The toad has a sturdy body, a wide head, a wide mouth, and a round tip; Large and protruding eyes; The body is short and wide, the forelimbs are thick and long, the hind limbs are thick and short, and the left and right roots do not meet; The skin on the whole body is extremely rough, and the skin color on the back changes with the seasons, and females and males are different. During the reproductive season, the back of males is mostly black green, with light colored markings on the sides of the body; The female's dorsal color is lighter, with a milky yellow wart and sometimes black longitudinal spots running diagonally along the body from behind the eyes; The ventral surface is not smooth, with brown or black fine flower spots.

The Japanese river toad, also known as the Honshu toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae. In 1976, during his research at Kyoto University, Masanori Matsui first described it as a "medium to large toad" with "peculiar color patterns" and "stream dwelling habits".