YAML

Rivers of Japan - YAML

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