The Azusa River is a river within the Hida Mountains or Northern Japanese Alps, in the western region of Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The river belongs to the Shinano River watershed, and forms the upper section of the Sai River. The name of the river comes from the catalpa tree found in the river basin, which are used for Azusa Yumi, a sacred bow in Shinto rituals. The river gives its name to the Azusa limited express train, which is operated by the East Japan Railway Company, and which runs mainly between Shinjuku Station in Tokyo and Matsumoto Station in Nagano.

The Shinano River , known as the Chikuma River in its upper reaches, is the longest and widest river in Japan and the third largest by basin area. It is located in northeastern Honshu, rising in the Japanese Alps and flowing generally northeast through Nagano and Niigata Prefectures before emptying into the Sea of Japan. It is designated as a Class A river.