About Hirayu Waterfall (Hirayu Otaki [平湯大滝])
The Hirayu Waterfall (Hirayu Otaki [平湯大滝]; also called Hirayu Great Falls or just Hirayu Falls) was a classic columnar waterfall that was accentuated by the onset of the koyo (Autumn colors) during our first visit.
An emphatic member of the Japan’s Top 100 Waterfalls from the Ministry of Japan (a list published in 1990 that informed which waterfalls are the country’s standouts), we were impressed by its size at 64m tall and 6m in width.
Backed by the volume of the Big or Great Falls River (Otakigawa; also written as 大滝川), this was a permanent, year-round waterfall (though snow may cut off access to the closest lookout in both Winter and Spring).
In fact, I thought that this was my favorite waterfall of my second trip to Japan given how the falls impressed us as well as the seemingly right set of circumstances with the koyo adding more to its scenic allure.
Of course, that first visit to this waterfall happened in October 2016, but when we came back in April 2023 and again in early July 2023, it seemed like Spring wasn’t exactly the best time to visit (though Summer was a little bit of an improvement).
That’s because Spring is a dead season in between Winter skiing (perfect for onsen bathing) and the Summer/Fall busy seasons, and thus the closest lookout was inaccessible given that snow and ice still covered that part of the trail.
Experiencing the Hirayu Waterfall
As for our excursions to the Hirayu Waterfall, it turned out that there used to be a lot of options (though this depended on when we made our visit).
In the past, there used to be a shuttle bus that went from the car park (see directions below) to the waterfall and back, and this was the way we did our visit back in October 2016 (at 100 yen per person).
However, in subsequent visits, we learned that the restaurant and bus are no longer in operation, and thus we were allowed (snow permitting) to drive all the way to where the shuttle buses used to drop us off.
From there, we then spent several minutes just enjoying the views and hiking as close to the Hirayu Great Falls before a rope discouraged further scrambling due to the rockfall danger.
On our first visit, we were here in the early afternoon (around 2pm) in mid-October so most of the falls was already in shadow behind the mountains around us.
Perhaps that might have been a good thing since the falls faced north (i.e. towards the southern sun) so we were spared from looking against the sun.
Anyways, after having our fill of the impressive waterfall, we then chose to hike the rest of the way back to the car park (covering a distance of 1km).
However, we very easily could have chosen to shuttle (now drive) in both directions (for the minimal amount of walking of probably around 5-10 minutes each way).
Moreover, we could have hiked in both directions from the lower car parks for the maximal amount of walking covering about 2km round trip.
And that was something we actually did on our second visit in April 2023 since the nearest car parks weren’t available due to snow on the former shuttle route (actually all the facilities here were boarded up and shut).
The hike back from the waterfall followed along the Otakigawa sloping gently downhill before veering into a valley with beautiful foliage flanked by mountains.
Towards the end of the walk was a developed area with a reflective pond, some buildings, and nice views towards the Hirayu Onsen in its mountainous context.
Strangely, it turned out that our first visit here happened to catch the restaurant and shuttle in its final days of operation because they closed for good in the following years (we initially thought they were seasonal closures).
Overall, in each of our visits, we had spent about an hour away from the car, but we really took our time both around the waterfall itself as well as on the walk back.
The Discovery of the Hirayu Onsen
While my parents and I already had our fill of the hot springs experience at the nearby Shirahone Onsen, the Hirayu Waterfall was also near the town of Hirayu Onsen, which itself was its own hot springs resort town.
Speaking of hot springs, there was a story of the discovery of the Hirayu Onsen.
It involved the Shirozaru or white monkey, where soldiers who had recently attacked Hida managed to find their way to the Hirayu Waterfall.
Apparently, a white monkey happened to be coming from behind the falls and headed to a hot spring further down the mountain (perhaps to bathe in it).
Curious, the soldiers followed the monkey to the spring, and it was said that this was how the town of Hirayu Onsen was discovered some 450 years ago.
Authorities
The Hirayu Waterfall resides in the Hirayu Onsen near Takayama of the Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is administered by the Gifu Prefectural Government. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting their website.
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