Yonako Waterfall (Yonako-otaki [米子大瀑布])

Suzaka / Mt Azumaya / Mt Neodake, Nagano, Japan

About Yonako Waterfall (Yonako-otaki [米子大瀑布])

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

The Yonako Waterfall (yonako-otaki [米子大瀑布]; “Yonako Great Falls”) was a pairing of two tall plunging waterfalls dropping side-by-side at the edge of a caldera drained from Mt Azumaya volcano.

The twin waterfalls are called Fudo Falls (不動滝, or “motionless waterfall”; a common name for waterfalls in Japan) and Gongen Falls (権現滝, or “Buddha Avatar waterfall?”).

Yonako_272_07062023 - The Yonako Great Falls in the Joshinetsu-Kogen National Park near Suzaka City
The Yonako Great Falls in the Joshinetsu-Kogen National Park near Suzaka City

As you can see from the photo above, permanent waterfalls dropping in this manner are quite rare, especially for waterfalls this big.

According to the signs that we’ve encountered, the Fudo Falls drops 85m or 89m while the Gongen Falls drops 75m or 82m (the differing numbers depend on which sign you believe).

So it’s no wonder why this pair is considered to be one of Japan’s Top 100 Waterfalls as gazetted by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment in 1990.

Situated within the Joshinetsu-Kogen National Park near Suzaka City (which is on the eastern outskirts of Nagano), we had to earn our experiences with the Yonako Great Falls.

Yonako_270_07062023 - Beneath the haze was the city of Nagano as seen from the Yonako Great Falls. Given the elevation difference, I guess it's not surprising that it was easily 10C hotter down there than it was at this part of Joshinetsu-Kogen National Park
Beneath the haze was the city of Nagano as seen from the Yonako Great Falls. Given the elevation difference, I guess it’s not surprising that it was easily 10C hotter down there than it was at this part of Joshinetsu-Kogen National Park

However, the high elevation of the mountains harboring both the falls and the trails (Mt Azumaya is 2354m high) ensured that the temperatures remained relatively bearable for our visit that took place in July 2023.

To quantify what was meant by “bearable”, the temperatures were in the low- to mid 20s Celsius on the trail (even cooler when we started at around 6:30am) while Nagano roasted in the low- to mid-30s Celsius.

Finally, it’s worth noting that the circular caldera responsible for the Yonako Waterfalls is easily seen on satellite and relief maps.

Mt Azumaya is the stratovolcano responsible for the caldera, but along the rim of the caldera were other peaks such as Mt Nekodake, Mt Urakura, and Mt Kimyo).

Yonako_294_07062023 - The 60m Kimyoudaki Waterfall should be a bonus third waterfall on the Yonako Great Falls Loop Hike, but rock falls have impacted the experience to just this partial view of it
The 60m Kimyoudaki Waterfall should be a bonus third waterfall on the Yonako Great Falls Loop Hike, but rock falls have impacted the experience to just this partial view of it

In fact, there’s a bonus waterfall called Kimyoudaki (draining from Mt Kimyo) though access to that one has been impacted by rock falls.

Summary of the Yonako Great Falls Hike

While there are a few ways to experience the Yonako Waterfall, we’ll describe the way my Mom and I did it, which was a counterclockwise loop hike that was at least 6km total.

This distance doesn’t count some of the detours that we took (to the bottom of Fudo Falls and to Kimyoudaki Falls), which probably added an additional kilometer to this total.

If you’re not up for the roughly half-day excursion, then it’s possible to hike about 1.2km (or 2.4km round-trip) to get up to a distant view of the Yonako Great Falls before turning back.

Yonako_020_07062023 - This trail fork marked the start and end of the Yonako Great Falls Loop Hike, where the signs wanted us to keep to the right, while the path on the left ended up being a relentless climb!
This trail fork marked the start and end of the Yonako Great Falls Loop Hike, where the signs wanted us to keep to the right, while the path on the left ended up being a relentless climb!

However, I have to warn that doing it this way probably wouldn’t be the greatest return for your efforts, especially when you factor in that you’ll be gaining over 200m over that distance.

I’ll get into this later in the trail descriptions, but you have to go in the opposite direction (clockwise) of what the signs suggest you should be doing (counterclockwise).

While I generally advocate for getting the hardest parts of a trail done and over with first when you have the most energy, with the benefit of hindsight in this instance, I actually agree with what the signs have suggested.

The main reason why is that you have a brutally long and steep climb at the beginning before some up-and-down hiking the rest of the way.

