11 Jun 2014

Fukiware Waterfalls

Water gushing down from two sides

Oleh Masato Kitamura

Community writer

Close-up of the most interesting point, you can get quite close!

It took about 10,000 years to create a drop of 7 meters, measuring a width of about 30 meters.

Fukiware-no-taki, or Fukiwari Falls is known as an important natural treasure of Japan.

There is also a promenade from where you can watch the falls from different angles.

If you follow the promenade there are beautiful rock formations to look at.

There is also a suspension bridge from where you get a great overview of the whole area of the falls.

The view from the suspension bridge upstream

Fukiware-no-taki (吹割の滝), or Fukiware Falls, is a famous waterfall in Numata-shi, Gumma Prefecture. It measures 7 meters in height and 30 meters in width. Rocks with interesting and unique shapes can be found in the so-called Katashina ravine which continues for over 1.5 km. The riverbed is made of granite, but the area around the waterfall has a softer character, so that over time the stream has created cracks that continued to grow. The Japanese name of the falls “Fukiware-no-taki” reflects this phenomenon.

To access the waterfall from Tokyo, take the Kanetsu National Expressway until Numata Interchange and change to National Route 120 in the direction of Nikko or Oze for about 30 minutes. You will find the falls along this road.