Kamikoshi Gorge is a 7 km scenic spot in the eastern part of Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. Contrary to Korankei Gorge down the river, which is always bustled with tourists, this gorge is a quiet place with few visitors. Only the sounds of wind blowing through the valley and water running in the stream can be heard.
There is a fishing zone built in a part of the river, where various natural land features including huge rocks, deep pools, rapids and gentle pools are utilized to create an ideal fishing zone for fanciers of mountain stream fishing.
Satsuki azaleas bloom along the river from the middle of May to early June. When Sekkoku (Dendrobium moniliforme) takes root on one of the huge rocks on rare occasions, its beautiful flowers attract attention of the visitors.
Clear stream flows between the continuing huge and oddly-shaped rocks with splashes of water. The deep pools are filled with emerald green water. The water of the stream is so cold that you can’t bathe for a long time even in summer.
The Hakusen Waterfall is one of the three waterfalls in the Rarumanai River running through Rarumanai Natural Park in Eniwa City in Hokkaido. It was named “Hakusen (white fan)” because the 15-meter-high, 18-meter-wide dynamic stream spreads like a fan on the platy-jointed riverbed, which creates pure white spray and bubbles of water.
It is a famous spot to enjoy fresh verdure and autumn leaves. The waterfall looks more dynamic and fascinating in spring when snowmelt increases the volume of the river. The splashes and cool sound of the flow together with tender green of the surrounding broad-leaved trees create refreshing effects in summer. When autumn begins to enfold, red and yellow maple leaves are woven into the silky flow of the waterfall to produce beautiful brocade of the landscape.
There are more than ten large and small waterfalls on the Sankaitaki River, which is a tributary of the Osaru River and runs through Sankaitaki Town in Date City, Hokkaido. The town is almost at the center of Shikotsu-Toya National Park
The most magnificent waterfall among them is the Sankaitaki Waterfall. This dynamic 16 meter-high waterfall flows down uniquely in three stages. It is the symbol of the town, whose name is derived from the waterfall.
Its roaring sound and splashed water will make you really refreshed. You will enjoy listening to the distinctive call of Japanese nightingales heard from somewhere in brilliant green leaves in spring as well as the nice harmony created by the white flow of waterfall and its surrounding crimson foliage in fall.
The area around the waterfall is arranged into Sankaitaki Park, where you can soak your legs and hands to feel the coolness of clear stream. A lot of people come to scoop up the spring water “Kanrosui” at the entrance of the park.
The Hoshioki-no-taki Waterfall is in a valley adjacent to a quiet residence area in Teine-ku, Sapporo City, Hokkaido. It is a two-storied waterfall with a height of 14 m located in the Hoshioki River, which springs out of 949-meter high Mt. Teine.
The name “Hoshioki” is presumed to be borrowed from an Ainu word “hoshipoki,” which means “down the cliff.” There are clustering trees in the valley around the cliff, where you can enjoy forest bathing. Having been eroded by the river flow, the rock mass around the middle of the waterfall was hollowed into a conical shape, into which the upper part of the waterfall flows and forms a two-storied waterfall.
The dashing flow of water with white splashes is really dynamic and gives a masculine impression. Its roaring sound echoes through the quiet valley.
Kamiwari Point in Shizugawa-cho, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture is one of the most famous scenic spots along the southern part of the Sanriku Kaigan coastline. There is a huge black sandstone rock that was eroded by the ocean and split in two. The wild waves rushing through the slap between the two rocks look tremendously dynamic.
This scenic site is associated with a legend called Kamiwari, which means “broken by the god.” Legend has it that, once upon a time, a huge whale was washed ashore on the beach. The villagers of both Tokura Village and Jusanhama Village, who had been in conflict with each other over the village border, claimed the possession of the whale. Not being able to arrive at a conclusion, they decided to carry over the discussion to the next morning and went home. At night, however, ear-shuttering sounds were heard from the cape. When the surprised villagers rushed to the cape, they found a huge rock split in two there. People accepted this mysterious incident as the god’s judgment and stopped the conflict since then.
Waking through the pine grove and enjoying a fine view of this beautiful coast, you can’t help feeling that it is not altogether a fanciful tale.
360-21 旧有壁宿本陣 Kyu-arikabesyuku-honjin
Hakusan Domon Rock Cave located in a little westward from the tip of Ashizuri Cape is a typical rock cave created by sea water erosion. This 16-meter high and 17-meter wide rock cave is one of the largest granite stone caves in Japan. The base of the rock is being eroded by the raging waves of the Pacific Ocean.
As the promenade leads you very close to the cave, it is suitable for geological study as well as sightseeing. On top of the Rock cave is a tiny shrine, where the deity of Hakusan Shrine is enshrined as the guardian god. Listening to the sound of the waves washing the shore of the Pacific Ocean, you will experience the crossing moment when the time flowing over the mother earth and the time spent by us, human beings cross each other.
Cape Ohakozaki is at the tip of Hakozaki Peninsula in Kamaishi City, Iwate Pref. The cape consists of a large granite rock formation called “Senjojiki” and the rias coast, which impresses visitors with the beauty of coastal erosion. Facing the outer sea, the color of the ocean is especially beautiful. When the sea is rough, a high splashes of water overwhelms the viewers. From there visitors can command a panoramic view of ocean.
Senjojiki is a scenic spot where uniquely shaped granite rocks overlap each other and form a huge rocky ground.
Hakozaki Peninsula is known for Shirahama Shrine, which enshrines the god of fertility and safe deliveries. Near the tip of the peninsula are Hakozaki Lighthouse and Hakozaki Shrine, both of which are unattended.
The Kegon Waterfall located in Chugushi, Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture is one of Japan’s Three Finest Waterfalls. There are 48 waterfalls in Nikko, but Kegon waterfall is the most famous among these. The water falls from 97 meters high and you will enjoy natural beauty around the fall. Splashes of water form a mist, over which a rainbow appears on a fine day. In winter, the fall will be decorated with frozen small falls, which looks like a chandelier.
The waterfall is said to have been discovered by the priest Katsudo, and the name “Kegon” was derived from the Buddhist sutra “the Avatamsaka Sutra.”
The Kegon Waterfall became a noted place of suicide when an 18-year-old high school student, Misao Fujimura, jumped into the fall in 1903. He was a student of the First Higher School (pre-war elite prep school) and left his last message entitled “Ganto no Kan (Being Atop a Precipice)” on the trunk of an oak tree on top of the cliff.
