The Arakawa RiverorAra River (Japanese: 荒川, Hepburn: Arakawa, "kawa" (川) already means "river") is a 173-kilometre (107 mi) long river that flows through Saitama Prefecture and Tokyo.[1] Its average flow in 2002 was 30 m3/s.
| Arakawa River | |
|---|---|
A bend in the Arakawa River
| |
 | |
  Location of mouth in Japan | |
| Native name | 荒川 (Japanese) |
| Location | |
| Country | Japan |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Mount Kobushi (甲武信ヶ岳) |
| • elevation | 2,475 m (8,120 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Tokyo Bay |
| Length | 173 km (107 mi) |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Arakawa |
It originates on Mount KobushiinSaitama Prefecture, and empties into Tokyo Bay.[2] It has a total catchment area of 2,940 km2 (1,140 sq mi).
The river is one of Tokyo's major sources of tap water, and together with the Tone River, accounts for around 80% of Tokyo's water supply as of 2018.[3] The Okubo water purification plant takes water from the river.
Attempts to control flooding of the Arakawa River have been made since the area that is now Tokyo became the de facto capital of Japan during the Edo period. Following a major flood in 1910 that damaged a large part of central Tokyo, a 22-kilometre (14 mi) long drainage canal was constructed between 1911 and 1924. In 1996 an agreement was signed to make it a "sister river" of the Potomac River in the eastern United States.[2] This means that officials and volunteers from both river areas collaborate with each other.[4]
This river is also depicted in many anime such as Toaru Kagaku no Railgun and Arakawa Under the Bridge, which is set on the riverbank.
The Arakawa plays a small but significant background role in the game Yakuza 4. Main character Masayoshi Tanimura spends the game trying to discover who murdered his father, Taigi, whose body was dumped in the Arakawa after he was killed.
Media related to Arakawa River (Saitama and Tokyo) at Wikimedia Commons36°08′10″N 139°22′06″E / 36.13611°N 139.36833°E / 36.13611; 139.36833
 | This Saitama Prefecture location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article related to a river in Japan is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |