Tendaki Waterfall (Tendaki [天滝])

Yabu / Tottori / Tajima Region, Hyogo, Japan

About Tendaki Waterfall (Tendaki [天滝])

For Subscribers Only. See Membership Options.

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

The Tendaki Waterfall (Tendaki [天滝]; also just called Tendaki or Tendaki Falls meaning “Heaven Falls” or “Sky Falls”) was a bit of a waterfall-saturation hike for us.

This was because the trail had to have featured at least seven named waterfalls before reaching the tall Tendaki Falls.

Tendaki_119_10222016 - The Tendaki Waterfall
The Tendaki Waterfall

It was designated as one of Japan’s Top 100 Waterfalls as blessed by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, and at a reported 98m tall, we can see why.

Anyways, the named intermediate waterfalls were (in order): Shinobinotaki, Iwamanotaki, Itotaki, Renrinotaki, Kuonnotaki, Meotodaki, and Tsuzumigataki.

To be honest, we lost track of which waterfall was what as they kind of blended into the background.

Meanwhile, quite a few of them were either hard to see or weren’t significant enough to be that noticeable.

Tendaki_138_10222016 - Kids having a blast striking the gong in the shrine across from the Tendaki Waterfall
Kids having a blast striking the gong in the shrine across from the Tendaki Waterfall

At the main lookout for the falls, there was also a shrine, where some kids that showed up after us were having a blast striking the gong.

Hiking to the Tendaki Waterfall

We had quite a bit of time to take in the scenery and the intermediate waterfalls as the Tendaki Trail was said to be 1.2km or 40 minutes in each direction.

Overall, it was about 2.4km round trip or about 80 minutes on just the hiking alone.

We wound up spending nearly 2 hours away from the car, which was a bit more than what the signs here had estimated.

Tendaki_177_10222016 - One of the notable intermediate waterfalls seen on the hike up to the Tendaki Waterfall
One of the notable intermediate waterfalls seen on the hike up to the Tendaki Waterfall

That said, we weren’t in much of a hurry during our visit.

Nevertheless, the timing of our visit and departure seemed about right given the circumstances.

We did see lots of people heading up to the Tendaki Falls as we were heading back.

It wasn’t so busy earlier in the morning when we were making our way there.

The Tendaki Waterfall Trail Description

Tendaki_019_10222016 - Context of Mom and Dad hiking along the narrow trail leading past some intermediate waterfalls along the way to the Tendaki Waterfalls
Context of Mom and Dad hiking along the narrow trail leading past some intermediate waterfalls along the way to the Tendaki Waterfalls

The trail was mostly uphill the entire way so even though it was raining on the day of our visit, we were still sweating for most of the hike.

There were signs essentially tracking our progress at every 100m or so as we’d see writings telling us how far we had gone and how much further we had to go.

And there were also plenty of signs indicating that we were in bear habitat while several sections warned that we were traversing through areas prone to rock falls.

Most of the well-defined trail was hugging mountain slopes and even hugged up against some large rock cliffs or boulders in a few spots.

Tendaki_057_10222016 - Mom and Dad and Mom continuing to hike alongside the many intermediate waterfalls on the way up to the Tendaki Waterfall
Mom and Dad and Mom continuing to hike alongside the many intermediate waterfalls on the way up to the Tendaki Waterfall

In the narrowest spots, there were railings to assure the unsure.

Anyways, as we merrily passed one cascade after another throughout the hike, we did notice that the last waterfall before the main one was both easily seen as well as significant enough to make us pause for a bit.

Shortly after that seventh waterfall, we then reached an odd toilet facility (strange that they’d put one way out here so far from the nearest road) before reaching a shelter.

Beyond the shelter, there was a lookout where we caught our first partial glimpse of the Tendaki Waterfall.

Tendaki_099_10222016 - Mom passing by a curious toilet facility as we were quite close to the Tendaki Waterfall by this point of the hike
Mom passing by a curious toilet facility as we were quite close to the Tendaki Waterfall by this point of the hike

But then, we had to climb up a series of metal steps before finally reaching the main overlook where there was also a shrine.

The trail actually kept going on beyond the shrine, but it wasn’t long before I encountered trail damage from a landslide.

I wasn’t sure if it was ok to keep going but I decided not to press my luck.

It was a shame because I suspected that continuing on the trail could have led up to a more elevated view of the Tendaki Waterfall.

Tendaki_104_10222016 - Looking up at the Tendaki Waterfall before we made the climb up the steps to the lookout area right in front of a shrine
Looking up at the Tendaki Waterfall before we made the climb up the steps to the lookout area right in front of a shrine

Such a view would have made the falls appear even taller than the main lookout by the shrine.

From the main lookout, it somehow didn’t seem as tall as the 98m figure that was stated, but it could be the illusion of forced perspective working against the falls.

Authorities

The Tendaki Waterfall resides near Yabu of the Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. It is administered by the Hyogo Prefectural Government. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the Hyogo District Forest Office website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: yabu, tottori, hyogo, waterfall, japan, top 100, heaven, shrine



Visitor Comments:

Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...

No users have replied to the content on this page


Share your thoughts about what you've read on this page

You must be logged in to submit content. Refresh this page after you have logged in.

Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:

If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...

No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall


Have you been to a waterfall? Submit a write-up/review and share your experiences or impressions

Review A Waterfall

Nearest Waterfalls

The Waterfaller Newsletter

The Waterfaller Newsletter is where we curate the wealth of information on the World of Waterfalls website and deliver it to you in bite-sized chunks in your email inbox. You'll also get exclusive content like...

  • Waterfall Wednesdays
  • Insider Tips
  • User-submitted Waterfall Write-up of the Month
  • and the latest news and updates both within the website as well as around the wonderful world of waterfalls


How To Build A Profitable Travel Blog In 4 Steps

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.