Markdown

Rivers of Japan - Markdown

Japan's rivers are characterized by many short, rapid-flowing rivers due to the topographical feature that approximately 70% of the country is mountainous. There are approximately 35,000 rivers nationwide, of which 109 river systems with 14,083 rivers are designated as first-class rivers, and 2,710 river systems with 7,081 rivers are designated as second-class rivers. The Shinano River (367km) is the longest in Japan, while the Tone River holds the record for the largest basin area at 16,840km². These rivers are managed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and respective prefectures from the perspectives of flood control, water utilization, and environmental conservation.

rivers first-class rivers second-class rivers Shinano River Tone River MLIT flood control water utilization
| code | slug | name | description | basinAreaKm2 | lengthKm | mouth | prefectures | ranking | riverClass | source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 01 | shinano-river | Shinano River | The longest river in Japan, flowing from Nagano Prefecture to Niigata Prefecture into the Sea of Japan. | 11900 | 367 | Sea of Japan (Niigata City) | ["長野県","新潟県"] | 1 | 一級河川 | Mount Kobushi (Nagano Prefecture) |
| 02 | tone-river | Tone River | The river with the largest basin area in Japan, flowing through the Kanto Plain into the Pacific Ocean. | 16840 | 322 | Pacific Ocean (Choshi City) | ["群馬県","栃木県","埼玉県","茨城県","千葉県","東京都"] | 2 | 一級河川 | Mount Ominesan (Gunma Prefecture) |
| 03 | ishikari-river | Ishikari River | The longest river in Hokkaido, famous for salmon fishing. | 14330 | 268 | Sea of Japan (Ishikari City) | ["北海道"] | 3 | 一級河川 | Mount Ishikari (Hokkaido) |
| 04 | teshio-river | Teshio River | The second longest river in Hokkaido, known as a famous canoeing spot. | 5590 | 256 | Sea of Japan (Teshio Town) | ["北海道"] | 4 | 一級河川 | Mount Teshio (Hokkaido) |
| 05 | kitakami-river | Kitakami River | A representative river of the Tohoku region, famous for the cherry blossom trees at Kitakami Tenshochi. | 10150 | 249 | Pacific Ocean (Ishinomaki City) | ["岩手県","宮城県"] | 5 | 一級河川 | Yumiya-no-Izumi spring (Iwate Prefecture) |
| 06 | abukuma-river | Abukuma River | A river flowing through Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, with tourist attractions such as the Abukuma Line boat tours. | 5400 | 239 | Pacific Ocean (Sendai Plain) | ["福島県","宮城県"] | 6 | 一級河川 | Mount Asahi (Fukushima Prefecture) |
| 07 | mogami-river | Mogami River | A rapid river flowing through Yamagata Prefecture, known from Matsuo Basho's haiku. | 7040 | 229 | Sea of Japan (Sakata City) | ["山形県"] | 7 | 一級河川 | Mount Azuma (Yamagata Prefecture) |
| 08 | kiso-river | Kiso River | A river flowing from Nagano Prefecture to Mie Prefecture into Ise Bay. | 9100 | 229 | Ise Bay | ["長野県","岐阜県","愛知県","三重県"] | 7 | 一級河川 | Mount Hachimori (Nagano Prefecture) |
| 09 | tenryu-river | Tenryu River | A river flowing through Nagano, Aichi, and Shizuoka prefectures into the Enshu Sea. | 5050 | 213 | Pacific Ocean (Enshu Sea) | ["長野県","愛知県","静岡県"] | 9 | 一級河川 | Lake Suwa (Nagano Prefecture) |
| 10 | aganogawa-river | Agano River | A river flowing through Fukushima and Niigata prefectures, winding through deep mountains. | 7710 | 210 | Sea of Japan (Niigata City) | ["福島県","新潟県"] | 10 | 一級河川 | Mount Araumi (Fukushima Prefecture) |
| 15 | fuji-river | Fuji River | One of Japan's three great rapid rivers, flowing through Shizuoka Prefecture. | 3990 | 128 | Suruga Bay | ["長野県","山梨県","静岡県"] | 15 | 一級河川 | Mount Noko (Yamanashi Prefecture) |
| B7 | yodo-river | Yodo River | A river flowing through the center of the Kinki region, with the largest basin population in western Japan. | 8240 | 75 | Osaka Bay | ["滋賀県","京都府","大阪府","兵庫県","奈良県","三重県"] |  | 一級河川 | Lake Biwa (Shiga Prefecture) |