About Choshigataki Waterfall (choshigataki [銚子ケ滝])
The Choshigataki Waterfall (choshigataki [銚子ケ滝]; “Sake Decanter Falls?”) was one of the waterfalls named after the shape of a sake decanter, and it actually kind of lives up to its name.
There are numerous waterfalls in Japan with the name choshi in it (e.g. Hida Choshinotaki and Choshi Otaki in Aomori just to name a couple), but the one in this write-up is on the slopes of Mt Adatara near Koriyama.
Whether you see it as a one-sided sake bottle or a two-sided one depends on its flow, and in our late July 2023 visit, we saw it sort of in its one-sided form.
In any case, this waterfall is where the Ishiguro River (which originates on the geologically active Mt Adatara) drops at a height of 48m.
With such an impressive size, pretty reliable flow, and its recognizable shape, it’s considered to be one of Japan’s Top 100 Waterfalls according to the Japanese Ministry of the Environment (a list published in 1990).
I’ve also seen this waterfall referred to as Choushi Falls, Choshiga Falls, Choshigataki Falls, or just simply Choshi Falls.
Again, these variations come from the differing ways the Romaji can spell out Japanese words while the lack of consensus on whether to include the particle ga or ケ in its place name further adds to the confusion.
Experiencing the Choshigataki Waterfall
In order to reach this waterfall, we had to do a hike that started off with a flat to gentle climb before reaching trail junctions (starting at about 1.2km from the trailhead).
At these junctions, the other paths either go towards Lake Adatara or continue forward towards the peak of Mt Osho in the crater of Mt Adatara.
By the way, Mt Adatara is an active volcano that last erupted in 1996 and infamously killed 72 sulphur mine workers near its crater in 1900.
Anyways, the trail fork we’re interested in here (100m beyond the first trail junction) descends a long series of steps as it goes all the way to the bottom of the ravine that the Choshigataki Falls spills into.
Along the way, we could see clear signs of past rockfalls as well as landslides so I’m sure this trail always sees some degree of maintenance to keep it open for visitation.
Nevertheless, this was an upside down hike where we had to watch our step going down, and we really had to pace ourselves sweating our way back up after having our fill of the Choshi Falls.
At the end of the spur trail at the bottom of the Choshi Waterfall, the plunge pool was fringed by giant boulders attesting to how prone this area is to rockfalls and landslides given the steepness of the gorge walls.
So we didn’t linger for too long, and we definitely didn’t feel up for more boulder scrambling to get real cold in the waterfall’s plunge pool (let alone its spray).
Anyways, on our visit, we spent about 90 minutes away from the car, which covered about 1.6km in each direction (or 3.2km round-trip).
That said, perhaps the greater difficulty or confusion (especially if you’re using GoogleMaps) involved getting to the car park and trailhead (see directions below).
Authorities
The Choshigataki Waterfall resides near the city of Koriyama in the Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. It may be administered by the local authorities in Koriyama. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the Koriyama City website.
Related Top 10 Lists
No Posts Found
Related Itineraries
Trip Planning Resources
Nearby Accommodations
This content is for subscribers only. See Membership Options.Featured Images and Nearby Attractions
This content is for subscribers only. See Membership Options.Visitor Comments:
Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...No users have replied to the content on this page
Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:
If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall
Nearest Waterfalls
