The is a major river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 that flows through northern Mie Prefecture

Mie Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....

 on the island of Honshū

Honshu

is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It is officially classified as a Class 1 river by the Japanese government, one of four Class 1 rivers that flow solely through Mie.

The river's source is on Mount Nasugahara, which stands on the border of Mie and Shiga

Shiga Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan, which forms part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Ōtsu.- History :Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established...

 Prefectures. From the mountain, it then flows eastwards, eventually flowing into Ise Bay

Ise Bay

Ise Bay is a bay located at the mouth of the Kiso River between Mie and Aichi Prefectures in Japan. Ise Bay has an average depth of 19.5 metres and a maximum depth of 30 metres toward the centre. The mouth of the bay is 9 kilometres wide and is connected to the smaller Mikawa Bay by two channels:...

.

A section of the Tōkaidō

Tokaido (road)

The ' was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshū, hence the route's name....

, a major travel route in the Edo era

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

, ran along the north side of the river for most of its course. The modern versions of this portion of the old Tokaido, the Kansai Main Line

Kansai Main Line

The is a Japanese railway line which connects Nagoya Station with JR Namba Station in Osaka. It is jointly run by the Central Japan Railway Company and the West Japan Railway Company with the boundary between both companies being located at Kameyama Station in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture.The section...

 and Route 1, likewise run parallel with the river.

Course

Mie Prefecture

Mie Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....

:

Kameyama

Kameyama, Mie

is a city located in Mie Prefecture, Japan.As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 48,902 and the density of 256.15 persons per km². The total area is 190.91 km².The city was founded on October 1, 1954....

 • Suzuka

Suzuka, Mie

is a city located in Mie, Japan.As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 198,716 and the density of 1,020 people per km². The total area is 194.67 km².Located about 83 km east from Nara, and 52 km southwest from Nagoya.-History:...

 • Yokkaichi

Yokkaichi, Mie

is a city located in Mie, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 314,393. The total area is 205.53 km².The closest major city is Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture....