How come there are no large or long rivers in Japan?

Question

I need the answer for my Japanese project, and I can't seem to find it using Ask, Google, or anything else.

Answer 1

G'day Axe on the Cat,

Thank you for your question.

The geography of Japan is such that there can be no large or long rivers just as there aren't any in the UK.

The main islands, sometimes called the "Home Islands", are (from north to south) Hokkaido, Honshu (the "mainland"), Shikoku and Kyushu. There are also about 3,000 smaller islands, including Okinawa, and islets, some inhabited and others uninhabited. In total, Japan's territory is 377,835 km², of which 374,744 km² is land and 3,091 km² water. This makes Japan's total area slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Montana. Japan is bigger than Germany and the U.K., and is 1.7 times the size of North and South Korea combined and 10 times the size of Taiwan. The Japanese islands are in length 2,000 kilometres long but no more than 300 kilometres wide.

Further, Japan is very mountainous. About 73 percent of Japan is mountainous, with a mountain range running through each of the main islands. Japan's highest mountain is Mt. Fuji, with an elevation of 3776m (12,388 feet). Since so little flat area exists, many hills and mountainsides are cultivated all the way to the top. As Japan is situated in a volcanic zone along the Pacific deeps, frequent low-intensity earth tremors and occasional volcanic activity are felt throughout the islands. Destructive earthquakes occur several times a century. Hot springs are numerous and have been developed as resorts.

Rivers are generally steep and swift, and few are suitable for navigation except in their lower reaches. Most rivers are fewer than 300 kilometers in length, but their rapid flow from the mountains provides a valuable, renewable resource: hydroelectric power generation. Japan's hydroelectric power potential has been exploited almost to capacity. Seasonal variations in flow have led to extensive development of flood control measures. Most of the rivers are very short. The longest, the Shinano River, which winds through Nagano Prefecture to Niigata Prefecture and flows into the Sea of Japan, is only 367 kilometers long. The largest freshwater lake is Lake Biwa, northeast of Kyoto.

I have attached sources for your reference.

Regards

Answer 2

Rivers In Japan

Answer 3

Japan is an island. Most large rivers eg. Nile, Amazon,Mississippi
and so on take hundreds if miles to gather strength and are feed from several other rivers. Japan doesnt have the land mass to create such large rivers. However it does have smaller rivers, springs, hot springs volcanic activity and much more to offer.
Rivers of Japan are characterized by their relatively short lengths and considerably steep gradients due to the narrow and mountainous topography of the country.
Typical rivers of Japan rise from mountainous forests and cut out deep V-shaped valleys in their upper reaches, and form alluvial plains in their lower reaches which enable the Japanese to cultivate rice fields and to set up cities. Most rivers are dammed to supply both water and electricity.
The longest river of Japan is the Shinano, which flows from Nagano to Niigata. The Tone has the largest watershed and serves water to more than 30 million inhabitants of Tokyo metropolitan area.

Answer 4

Because Japan is long and skinny, with mountain ranges down the middle, and most rivers originate in the mountains and flow to the sea. Japan's longest river is the Shinano River, which flows 367 km from the mountains of the Chubu region through Niigata Prefecture to the Sea of Japan.

Check this out: http://web-japan.org/factsheet/geo/river.html

It explains why Japans' rivers are short. Because they are short, they are also very fast-flowing. it is long, slow-moving rivers that tend to spread out into wide areas.

Answer 5

Japan, like my country, New Zealand, is predominantly mountainous. All long rivers run across extensive plains. There are very few plains in Japan or New Zealand. Because of that and the distance from mountain to sea is short, the rivers are fast flowing, and subject to much change from trickle to raging torrent.

Answer 6

Because Japan is a narrow country so the Rivers don't need to travel far to reach the ocean.

Answer 7

Hi. Rivers flow to the sea, usually, and there is no point on Japan that is very far from the sea.

Answer 8

Japan isnt so big. So how can it have the space for big rivers ?

Answer 9

Japan is a collection of ISLANDS and you don't have long rivers ON AN ISLAND.

Answer 10

Great point, but I'm not 100%