Category
River: 43 Live Cameras in Japan
Cameras the transport ministry keeps on Japan's major rivers. The water is usually calm — the value is in watching the same frame when heavy rain arrives.
What you can see
River cameras are flood-control equipment. Regional bureaus of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism run them on the major stretches of Japan's Class A rivers — the ones the national government manages directly. Each is aimed so that levees, bridge piers and floodgates appear in frame: not the prettiest angle, but the angle from which you can read the water level.
Which is why they are worth watching in ordinary weather. Once you know where the surface normally sits, opening the same camera during heavy rain tells you how far it has risen at a glance — faster than any number could.
In Kyushu and parts of Kansai these run as live video on YouTube rather than stills, cycling through several cameras so that one stream covers many points on a catchment. They are trial broadcasts and can stop without notice.
Cameras you can watch now: 43
34 video, 9 still. Tap one to open it in the camera list.
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Live video, rotating
Onga River
Chikuho, Fukuoka · River
A river running through the old Chikuho coal towns to the Hibiki Sea. Wide floodplains on both banks; as the level rises, the sandbars go under first.
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Live video, rotating
Yamakuni River
Fukuoka / Oita border · River
It cuts through the rock towers of Yabakei on its way to the Suo Sea. Gorge upstream, open plain downstream — a big change in what the cameras show.
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Live video, rotating
Chikugo River
Fukuoka / Saga / Oita · River
The largest river in Kyushu, nicknamed the wild river. Near the mouth the tides of the Ariake Sea reverse the direction of flow.
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Live video, rotating
Yabe River
Yame, Fukuoka · River
It rises among the tea fields of Yame and runs to the Ariake Sea. Many weirs and sluice gates, so you can see water being distributed by hand.
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Live video, rotating
Matsuura River
Karatsu, Saga · River
It crosses the Karatsu plain to the Genkai Sea. Sandbars build near the mouth, and the look of it changes with the tide.
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Live video, rotating
Rokkaku River
Takeo–Shiroishi, Saga · River
Its gradient is so slight that the Ariake tide pushes far inland. You can watch muddy water travel upstream.
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Live video, rotating
Kase River
Saga · River
The river that waters the Saga plain. Its floodplain hosts a hot-air balloon competition, and in autumn a wide expanse of grass appears.
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Live video, rotating
Honmyo River
Isahaya, Nagasaki · River
A short river through central Isahaya. Because of the 1957 flood disaster, it is watched especially closely.
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Live video, rotating
Kikuchi River
Tamana, Kumamoto · River
It rounds the north of the Aso caldera rim on its way to the Ariake Sea. The basin has been rice country since antiquity, with paddies beyond the levees.
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Live video, rotating
Shira River
Kumamoto · River
From the Aso caldera through central Kumamoto. Carrying volcanic ash, the water takes on a distinctive murk when it rises.
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Live video, rotating
Midori River
Uto, Kumamoto · River
It runs south of the Kumamoto plain to the Ariake Sea. Broad tidal flats at the mouth make the river look visibly narrower at low tide.
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Live video, rotating
Kuma River
Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto · River
One of Japan's three fastest rivers. It drops hard through a narrow valley, so the level climbs quickly after rain.
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Live video, rotating
Oita River
Oita · River
From the foot of Mount Yufu down to Beppu Bay. Through the city the levees are close in, putting streets and water in the same frame.
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Live video, rotating
Ono River
Oita · River
The largest river in Oita Prefecture, draining the Sobo range. Wide gravel bars remain in its middle reaches, so rises are easy to read.
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Live video, rotating
Bansho River
Saiki, Oita · River
A clear river emptying into Saiki Bay. On clear days you can make out changes in the colour of the riverbed from the camera.
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Live video, rotating
Gokase River
Nobeoka, Miyazaki · River
The water that carved Takachiho Gorge reaches the Hyuga Sea at Nobeoka. Three rivers meet at the mouth, and the confluence is the thing to watch in a flood.
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Live video, rotating
Komaru River
Takanabe, Miyazaki · River
It drops straight from the Kyushu mountains to the coast at Takanabe. Typhoons come through here, and rough weather changes it dramatically.
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Live video, rotating
Oyodo River
Miyazaki · River
It meanders widely through central Miyazaki to the Hyuga Sea. The city presses against the levees, so town lights sit alongside the water.
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Live video, rotating
Sendai River
Kagoshima / Miyazaki · River
The second-longest river in Kyushu. Sections with big drops such as Sogi Falls mean the current differs sharply between upstream and down.
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Live video, rotating
Kimotsuki River
Osumi Peninsula, Kagoshima · River
It crosses the Osumi plain to Shibushi Bay. Ash from Sakurajima sometimes washes into it.
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Live video, rotating
Yura River
Fukuchiyama–Maizuru, Kyoto · River
From the Fukuchiyama basin down to the Sea of Japan. Long stretches have low levees, so the level is watched closely whenever it rains hard.
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Live video, rotating
Katsura River
Arashiyama, Kyoto · River
It passes under the Togetsukyo bridge at Arashiyama and joins the Yodo. Both a sightseeing view and a river people watch for floods.
