Ōta River

Overview

The Ōta River is the main stream of the Ōta River system, a Class A river flowing through Hiroshima Prefecture. About 103 kilometres long, its middle reaches are listed among Japan's 100 Exquisite and Well-Conserved Waters. Running from rugged mountains down to Hiroshima Bay, it forms the delta that sustains the city of Hiroshima and stands as the prefecture's great mother river.

Highlights

• ●The grandeur of a Class A river running some 103 kilometres through Hiroshima
• ●The clear waters of the middle reaches, chosen among Japan's finest waters
• ●Upstream scenery dotted with hydroelectric stations set in steep terrain
• ●A downstream delta shaped as the river branches into the Kyobashi and Motoyasu

History

As a water-rich Class A river, the Ōta has long supported the life and industry of its basin. Because it descends through steep terrain, many hydroelectric power stations line its course, a sign of how mountain nature and human enterprise have advanced together along the river. That its middle reaches are counted among Japan's finest waters testifies to the clear environment the river has nurtured.

Map

34.3607, 132.4056 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Walk the riverside paths in central Hiroshima to sense city and river together
2. 2Trace the downstream branches and view the cityscape spread across the delta
3. 3Head to the middle reaches to touch the clear water named among Japan's finest
4. 4Go up into the mountain valleys to enjoy hydro stations and gorge scenery

Did you know?

💡 Downstream, the Ōta splits into several channels, becoming the Kyobashi, Tenma and Motoyasu rivers and shaping the delta of Hiroshima. The city spreads across the low, flat land these branches created, so the river itself is bound up with the very making of the city.

Nearby spots