Sakura Waterfall (sakura-no-taki [さくらの滝])

Kiyosato / Sattsuru / Shari District, Hokkaido, Japan

About Sakura Waterfall (sakura-no-taki [さくらの滝])

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The Sakura Waterfall (sakura-no-taki [さくらの滝]; “Cherry Blossom Falls”) was where the Shari River dropped 3.7m over its entire width with a bit of a horseshoe shape across its brink.

While the waterfall had a modest size, it was the salmon run (where the fish tries to jump over the falls to continue further upstream to spawn) that really made the experience.

Sakura_Falls_094_07162023 - The Sakura Waterfall in northeastern Hokkaido
The Sakura Waterfall in northeastern Hokkaido

It turned out that the waterfall was named by the public in 2002, and it was an ode to the cherry salmon species here (called sakura-masu) that can be a pink color like the namesake cherry blossom.

The cherry salmon tends to start off with a silver color in July, but they then gradually become a cherry color in August when the egg-laying season approaches.

The run is said to occur from early June to early August though other sources say it’s more like July, and our visit happened in mid-July so this natural phenomenon didn’t disappoint!

Sakura Falls is located about 7km south of Sattsuru Village though signage for it was not easily seen until we were already on the narrow spur road leading to it (see directions below).

Sakura_Falls_010_07162023 - The context of the viewing area where people were getting a kick out of salmon suddenly jumping up on the falls out of the frothing white plunge pool
The context of the viewing area where people were getting a kick out of salmon suddenly jumping up on the falls out of the frothing white plunge pool

Once at the large unpaved car park, it was a short jaunt down to the viewing area right beside the plunge pool fronting the Sakura Falls.

Now because bears naturally live in this part of Japan, it comes as no surprise that sometimes they may try to feast on these salmon (at which time the viewing area may be off limits).

Nevertheless, despite its somewhat obscure nature, Sakura Falls was still popular as we not only saw numerous Japanese visitors, but we also saw gaijin (foreigners) as well.

That said, fishing is banned throughout the Shari River to ensure this natural phenomenon can continue its normal annual cycle.

Authorities

The Sakura Waterfall resides near the village of Sattsuru and Kiyosato in the Shari District, Hokkaido, Japan. It may be administered by the local authorities at Kiyosato. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the Kiyosato Tourist Association website.

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Tagged with: sakura falls, sakuranotaki, sakurano falls, sakurano waterfall, cherry salmon, salmon run, salmon jump, yamame, yamabe, shari, abashiri, kussharo, mashu



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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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