Kegon Waterfall (Kegon-no-taki [華厳の滝])

Nikko, Tochigi, Japan

About Kegon Waterfall (Kegon-no-taki [華厳の滝])


Hiking Distance: 1-2km round trip
Suggested Time: 30-45 minutes

Date first visited: 2009-05-25
Date last visited: 2009-05-25

Waterfall Latitude: 36.73799
Waterfall Longitude: 139.50189

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

As far as Julie and I were concerned, the Kegon Waterfall (Kegon-no-taki [華厳の滝]; also Kegon Falls) was the star natural attraction of the UNESCO World Heritage-laced town and area of Nikko.

Indeed, much of the attention drawn from Tourists tended to go towards the historical attractions within the Nikko town itself such as the Toshogu Shrine, Rinnoji Temple, Taiyun Mausoleum, etc.

Kegon_048_05242009 - The Kegon Waterfall
The Kegon Waterfall

Such structures showcased some well preserved wooden temples and treasures that have earned it UNESCO World Heritage status.

However, just out of town (reachable by the pretty convenient buses accepting the relatively reasonably-priced All Nikko Pass), we were able to diversify our experiences with a visit into the neighboring mountains near the Chuzenjiko (Lake Chuzenji).

This lake sourced the Daiya River (大谷川 or Daiyagawa) into the towering 97m Kegon Waterfall – easily considered one of the top three waterfalls in Japan.

This waterfall consisted of a main plunge followed by extensive cascades further downstream that seemed to have just as much cumulative height as the main drop of the waterfall itself.

I think the 97m measure pertained only to the main plunge, but I’m sure if someone wanted to give this waterfall the benefit of the doubt (by counting those downstream cascades), it could’ve easily been more like 200m or so.

Experiencing the Kegon Falls

Kegon_006_05242009 - The Kegon Waterfall as seen from the free viewing deck (before taking the elevator down to the lower decks)
The Kegon Waterfall as seen from the free viewing deck (before taking the elevator down to the lower decks)

First, we were able to get nice top down views of the Kegon Waterfall from the free viewing decks, which were just a few minutes walk from the Chuzenji Onsen stop (a huge parking lot for buses and cars).

However, we thought it was well worth shelling out the extra yen for an elevator ride that took us down to the lower viewing decks.

From these lower decks, we got a more frontal view of the Kegon Falls as well as the cascades below it.

Since we showed up in the morning on a sunny day, the nice bold rainbows arcing across the base of the falls really added a lot of color and vibrance to the experience.

Kegon_056_05242009 - Looking down at what I think was the Nehan Waterfall
Looking down at what I think was the Nehan Waterfall

When we peered towards the downstream side of the viewing deck, we noticed that there was also another notable cascade, which we think was named Nehan Waterfall (涅槃の滝) according to a sign here.

Actually, we’re still not quite sure if that additional cascade we saw was the Nehan Waterfall or if it was even further below us on the same stream that the Kegon Waterfall was on.

Potential Opportunities to view the Kegon Falls another way

Even though we only had time to get the main views of the Kegon Waterfall, we knew that there were other pretty majestic views and walkways to experience.

The one in particular that I’m thinking of was based out of the Akechi-daira stop.

Kegon_067_05242009 - Looking up at basalt columns near the Kegon Waterfall, which hinted at the geological forces resulting in the creation of the falls
Looking up at basalt columns near the Kegon Waterfall, which hinted at the geological forces resulting in the creation of the falls

I believe there was a cable car to the top of a hill where there was a viewing deck of both Chuzenjiko and the Kegon-no-taki.

There was also said to be a 1.5km walk back down to the Chuzenji Onsen complex passing by a shrine and some fine views of Mt Nantai on clear days.

The more I think about it, I wish we had made the time and do this extra option anyways. Oh well, maybe next time.

Overall Summary

Overall, we spent about 30 minutes at the lower deck beneath the elevator ride.

Given the limited ways to experience the Kegon Waterfall from the main viewing deck, that amount of time was plenty.

