Rivers of Tokyo

There are hundreds of rivers in Tokyo. Some are pretty long, and some are just a few kilometers long. Some are wide and some are pretty narrow. There are mountain rivers and there are also man-made rivers.

Did you know that every single city, town or village within mainland Tokyo has a least one river to walk by? Some cities (such as Hachioji-shi) have more than a dozen local rivers.

Large Rivers of Tokyo

The largest and, perhaps, the most well-known rivers in Tokyo are Tama River, Kanda River, Sumida River, Arakawa, Nakagawa and Edogawa.

Tama River

When you think of Tokyo rivers, Tama River (or Tamagawa) is probably the first one that comes to mind.

Unlike other large rivers in Tokyo, it still, for the most part, has a natural look and feel. One third of all Tokyo cities and towns (17 out of 53) are located on Tamagawa.

Tokyo does not have a “green belt” like London. But, perhaps, Tama River can be considered to be the city’s green belt.

Sumida River

If you are searching for the most centrally located river in Tokyo, it would be Sumida River (Sumidagawa). An evening walk will give you the best Tokyo Skytree views and nice panoramic views on other central city areas.

Arakawa

Arakawa is, by far, the widest river in Tokyo.

Small Rivers of Tokyo

Many small rivers in Tokyo are tributaries of larger ones. Some of these small rivers are now culverted and turned into walking paths. Many others, however, are open, well-maintained and are a pleasure to walk along.

Ochiai River

Located entirely within just one Tokyo city, Higashikurume-shi.

Yanase River

A relatively small river, flowing through Saitama Prefecture and two Tokyo cities – Kiyose-shi and Higashimurayama-shi. It does not flow through any mountain area, but in some parts of Kiyose-shi it does feel like a mountain river.

Akigawa

A mountain river, it flows through Hinohara-mura, Akiruno-shi, and Hachioji-shi. It is the second largest tributary of Tamagawa.

Meguro River

Just like Kanda River, Meguro River (Megurogawa) is one of the rivers in Tokyo with a predominantly urban landscape.

Hirai River

A mountain river in Hinode-machi and Akiruno-shi that flows almost in parallel to Akigawa.

Nippara River

A mountain river, located entirely within Okutama. It is the first relatively big tributary of Tama River. It only takes just 2 to 3 minutes walk from Okutama Station to reach the beautiful scenery of Nippara River valley.

If you walk north from Okutama Station, you can constantly hear the river flowing. Sometimes you don’t even see the river through the trees, but you always hear it flowing.