Japanese rivers 日本の川

Japanische Flüsse

Japan’s rivers are mostly short, steep and fast-flowing and thus hardly navigable, due to the narrow islands and high mountains, many watercourses plunge rapidly into the sea. The rivers are used for rice cultivation and flood protection, and offer picturesque gorges. The Shinano River, which flows through the prefectures of Nagano and Niigata into the Sea of Japan, is the longest river in Japan at 367 km. Sumida-gawa is a river that flows through central Tôkyô, Japan which branches from the Arakawa River and flows into Tôkyô Bay. The Shimanto River is the longest river on the Japanese island of Shikoku, known for its famous sunken bridges (chinkabashi) and its clear water.