses western Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It is in length and has a drainage area of . Under the Rivers Act of 1964 the Iwaki is designated as a Class 1 River and is managed by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, ...

(岩木川) - Aomori *

Takase River The is a canal in Kyoto, Japan. It rises from Nijō-Kiyamachi, going along Kiyamachi Street, and meets the Uji River at Fushimi port. The canal crosses with the Kamo River on the way. Today the south half is not connected with Kamo River. Hist ...

(高瀬川) - Aomori *

Mabechi River 270px, Ogami Rock overlooking the Basenkyō ravine in Iwate The is a river located in northern Iwate Prefecture and eastern Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Honshū in Japan. Overview The Mabechi River is long and has a wat ...

(馬淵川) - Iwate, Aomori *

Kitakami River The is the fourth largest river in Japan and the largest in the Tōhoku region. It is long and drains an area of . page 793 It flows through mostly rural areas of Iwate and Miyagi Prefectures. The source of the river is the Mount Nanashirug ...

(北上川) - Iwate, Miyagi *

Naruse River Naruse (written: 成瀬 or 鳴瀬) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese idol and voice actress *, Japanese test driver and engineer *, Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese voice actress *, Japanese film ...

(鳴瀬川) - Miyagi *

Natori River The is a river located in central Miyagi prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. It starts at Mount Kamuro in the Ōu Mountains and flows in an easterly direction through the cities of Natori and Sendai. The river's headwaters start ...

(名取川) - Miyagi * Abukuma River (阿武隈川) - Miyagi, Fukushima *

Yoneshiro River The is a river in Tōhoku region of the northern portion of the island of Honshū in Japan. It is long and has a watershed of . The river rises from Mount Nakadake and Mount Shikakudake in the Ōu Mountains and Mount Hachimantai near the borde ...

(米代川) - Akita, Iwate * Omono River (雄物川) - Akita * Koyoshi River (子吉川) - Akita *

Mogami River The is a river in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Description and history It is 224 km long and has a watershed of 7,040 km2. It is regarded as one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan (along with the Fuji River and the Kuma River). ...

(最上川) - Yamagata *

Aka River is a river in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. It flows into the Sea of Japan. Soccer fields on Akagawa riverbed There are football fields on Akagawa riverbed in Tsuruoka, and they were NEC Yamagata SC's practice grounds. References

Rivers ...

(赤川) - Yamagata Second class river *

Oirase River The is a river located in eastern Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. __NOTOC__ The Oirase River is the only river that drains Lake Towada, a large caldera lake that lies on the border of Aomori and Akita Prefectures. Th ...

(奥入瀬川)

Kantō

First class rivers under the control of Kanto Regional Bureau (関東地方整備局) * Kuji-gawa (久慈川) - Fukushima, Ibaraki * Naka-gawa (那珂川) - Tochigi, Ibaraki * Tone-gawa (利根川) - largest drainage area, and second longest of Japan; Gunma, Nagano, Tochigi, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, Ibaraki ** Edo-gawa (江戸川) * Arakawa (荒川) - Saitama, Tokyo ** Sumida-gawa (隅田川) ** Kanda-gawa (神田川) * Tama-gawa (多摩川) - Yamanashi, Tokyo, Kanagawa * Tsurumi-gawa (鶴見川) - Tokyo, Kanagawa * Sagami-gawa (相模川) - Yamanashi, Kanagawa * Fuji-kawa (富士川) - Nagano, Yamanashi, Shizuoka

Hokuriku

First-class rivers under the control of Hokuriku Regional Bureau (北陸地方整備局) * Ara River (荒川) - Yamagata, Niigata *

Agano River The is a river in the Hokuriku region of Honshu, Japan. It is also called the Aga River or the Ōkawa River in Fukushima. The source of the river is Mount Arakai on the border of Fukushima and Tochigi. It flows to the north and meets the Nip ...

(阿賀野川) - Fukushima, Gunma, Niigata *

Shinano River The , known as the in its upper reaches, is the longest and widest river in Japan and the third largest by basin area (behind the Tone River and Ishikari River). It is located in northeastern Honshu, rising in the Japanese Alps and flowing g ...

(信濃川) - Nagano, Gunma, Niigata *

Seki River The Seki River (関川) is a river in Niigata Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordere ...

(関川) - Nagano, Niigata * Hime River (姫川) - Nagano, Niigata *

Kurobe River The is a river in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. in length, it has a watershed of 689 km². The river rises from Mount Washiba in the Hida Mountains and carves the deep valley known as the Kurobe Gorge. It comes out of the mountains at Una ...

(黒部川) - Toyama *

(常願寺川) - Toyama *

Jinzū River The is a river that flows from Gifu Prefecture to Toyama Prefecture in Japan. It is called Miya River (宮川 ''Miya-gawa'') in Gifu. It is in length and has a watershed of . Geography The river flows from Mount Kaore in Gifu and meets the Tak ...

(神通川) - Gifu, Toyama *

Shō River The has its source in Mount Eboshi (烏帽子岳 ''Eboshigatake'') in the Shōkawa-chō area of Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. After flowing for through the northern part of Gifu Prefecture and the western part of Toyama Prefecture, it empt ...

(庄川) - Gifu, Toyama *

Oyabe River The is a river in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The river rises from Mount Daimon on the border of Ishikawa Prefecture and enters the sea at Toyama Bay. The kanji that spells ''Oyabe'' means "little arrow room", but this may be a case of ''ateji ...

(小矢部川) - Ishikawa, Toyama *

Tedori River The is a river in southern Ishikawa Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The river originates on Hakusan, the highest peak in the Hakusan National Park on the border between Ishikawa and Gifu Prefecture, and flows in a generally north ...

(手取川) - Ishikawa * Kakehashi River (梯川) - Ishikawa

Chūbu

Rivers that flow into the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

: * Agano-gawa (阿賀野川) - Niigata, Fukushima, Gunma * Shinano-gawa (信濃川) or Chikuma-gawa (千曲川) - longest of Japan * Seki-kawa (関川) - Nagano, Niigata * Hime-kawa (姫川) - Nagano, Niigata * Kurobe-gawa (黒部川) - Toyama * Jōganji-gawa (常願寺川) - Toyama * Jinzū-gawa (神通川) - Gifu, Toyama * Shō-gawa (庄川) - Gifu, Toyama * Oyabe-gawa (小矢部川) - Toyama, Ishikawa * Tedori-gawa (手取川) - Ishikawa * Kuzuryū-gawa (九頭竜川) - Gifu, Fukui Rivers that flow into the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

: * Fuji-kawa (富士川) - Nagano, Yamanashi, Shizuoka * Abe-kawa (安倍川) - Shizuoka * Ōi-gawa (大井川) - Shizuoka *

Sakawa River The is a river in Shizuoka Prefecture and Kanagawa Prefecture Japan. In Shizuoka Prefecture it is called the Ayuzawa River. It flows into the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions ...

(酒匂川) - Shizuoka, Kanagawa * Tenryū-gawa (天竜川) - Nagano, Aichi, Shizuoka * Toyo-gawa (豊川) - Aichi * Yahagi-gawa (矢作川) - Nagano, Gifu, Aichi * Shōnai-gawa (庄内川) - Gifu, Aichi * Kiso-gawa (木曽川) - Nagano, Gifu, Aichi, Mie * Nagara-gawa (長良川) - Gifu, Aichi, Mie * Ibi-gawa (揖斐川) -Gifu, Mie * Kushida-gawa (櫛田川) - Mie * Miya-gawa (宮川) - Mie First class rivers under control of Chubu Regional Bureau (中部地方整備局) * Kano-gawa (狩野川) - Shizuoka * Abe-kawa (安倍川) - Shizuoka * Ōi-gawa (大井川) - Shizuoka * Kiku-gawa (菊川) - Shizuoka * Tenryū-gawa (天竜川) - Nagano, Aichi, Shizuoka * Toyo-gawa (豊川) - Aichi * Yahagi-gawa (矢作川) - Nagano, Gifu, Aichi * Shōnai-gawa (庄内川) - Gifu, Aichi * Kiso-gawa (木曽川) - Nagano, Gifu, Shiga, Aichi, Mie * Suzuka-gawa (鈴鹿川) - Mie * Kumozu-gawa (雲出川) - Mie * Kushida-gawa (櫛田川) - Mie * Miya-gawa (宮川) - Mie

Kansai The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...

The first class rivers under the control of Kinki Regional Bureau (近畿地方整備局) * Kuzuryu-gawa (九頭竜川) - Fukui * Kita-gawa (北川) - Shiga, Fukui * Yura-gawa (由良川) - Hyogo, Kyoto * Yodo-gawa (淀川), Seta-gawa (瀬田川) or Uji-gawa (宇治川) ** Yasu-gawa (野洲川) ** Katsura-gawa (桂川), Hozu-gawa (保津川) or Ōi-gawa (大堰川) **

Kamo-gawa The is located in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The riverbanks are popular walking spots for residents and tourists. In summer, restaurants open balconies looking out to the river. There are walkways running alongside the river, and some stepping ...

(鴨川) ** Kizu-gawa (木津川) ** Dōton-bori (道頓堀) * Yamato-gawa (大和川) - Nara, Osaka * Maruyama-gawa (円山川) - Hyogo * Kako-gawa (加古川) - Hyogo * Ibo-gawa (揖保川) - Hyogo * Ki-no-kawa (紀ノ川, 紀の川) - Nara, Wakayama * Yamato-gawa (大和川) - Nara, Osaka * Kumano-gawa (熊野川) or Shingu-gawa (新宮川) - Nara, Mie, Wakayama The second class river * Muko-gawa (武庫川)

Chūgoku

There are 13 Class A river systems in

Chūgoku Region The , also known as the region, is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi. In 2010, it had a population of 7,563,428. History '' ...