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Live video, rotating
Yodo and Uji Rivers
Osaka / Kyoto · River
The main channel carrying Lake Biwa's water to Osaka Bay. Wide enough that the far bank and its buildings fit in frame.
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Live video, rotating
Kizu River
southern Kyoto · River
From the Iga highlands through the south of Kyoto Prefecture. Broad sandy bars, and the channel shifts with the volume of water.
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Live video, rotating
Nabari and Uda Rivers
Mie / Nara · River
Tributaries draining the Iga and Nabari basins into the Kizu. The valleys are deep, so a rise arrives fast.
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Live video, rotating
Ina and Mo Rivers
Hyogo / Osaka · River
An urban river running right beside Osaka Airport. Built-up on both banks, with the levees up against where people live.
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Live video, rotating
Seta and Yasu Rivers
Shiga · River
The Seta is the only outlet of Lake Biwa. How much water is let through here sets the level of the lake itself.
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Live video, rotating
Yamato and Saho Rivers
Nara / Osaka · River
They gather the Nara basin, cut through the Ikoma hills and reach Osaka Bay. A long stretch runs through built-up areas.
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Live video, rotating
Maruyama and Izushi Rivers
Toyooka, Hyogo · River
Rivers of the wetlands where the oriental stork returned. The gradient is gentle and seawater reaches a long way up from the mouth.
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Live video, rotating
Kako and Manganji Rivers
Kakogawa, Hyogo · River
Running straight south across the Harima plain to the Seto Inland Sea. The mouth sits next to an industrial belt.
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Live video, rotating
Ibo and Hayashida Rivers
Himeji, Hyogo · River
The clear river behind a famous somen noodle-making area. Water quality upstream is good, and on fine days the surface looks genuinely clear.
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Live video, rotating
Kino and Kishi Rivers
Wakayama · River
Rising at Odaigahara in Nara and reaching the Kii Channel. Orchards line the basin, and the river terraces show up as steps.
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Live video, rotating
Kumano and Ainotani Rivers
Wakayama / Mie · River · World Heritage
The river the World Heritage Kumano pilgrimage routes cross. Pilgrims once travelled it by boat, and long sections run through gorge.
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Live video, rotating
Kuzuryu and Hino Rivers
Fukui · River
They carry snowmelt from Mount Haku onto the Fukui plain. Levels rise easily in early spring as the snow goes.
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Sample August 2026
Sasame Bridge
Toda, Saitama · River
28.8 km from the river mouth. Where National Route 17 crosses the Arakawa, seen from the Toda side. From here down, the floodplain stays wide the whole way.
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Sample August 2026
Shin-Arakawa Bridge
Kawaguchi, Saitama · River
21.4 km from the mouth. Route 122's Shin-Arakawa Bridge from the Kawaguchi side. The far bank is Kita ward, Tokyo — the river is the prefectural border.
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Sample August 2026
Goshikizakura Bridge
Adachi, Tokyo · River
17.1 km from the mouth. A double-deck bridge carrying the Kawaguchi expressway over the river; at night the pier lighting stretches across the water.
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Sample August 2026
Above Nishiarai Bridge
Adachi, Tokyo · River
13.8 km from the mouth, looking upstream of Nishiarai Bridge from the left bank. Tower blocks line the far side and the water picks up their lights.
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Sample August 2026
Horikiri emergency wharf
Katsushika, Tokyo · River
9.8 km from the mouth. A landing built to move people and supplies by boat when roads are unusable. In normal times it is an empty, quiet waterfront.
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Sample August 2026
Above Hirai Bridge
Edogawa, Tokyo · River
6.4 km from the mouth, looking upstream of Hirai Bridge from the right-bank levee. The low viewpoint puts the full width of the river on screen.
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Sample August 2026
Below Metropolitan Expressway Route 7
Edogawa, Tokyo · River
4.3 km from the mouth, downstream of where Route 7 crosses. The near bank is high floodplain thick with reeds.
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Sample August 2026
Komatsugawa emergency wharf
Edogawa, Tokyo · River
2.4 km from the mouth. Central Tokyo's towers stand beyond the far bank, and on a clear day their outlines are sharp.
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Sample August 2026
Shinsuna emergency wharf
Koto, Tokyo · River
The marker here reads -0.5 km, the closest the Arakawa gets to the sea. This stretch is tidal, and the level rises and falls within the day.
When to watch
June to October is flood season — the rainy front and the typhoons both land in that window, and that is when these cameras earn their keep. But when it is genuinely dangerous, do not watch a camera: follow the evacuation guidance from your local authority. This site is a directory, not a disaster information source.
Other seasons have their own interest. Snowmelt in early spring raises some rivers; the dry winter months expose wide gravel bars on others. On the Chikugo, which empties into the Ariake Sea, the tide reaches so far upstream that the lower river reverses direction twice a day.
Daylight only. Most river cameras carry no lighting, so after sunset the frame is simply black.
Browse by mountain or lake
Agencies publishing the cameras on this page
- MLIT Arakawa Downstream River Office (PDL 1.0) — Official site
- MLIT river live streams (Government Standard Terms 2.0) — Official site
The footage belongs to each agency. This site is an unofficial guide, and each sample frame was copied once per camera under that agency's terms of use.