Shizunai River

Shizunai River (静内川, Shizunai-gawa) is a river in Shinhidaka, Hokkaidō, Japan. The Shizunai River drains from the Hidaka Mountains into the Pacific Ocean.

The Shizunai River was known as Shibuchari[1] and Shibechari. This name was derived from Shipe-ichan, meaning “a salmon spawning place” in Ainu.[2]

The name Shizunai is derived from the Ainu language and has three possible sources:[3]

Shiputnai – A marsh at the origin of the Ainu.
Shuttonai – A marsh with many grapes.
Shutnai – A river at the foot of a mountain.

The Shizunai River flows generally southwest from its headwaters in the Hidaka mountains at the confluence of the Koikakushushibichari and Koibokushushibichari rivers. It flows into Lake Takami (高見湖, Takami-ko), a reservoir created by the Takami Dam. Past the dam, the Shizunai river flows into Shizunai Flood Control Reservoir (静内調整池, Shizunai Chōseichi). Past the Shizunai Dam, the river encounters Futa Dam before leaving the mountains for the flood plain. The river flows past the outlying communities of Shizunai before entering the Pacific Ocean just northwest of Shizunai harbor.