Hossawa Waterfall (hossawa-no-taki [払沢の滝])

Hinohara / Okutama Area / Nishitama District, Tokyo, Japan

About Hossawa Waterfall (hossawa-no-taki [払沢の滝])

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

The Hossawa Waterfall (hossawa-no-taki [払沢の滝]; “Hossawa Falls”) was the only waterfall in the Tokyo Prefecture that was included in the Japan Top 100 Waterfalls List by the Ministry of the Environment.

That alone was the main reason why we checked out this waterfall since it’s not often that the words “Tokyo” and “waterfall” could be said in the same sentence!

Hossawa_083_07232023 - The Hossawa Waterfall in the Tokyo Prefecture
The Hossawa Waterfall in the Tokyo Prefecture

In fact, given how popular Tokyo was as a place for tourists to visit, we did notice quite a few other gaijin (foreigners) during our visit, despite being way out towards the western boundary of the metropolis.

Yet this waterfall was even known as a scenic spot dating back to the Edo Period (between 1603 and 1868).

And even before that era in Japan’s history, people believed that a serpent lived at the bottom of the waterfall while others would pray here hoping it would bring rain.

Hossawa Falls is said to have a cumulative height of about 60m over four tiers of 26.4m, 16.8m, 13.7m, and 2.3m, respectively.

Hossawa_085_07232023 - This was about as much of the Hossawa Falls as we could legally and safely see, but there's an additional hidden tier behind the foliage that's partially visible behind the main drop shown here (it's hard to see this in the photo)
This was about as much of the Hossawa Falls as we could legally and safely see, but there’s an additional hidden tier behind the foliage that’s partially visible behind the main drop shown here (it’s hard to see this in the photo)

Of the four drops, we only could cleanly see the third and fourth tiers, but the taller upper two tiers were hard to see.

Thus, the waterfall seemed shorter than the taller figure, and the official trail did not allow us to go any higher to witness the taller upper tiers.

Moreover, during our visit, the waterflow seemed to be on the diminishing side so I’d imagine there’s some degree of seasonality (though I’m sure the Summer monsoons would help it out over the coming months).

Nevertheless, it’s said that Hossawa Falls got its name because someone envisioned this waterfall looked like a hossu (払子) turned upside down.

Hossawa_018_iPhone_07242023 - When viewed from this angle, the Hossawa Falls looks quite reminiscent of a monk's hossu turned upside down
When viewed from this angle, the Hossawa Falls looks quite reminiscent of a monk’s hossu turned upside down

A hossu is a kind of staff used by monks with bundled hair (typically from a cow, horse, yak, or even hemp) at the top end of stick that serves as a fly shooer as well as a symbol of a Zen techer’s authority.

Experiencing the Hossawa Falls

As far as accessing this waterfall, according to my GPS logs, we hiked about 800m each way (or 1.6km round trip).

From the car park (see directions below), we followed a path that descended towards the Hinohara Village before reaching a bridge at around 100m.

But instead of crossing the bridge, we took a signed path to the right that followed along the stream that the Hossawa Falls was on.

Hossawa_039_iPhone_07242023 - Approaching the seemingly out-of-place Hinohara Post Office on the way to the Hossawa Falls
Approaching the seemingly out-of-place Hinohara Post Office on the way to the Hossawa Falls

The path then went by the curious and seemingly out-of-place Hinohara Post Office before following along a wide ledge overlooking the stream.

At about 500m, we encountered a nice rest area with an intermediate cascade as well as some pipes further downstream.

About 300m beyond that, the trail then ascended up to the base of the Hossawa Falls, which was the end of the trail as far as we were concerned.

It did look like there was a continuation of a trail past some sign before a landslide or rock slide pretty much stopped that route.

Hossawa_011_iPhone_07242023 - A nice resting spot with intermediate cascades a short distance downstream from the actual Hossawa Falls
A nice resting spot with intermediate cascades a short distance downstream from the actual Hossawa Falls

Whether that would have taken us to the remaining tiers of the Hossawa Falls was pure speculation, but we didn’t push the issue any further to find out.

Overall, we spent about 75 minutes away from the car, and for a hot day like on our late July 2023 visit, it was refreshing being around the falls.

However, no swimming was allowed (the plunge pool was shallow anyways) so staying cool was pretty much confined to just being in the shade and being around the waterfall’s spray.

Authorities

The Hossawa Waterfall resides near the Hinohara Village in the western part of the metropolis of Tokyo, Japan. It may be administered by the local authorities in Hinohara Village. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the Hinohara Tourism Association website.

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Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.

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Tagged with: hossawa falls, hossawanotaki, tokyo, japan, japan top 100, waterfalls



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.