Hinohara Village ‘Takimeguri’ Waterfall Tour
This blog post continues my Hinohara Falls Tour Hinohara Takimeguri ひのはら滝めぐり a photographic journey of the 13 main waterfalls in Hinohara Village, Tokyo. Apart from the two waterfalls introduced below I have so far visited the Hossawa Falls, Tengu and Aya Falls and Mito Otaki Falls.
Nakayama Falls 中山の滝
According to the literature put out by the Hinohara Village the single tier Nakayama Falls was once a popular hangout for US serviceman stationed at Yokota Air Base. Signage to the falls is poor with only one sign I could find pointing to its whereabouts. The trail down to the falls commences behind some restrooms, about a 5-minute walk back along the road from the carpark. The flow rate is higher compared to the Kichijoji Falls thanks to the combined forces of the north and south Akigawa rivers. In historical times the narrow passage through this waterfall presented a major obstacle for timber cutters transporting logs downstream.
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Kichijoji Falls 吉祥寺滝
The Kichijoji Falls is located 450 metres upstream from the confluence of the north and south Akigawa rivers just a little up from its namesake bus stop. The waterfall is roughly divided into three steps, spanning 20 meters lengthways with a combined drop of 4 metres. The canyon which encompasses the waterfall is prone to flash flooding with destructive forces from Typhoon Hagibis still evident. Note that the walkway down to the Kichijoji Falls remains partially cordoned off.
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Access: From Musashi-Itsukaichi Station take a bus bound for the Hossawa Falls or Kazuma (23 mins, 490 yen). Closest bus stop to Nakayama Falls is Wada-mukai 和田向 and for Kichijoji Falls is Kichijoji-taki 吉祥滝.
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If you’re into waterfalls, you can visit Shasui Falls (about 90 m high) on the way back from hiking Mt. Ono, and only a 15 minute detour (previous post; access Yamakita Station, Gotemba Line). These falls are listed in the Japan Top 100 Falls by the Environment Ministry.
Pretty spectacular falls moreover given its relative closeness to a residential area. On the flipside could be overly touristy, a bit of a crowd magnet and looks like they have gated the red bridge due to last year’s typhoon? (on closer inspection just about every photo I look at shows the gate cordoning off the red bridge). Having said that if the path is ever shored up, an early morning or evening viewing would make it worth a visit.
Yeah, you can’t get that close. On its own, not worth the visit, but tacked on to the Mt. Ono hike as you near Yamakita Station, would be good. The best waterfall for me is Ayahiro, as you can get right up to it, and the huge bent over trees look like something out of Rashomon.