5. Omonogawa (Akita)

Photographer’s comments: This maternal, feminine river flows gently through idyllic rural scenery. It was rice-planting time when I visited. The view from the Dewa hills as the river flowed through the flooded paddies was quite stunning.

River data: The river meanders through the Akita plains, surrounded by the Ōu and Dewa mountain ranges, passing through the rice-producing regions of Akita Prefecture to the Sea of Japan. Length: 133km; Grade-one river.