, which are under control of Chugoku Regional Bureau (中国地方整備局). See also :Rivers of Tottori Prefecture, :Rivers of Shimane Prefecture, :Rivers of Hiroshima Prefecture, :Rivers of Okayama Prefecture and :Rivers of Yamaguchi Prefecture. *

Sendai River The is a river in eastern Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The Sendai is in length and has a drainage area of . The source of the river is in the Chūgoku Mountains. The Sendai flows north through Tottori Prefecture into the Sea of Japan. Under the Ri ...

(千代川) - Tottori *

Tenjin River The Tenjin River (天神川) is a river in Tottori Prefecture, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by ...

(天神川) - Tottori *

Hino River The is a major river in the western part of Tottori Prefecture. The river flows east-northeast for , and is the longest river in the prefecture. The Hino River emerges from the Chūgoku Mountains. The source of the river is at an elevation of ...

(日野川) - Tottori *

Hii River The is a river on the island of Honshu in Shimane Prefecture and Tottori Prefecture, Japan. With a length of 153 km and catchment of 2540 km2, it is the largest river in the east of Shimane Prefecture. It flows through the cities of Izum ...

(斐伊川) -

Shimane is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geo ...

, Tottori * Gō-no-kawa, or Gō-gawa (江の川, 江川) -

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

, Shimane *

Takatsu River The Takatsu River is a river in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. References

Rivers of Shimane Prefecture Rivers of Japan {{Japan-river-stub ...

(高津川) - Shimane *

Yoshii River The Yoshii River is a river in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. References

Rivers of Okayama Prefecture Rivers of Japan {{Japan-river-stub ...

(吉井川) -

Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is . The city is ...

Asahi River The Asahi River is a river in Okayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 km2 (2,746 sq mi). Oka ...

(旭川) - Okayama *

Takahashi River The is a Class A major river in the western part of Okayama Prefecture. It acts as the main drainage for the Takahashi River Drainage System, and is one of the three main drainage rivers in Okayama Prefecture (the others being the Yoshii River an ...

(高梁川) - Hiroshima, Okayama *

Ashida River The is a river that flows through the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The river provides the primary drainage for the Bingo region. The source of the river is in the city of Mihara, Hiroshima and flows generally east toward Niimi, ...

(芦田川) - Okayama, Hiroshima * Ōta-gawa (太田川) - Hiroshima *

Oze River The is a river in Hiroshima Prefecture and Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. The river forms part of the border between the two prefectures, which used to be the border between former Suō Province and Aki Province or Geishū () was a province i ...

(小瀬川) - Hiroshima, Yamaguchi *Saba River (佐波川) - Yamaguchi

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

First class rivers under control of Shikoku Regional Bureau (四国地方整備局) * Yoshino-gawa ( 吉野川) - Kochi, Ehime, Tokushima, Kagawa * Naka-gawa ( 那賀川) - Tokushima * Doki-gawa ( 土器川) - Kagawa * Shigenobu-gawa ( 重信川) - Ehime * Hiji-kawa ( 肱川) - Ehime * Monobe-kawa ( 物部川) - Kochi 6 * Niyodo-gawa ( 仁淀川) - Ehime, Kochi * Shimanto-gawa ( 四万十川) - Ehime, Kochi

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

First class rivers under control of Kyushu Regional Bureau (九州地方整備局) * Onga-gawa ( 遠賀川) - Fukuoka * Yamakuni-gawa ( 山国川) - Oita, Fukuoka * Chikugo-gawa (筑後川) - Kumamoto, Oita, Fukuoka, Saga * Yabe-gawa ( 矢部川) - Fukuoka * Matsuura-gawa ( 松浦川) - Saga * Rokkaku-gawa ( 六角川) - Saga * Kase-gawa ( 嘉瀬川) - Saga * Honmyo-gawa ( 本明川) - Nagasaki * Kikuchi-gawa (菊池川) - Kumamoto * Shira-kawa ( 白川) - Kumamoto * Midori-gawa ( 緑川) - Kumamoto * Kuma-gawa (球磨川) - Kumamoto * Ōita-gawa ( 大分川) - Ōita * Ōno-gawa (大野川) - Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Ōita * Banjo-gawa ( 番匠川) - Ōita * Gokase-gawa ( 五ヶ瀬川) - Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki * Omaru-gawa ( 小丸川) - Miyazaki * Ōyodo-gawa (大淀川) - Kagoshima, Kumamoto, Miyazaki * Sendai-gawa ( 川内川) - Miyazaki, Kagoshima * Kimotsuki-gawa ( 肝属川, 肝付川) - Kagoshima

References

全国１０９の一級水系
(109 of first class rivers; b
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Japan

一級水系の河川整備基本方針策定状況（平成21年3月6日現在）
you can see where first class rivers are)

External links

- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism {{Rivers of Japan *

Rivers A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...