Kegon Falls

photo by Ryoichi Komatsu from Tokyo, Japan · CC BY 2.0

photo by SpringField1967 · CC BY-SA 3.0

A 97-metre drop: since 1930 a lift has gone down 100 m through the rock so you can see it from below.

The waterfall is formed by the outflow of Lake Chūzenji and falls 97 metres in a single drop, the highest of Japan's three classic waterfalls along with Nachi and Fukuroda. Since 1930 a lift cut into the rock has gone down 100 metres in about a minute to a three-level observation deck, from which you can see the foot of the fall, the gorge below and the sheer rock walls.

Kegon also gives its name to the Buddhist Kegon-shū school, and the site has been a destination for scenic pilgrimage since the Meiji era: it was here in 1903 that the student Fujimura Misao left his famous farewell poem before jumping, an episode that made the waterfall known throughout Japan as a place for reflecting on life. Today it remains one of the essential stops in the Nikkō-Chūzenji area, together with the lake and the Iroha-zaka pass that leads to it.

ℹ️ Lift: 1 March–30 November 8:00–17:00, 1 December–end of February 9:00–16:30. Return trip 600 yen adults, 400 yen elementary school pupils, free for preschool children. No booking, first come, first served. The waterfall can also be seen for free from the upper observation deck, without going down.

🚉 Chuzenji Onsen · 6 min walk

Sources: kegon.jp · nippon.com

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