River A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

s of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

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)

Johannis de Rijke was a Dutch civil engineer and a o-yatoi gaikokujin, foreign advisor to the Japanese government in Meiji period Japan. He made significant contributions in the enhancement of Japan's river systems and the development of its port facilities, whic ...

who had visited the Jōganji River,

Toyama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Toyama Prefecture has a population of 993,848 (1 January 2025) 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 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 valleys in their upper reaches, and form

alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a plain (an essentially flat landform) created by the deposition of sediment over a long period by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A ''floodplain'' is part of the process, bei ...

s in their lower reaches which enable the Japanese to cultivate rice fields 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, aqua ...

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

Tone Tone may refer to: Visual arts and color-related * Tone (color theory), a mix of tint and shade, in painting and color theory * Tone (color), the lightness or brightness (as well as darkness) of a color * Toning (coin), color change in coins * ...

has the largest watershed and serves water to more than 30 million inhabitants of Tokyo metropolitan area.

Hokkaidō

There are 326 rivers in

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

, including 13 designated by the central government. The class A rivers are administered by . There are six class B river systems. The following table lists the of rivers of Hokkaidō by length. Use the column headers to sort by name, class, or tributary status.

Honshu

Rivers are listed by length. Columns can also be sorted by name, class, and tributary status.

Shikoku

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

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 (MLIT)

by MLIT {{Rivers of Japan *