Nabegataki Falls

photo by Yoshitaka Okino · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by 小国町 · CC BY 4.0

300 yen and by online booking only since 2021: you cannot book by phone.

The waterfall is wide and low and falls like a curtain, not like a jet: in front of it there is a rock basin where the water enters from above. The car park is up top and you walk down. Since 2021 you cannot just turn up: you buy your slot on the website before setting off, and if you have not, you call in at the town's tourist office to see whether one is left. The drop is about ten metres and the front of the water is about twenty across: low and wide as it is, you can walk behind the veil.

It is in the town of Oguni, in northern Aso, in a gorge cut into volcanic deposits. The rock beneath the stream of water is softer and has worn away backwards, so a passage has opened between the rock face and the waterfall: that is why the place is known in Japan as the waterfall you look at from behind. On 4 November 2021, to stop the queues on the access road, the town introduced capped entry by booking.

ℹ️ 9:00–17:00, last entry at 16:30; same-day tickets are issued from 8:30 to 16:00. Closed from 28 December to 3 January and during weather warnings. Admission 300 yen from high school up, 150 yen for elementary and junior high school, free for under-sixes (who do not need to book) and for holders of a disability certificate. ⚠️ Online booking REQUIRED since 4 November 2021, and you cannot book by phone: if you cannot do it online, you can buy a ticket in person at the office of the ASO Oguni tourist association, 8:30–16:00, if places remain. On busy days in May, August and September you cannot get in without a booking: there is a calendar and a freephone number. Car park with 123 spaces, free, closed to large coaches (minibuses up to 2.3 m wide can get through). The way down and back up is all steps, and behind the waterfall you get wet: wear suitable shoes. ⚠️ The passage behind the waterfall is at your own risk: rocks may fall and the rock can be slippery. It may also close after earthquakes or other warnings; check that it is open on the day.

🚉 ゆうステーション (Michi-no-eki Oguni, Yu Station) · 60 min walk

Sources: town.kumamoto-oguni.lg.jp · 4travel.jp · newt.net

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