Nachi Falls

photo by Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan · CC BY 2.0

photo by Suikotei · CC BY-SA 4.0

133 metres in one drop: the tallest single-drop waterfall in Japanese-administered territory.

The waterfall plunges 133 metres in a single drop, 13 metres wide at the base: the tallest in Japan among single-drop falls in administered territory (a waterfall in the disputed Kuril Islands, 140 metres high, would exceed it, but it is not under Japanese control). It is the object of worship of the Hiryū shrine at its foot: in the Kumano faith, the waterfall itself is the kami, the Shinto deity. You can see it from a public viewing bridge along the road, and from a closer platform inside the grounds of Hiryū Jinja.

Part of the sacred complex of Kumano Nachi Taisha, whose cult it gave rise to according to tradition. Designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty in 1972, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004 as part of the ‘Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range’, and is on the list of Japan's hundred most beautiful waterfalls.

ℹ️ Free, open view from the main viewing bridge along the road. A closer platform, inside the grounds of Hiryū Jinja, requires a small ticket (hours and price to be checked on the official site). Bus from Kii-Katsuura or from Nachi Station (about 15 minutes, ‘Nachi-no-taki-mae’ bus stop), or on foot down the Daimonzaka (about 40 minutes).

🚉 Nachinotaki-mae · 3 min walk

Sources: ja.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

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