About Oshinkoshin Waterfall (Oshinkoshin-no-taki [オシンコシンの滝])
The Oshinkoshin Waterfall (Oshinkoshin-no-taki [オシンコシンの滝]) was a very beautiful wide fan-type waterfall that was kind of split in the middle by a tree-covered rock as the water made it way into the Sea of Okhotsk not much further downstream.
In a way, Julie and I thought of it as a precursor to the gorgeous and naturesque beauty of Shiretoko National Park as this waterfall was for all intents and purposes right at its doorstep!
Experiencing the Oshinkoshin Waterfall
From the elongated car park (see directions below), we walked up a short but wide stairway terminating at the misty front of the falls.
The higher up we went on the steps, the mistier it became so most of the photos we took of it were at an angle looking from the bottom up.
In order to get full frontal shots of the falls, we would’ve needed a very wide angle lens as well as some luck since the swirling mist most certainly got our camera lenses wet.
Julie and I weren’t sure if there was another way to get different views of this waterfall from its top.
We made this speculation because we did see what appeared to be railings up there, but in each of our visits, all that infrastructure was really for avalanche or rockfall mitigation.
Based on our latest observations, if I did see some photo to that effect of unusual top down views of the falls on some tourist brochures, then it either used to be there or they could be just drone shots.
Anyways, on the other side of the road (you definitely have to cross it carefully as cars quickly speed on this stretch of highway), we could see what was left of the cascading stream spilling right into the sea.
The rocky coastline limited what we could see up and down the coast, but given how cold it tended to be up here, this was certainly no place for a swim!
Nomenclature and the Ainu of Japan
The name of the falls was actually an Ainu word, which might explain why there are so many katakana characters in its written name in Japanese.
Katakana is typically used to represent sound characters to aid in its pronunciation for words that are of foreign origin.
That said, we’re not sure what its meaning was for many years after our first visit until literature started to come out on the interwebs explaining that it translates to “the beautifully forked waterfalls” (which is an apt description).
By the way, the Ainu were one of the native peoples of Japan, especially in the Hokkaido region.
In a way, it was almost analogous to how one might see the influence and/or presence of Eskimos in Alaska or Sami people in northern Scandinavia.
The Ainu were part of the heritage of this region of Japan so we noticed a few small towns and museums (including one in Akankohan as well as Sapporo) devoted to these people as we toured throughout much of Hokkaido.
Authorities
The Oshinkoshin Waterfall resides near Shari in the Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. It is administered by the Shiretoko National Park. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the Ministry of the Environment website.
It took us a brutally long 5-hour drive to get from Asahikawa to Oshinkoshin Waterfall along a combination of Hwy 40 (to get out of Asahikawa), Hwy 39, and Hwy 334.
Unfortunately, the 50km/h speed limit throughout much of the drive didn’t help in that regard.
We switched from Hwy 39 to Hwy 334 at Abashiri, and then continued further east to Shari.
The drive from Shari to Utoro was about an hour or so to the north along the northeastern coastline at a leisurely pace.
Eventually as the Hwy 334 was about to approach a tunnel, we spotted the elongated roadside parking lot for the Oshinkoshin Waterfall on our right.
The car park was large enough to accommodate a bunch of cars and a handful of tour buses.
On the other side of the tunnel, the town of Utoro (the closest civilization to the nearly pristine reserve Shiretoko National Park) sat another 10 minutes further.
This was where Julie and I based ourselves for exploration of Shiretoko National Park.
For geographical context, Asahikawa was 137km (2 hours by car or 2 hours by train) northeast of Sapporo. Sapporo was about 9.5 hours by train or 90 minutes by flight from Tokyo. It was also possible to fly to Sapporo from Osaka (under 2 hours) or Kobe (2 hours; this was how we did it on our trip).
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Right to left sweep starting from the coastline and then showing the falls from various angles across the road before ending with the Sea of Okhotsk
Downstream to upstream sweep of the falls before going up the steps for a more direct sweep of the falls
Left to right sweep from the end of the stepped walkway showcasing the very front of the falls
Angled look at the falls from a sign and lower lookout showing the falls in context with some onlookers
Direct look at the waterfall from close up
View of the cascade beneath the falls from the highway bridge
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