September 28, 2016October 31, 2016

Nippon’s Miniature Niagara

img_1686-copy — This is the Parking area for 六角堂 Rokkakudou which is a hexagonal-shaped shrine just by Fukiware Falls.

img_1632-copy — 吹割ノ滝 Fukiware-no-taki is situated in Okkai, Tone-machi, Numata-City of Gunma Prefecture in Japan. Ukishima Bridge(Right) & Fukiware Bridge(Left) in full view.

img_1636-copy — We stayed overnight at Oigami Onsen which is a hot spring resort in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture bordering Numata City. It is about 4km up river from Fukiware Falls & took about 10mins drive to get to. We parked across the road outside a restaurant & walked through an underpass before descending about 2-3 flight of stairs to get to the water’s edge.

A Festival procession to offer prayers for safe water levels after the thawing of winter frost swell the Katashina River & also for the safety of visitors who come to Fukiware Falls. This Rogation day usually falls on April 18th every Spring.

img_1645-copy — Over a million visitors come yearly to see these spectacular falls which have become a national treasure of sorts & it is especially beautiful during Autumn when the surrounding foliage or 紅葉 Kouyou are at their stunning & blazing best. When the winds are strong you can feel the spray of mist churned up from the mighty 7m splash.

img_1663-copy — Fukiware-no-taki is a horseshoe-shaped waterfall that spans 30m & drops 7m into the granite riverbed below. The sight & sound of the rapid gushing vortex of water hitting the river bottom is a mesmerising & powerful impression.

img_1644-copy — 吹割ノ滝 Fukiware-no-taki Fukiware Waterfalls.

img_1646-copy — The 片品渓谷 Katashina Keikoku – Katashina Ravine stretches over 1.5km & the elements & river continue to change the landscape over time & carve out rocks of unusual & interesting shapes.

img_1648-copy — This is a calmer section where we get to appreciate the crystalline waters & granite cliffs more closely.

img_1649-copy — A cave lies around the corner & the deeper section of the river appears an attractive emerald green.

img_1650-copy — Continue along the concrete footpath that skirts the ravine 吹割渓谷 Fukiware Keikoku & river, then turn around & have a look at the colourful rugged rock face; a natural phenomena that is worth more than a second look.

img_1651-copy — We approached a second granite plateau before another waterfall greeted us.

img_1652-copy — The downstream flow of water gathers speed & form a swirling mass before plunging into the section below.

img_1654-copy — A multi-coloured composition of rocks with traces of mineral deposits & the bright orange parts hinting of either an iron or non-metallic sulfide.

img_1657-copy — We reached the lower section of the ravine & got to 鱒飛ノ滝 Masutobi-no-taki which drops a further 15m before we turned back.

img_1664-copy — 浮島橋 Ukishima Bridge spans 150m & crosses to 浮島 Ukishima Island where 浮島神社 Ukishima Kannon Temple is located.

img_1665-copy — Looking upstream at Katashina River from Ukishima Bridge.

img_1671-copy — Ukishima Bridge sans hordes of tourists.

img_1673-copy — Ukishima Kannon Temple is a Buddhist temple dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy. It also houses the work of legendary Japanese sculptor, artist & carpenter Jingoro Hidari who lived during the Edo Period circa 1596-1644. It is believed that he created many deity sculptures throughout Japan including his famous 眠り猫 Nemuri-Neko Sleeping Cat & 三匹ノ猿 Sanbiki no saru Three Wise Monkeys.

img_1085-copy — 眠り猫 Nemuri-neko Sleeping Cat at the Kuguri-mon Gate at Nikko’s 日光東照宮 Toshogu Shrine.

img_1055-copy — 三匹ノ猿 Sanbiki no saru Three Wise Monkeys at 日光東照宮 Toshogu Shrine in Nikko.

This kind gentleman from the Ukishima Kannon Temple offered me a drink of fermented sweet rice wine.

img_1672-copy — Condiments of pickled radish (daikon) to go with the Amazake, a traditional sweet low alcohol Japanese drink made from koji (fermented rice) & the koji mold Aspergillus oryzae which is commonly served at shrines during festivals.

img_1675-copy — Fukiware Bridge which is 140m in length offers splendid views of the Katashina Gorge below.

img_1676-copy — View from 吹割橋 Fukiware Bridge with 浮島 Ukishima Island on the left.

img_1683-copy — A parking area & a rest-stop to catch a breather before we retrace our steps back to our car & head to Kusatsu Onzen.

img_1682-copy — A tourist map near the parking area & rest-stop that highlights the walking trails & spots of interest.

Fukiware Waterfalls was a pleasant surprise & it certainly exceeded my expectations. Though it is more convenient to get there by driving compared to public transport, I deem it worthy of a visit & I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, the walk & the interaction with the local folks.

Published by Sandra Quah

Into Travelling, Photography & Music View all posts by Sandra Quah

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Enter your comment here...

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Email (required) (Address never made public)

Name (required)

Website

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change )

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: