Yodo River

Yodo River
Yodo River in north Osaka
Basin
Main source	Ōtsu, Shiga, Japan
River mouth	Osaka Bay, Osaka, Japan
Basin size	8,240 km2 (3,180 sq mi)
Physical characteristics
Length	75 km (47 mi)

The Yodo River (淀川, Yodo-gawa^?), also called the Seta River (瀬田川 Seta-gawa) and the Uji River (宇治川 Uji-gawa) at portions of its route, is the principal river in Osaka Prefecture on Honshū, Japan. The source of the river is Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture to the north.

The Yodo River, usually called the Seta River in Shiga Prefecture, begins at the southern outlet of the lake in Ōtsu. There is a dam there to regulate the lake level. Further downstream, the Seta flows into Kyoto Prefecture and changes its name to the Uji River, and then merges with two other rivers, namely the Katsura River and the Kizu River in Kyoto Prefecture. The Katsura has its headwaters in the mountains of Kyoto Prefecture, while the Kizu comes from Mie Prefecture. From the three-river confluence, the river is called the Yodo River, which flows south, through Osaka, and on into Osaka Bay. In Osaka, part of the river has been diverted into an artificial channel; the old course in the heart of Osaka is called the Kyū-Yodo River (literally, 'Former Yodo River').

It serves as a source of water for irrigation and also powers hydroelectric generators.

The Uji River, or the Yodo River in Kyoto Prefecture, is a popular fishing spot during the summer and fall months.

The Uji River has a prominent place in the so-called "Uji chapters" of the Tale of Genji, a novel written by the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early eleventh century.