Chuzenji_001_05242009 - Chuzenjiko (Lake Chuzenji) was the source of the Kegon Waterfall. We got this view from the bus, which momentarily stopped on its way to the Yumoto Onsen
Chuzenjiko (Lake Chuzenji) was the source of the Kegon Waterfall. We got this view from the bus, which momentarily stopped on its way to the Yumoto Onsen

We also spent another half-hour or so at the top before they finally opened up the elevator (because we showed up too early in the morning).

In any case, our experience at the Kegon-no-taki was so impressive that we gave it a spot on our Top 10 Asia Waterfalls List.

Authorities

The Kegon Waterfall resides in the Nikko area of the Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. It is administered by the Nikko National Park. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the Nikko Tourism Association website.

Kegon_001_05242009 - This way or that way to the Kegon-no-taki?
Kegon_010_05242009 - Getting a good look at the Kegon Waterfall from the free viewing area above the elevator
Kegon_015_05242009 - In a worrying development, fog started rolling in and conspired to obscure the Kegon Waterfall as we waited for the elevators to open
Kegon_037_05242009 - Fortunately, the fog cleared up at the Kegon-no-taki soon thereafter
Kegon_002_jx_05242009 - We saw this plaque with engraved kanji saying something about this place being one of Japan's Most Beautiful Spots (at least based on what I think I can read by translating the kanji into Chinese characters)
Kegon_045_05242009 - After finally being able to go down the elevator to the lower viewing deck, we got this nice view of a rainbow fronting the Kegon-no-taki
Kegon_054_05242009 - Looking down at what I thought could be the Nehan Waterfall (though I could be wrong)
Kegon_012_jx_05242009 - Nehan Waterfall sign though from what we saw of the nearest waterfall, it didn't look like what's in the picture of this sign so it made me doubt if we had even noticed it!
Kegon_074_05242009 - Direct look at the Kegon Waterfall with rainbow at its base from the lower viewing deck
Kegon_078_05242009 - Closeup of the Kegon Waterfall with rainbow


The Chuzenji-ko bus typically ran every half-hour from town.

On the day we did it, we caught an early 6:35am bus in Nikko and arrived at the main Chuzenji-ko bus stop at around 7:30am or so.

Then, we walked from the bus stop to the Kegon Falls.

We were able to save a significant amount of bus fare money by purchasing the All Nikko Pass (a-la-carte fares tend to add up real fast!), and this route was definitely part of the coverage area.

Travel to Nikko Logistics

To get to the Nikko area, we came here from Sendai (仙台) on a 9:26am train bound for Utsunomiya (宇都宮).

Then, we barely caught a 10:40am train right to Nikko (日光) getting there around 11:30am.

Nikko_142_05242009 - This was our tatami-style accommodation in Nikko, which was where we based ourselves to explore both Kegon-no-taki and Nikko's UNESCO World Heritage sites
This was our tatami-style accommodation in Nikko, which was where we based ourselves to explore both Kegon-no-taki and Nikko’s UNESCO World Heritage sites

We had to walk from the JR station to the Tobu-Nikko Station where we got the local timetables and bought that important All Nikko Bus Pass.

On the way out, we caught a 6:46am train bound for Utsunomiya then connected from there at 8:10am and caught a shinkansen back to Tokyo (Shinjuku Station, I believe) getting there at around 9:45am.

For some additional geographical context, Utsunomiya was 128km north of Tokyo (東京; about 2 hours by car or 90 minutes by train) and was 250km north of Sendai (3 hours drive or 90 minutes by train). Nikko was 39km northwest of Utsunomiya (under an hour drive or an hour by train).

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Looking down at the falls from the free viewing deck


View of the cascade and main waterfall with rainbow from the lower viewing deck


Not sure if this was the falls or not, but in either case, it was a decent cascade

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Tagged with: nikko, tochigi, japan, waterfall, unesco, chuzenjiko, chuzenji, lake, all nikko pass



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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.
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