ABSTRACT
Japan is a nation shaped by water. Its cultural practices, economy, and worldview have been fundamentally influenced by the close proximity of bodies of water and—in the twentieth century—by the use and allocation of water. 1 Over the centuries, floods have been the most frequent natural threat to livelihoods and property. Water is also central to the Japanese diet, in which fish and rice (which requires vast amounts of water to cultivate) predominate. Small rivers and lakes carve up Japan’s countryside, and the natural boundaries between watersheds have historically provided administrative boundaries for government.