Yonako_329_07062023 - This would be the view of the Yonako Great Falls from the lookout roughly 1.2km from the car park if you go opposite the way the authorities want you to go (i.e. going straight up a long climb to get here)
This would be the view of the Yonako Great Falls from the lookout roughly 1.2km from the car park if you go opposite the way the authorities want you to go (i.e. going straight up a long climb to get here)

That said, there’s really nothing stopping you from doing the entire loop hike in reverse (some people would rather see the falls from afar before getting closer to them).

However, I think the authorities also want to prevent that overcrowded feeling when this place does get busy, especially on the weekends or during the koyo (Fall Colors) typically in mid-October.

As for time commitment, my Mom and I took over 3.5 hours on this excursion at a very slow pace (since her knees weren’t in the greatest shape).

I’d imagine for most people, this excursion should take around 3 hours and maybe less if you’re quick and you don’t stop very often.

Yonako_362_07062023 - Mom descending the final 1.2km stretch of the hike, which can be a bit on the rough side due to its steepness. This would definitely not be a good hike to do if the weather is bad
Mom descending the final 1.2km stretch of the hike, which can be a bit on the rough side due to its steepness. This would definitely not be a good hike to do if the weather is bad

Finally, I also want to mention that this trail can get a little rough in spots (particularly in the beginning and the very end which are the steepest parts of the hike).

Therefore, if there’s bad weather, it’s probably not a good idea to do this hike due to the hazardous footing conditions as well as the low likelihood of seeing anything given the low cloud cover.

Yonako Great Falls Trail Description – Hiking up to the Old Temple

From the Yonako Great Falls car park (see directions below), we proceeded on the hike as we passed a restroom building as well as a bunch of trekking poles left by the trailhead.

So you know this trail is no joke if people are lining up old trekking poles by the trailhead!

Yonako_012_07062023 - You know this hike must not be easy if people are leaving trekking poles behind at the trailhead like this!
You know this hike must not be easy if people are leaving trekking poles behind at the trailhead like this!

After about 200m from the trailhead, there was a fork in the trail where the signs kept us on the right fork instead of making the steep climb on the left.

Now if you’re only going for the minimal amount of hiking to see both of the Yonako Great Falls together, then you can go up the left side until you get to the lookout before coming back.

However, we kept going on the right, and after another 100m we reached a suspension bridge that only allowed one person at a time.

I noticed a sign that said that there used to be a red bridge here called Okumanbashi Bridge, but it was destroyed by a typhoon that hit East Japan in 2019.

Yonako_003_iPhone_07072023 - Mom approaching what I think is the Okumanbashi Bridge, which was apparently re-built after being destroyed by a typhoon in 2019
Mom approaching what I think is the Okumanbashi Bridge, which was apparently re-built after being destroyed by a typhoon in 2019

Therefore, this suspension bridge replaced that Okumanbashi Bridge.

Beyond this bridge, we then started a rather long kilometer stretch where we climbed pretty moderately alongside the Yonakogawa River and a handful of intermediate waterfalls (both natural and man-modified).

Throughout this stretch of the trail were bear bells set up so you can ring it to try to minimize the chances of a bear attack.

Eventually, we got up to a stream with a bridge going over it as well as a teasing glimpse of one of the Yonako Great Falls, which was the Fudo Falls.

Yonako_007_iPhone_07072023 - Our first look at the Fudo Falls, which was one of the two Yonako Great Falls. This spot was roughly 1.2km from the trailhead
Our first look at the Fudo Falls, which was one of the two Yonako Great Falls. This spot was roughly 1.2km from the trailhead

From this point, we followed a trail-of-use further upstream until we got a clean look up at the waterfall after some 100m from that bridge (or 200m round-trip).

Back on the main trail, we crossed over the bridge and then hiked another 400m that was mostly uphill leading up to a few buildings that was once the original location of the Okunoin Temple (it was moved to Suzaka).

Yonako Great Falls Trail Description – Hiking Around The Old Temple

At the Old Temple (roughly 1.6km from the car park), the trail split in a few different directions – to Fudo Falls, to Gongen Falls, and to continue the loop.

It’s said that Gongen Falls is also referred to as the “Black Dragon Waterfall” while the more “delicate” Fudo Falls can also be referred to as the “White Dragon Waterfall”.

Yonako_146_07062023 - This was the official view of the Fudo Falls (with a slight double rainbow) shortly after going up a trail behind the Old Temple
This was the official view of the Fudo Falls (with a slight double rainbow) shortly after going up a trail behind the Old Temple

Anyways, we decided to keep to the right and follow the signs leading us up some 400m (or 2km from the car park) to the lookout for the plunging Fudo Falls.

At this lookout, we managed to get a nice morning rainbow seen at the waterfall’s base while also getting a profile view of the lower cascades of the falls.

After having our fill of this spot, we then followed the trail keeping right at the forks, which ultimately led us another 400m to the lookout for the Gongen Falls.

Unfortunately, the view of the Gongen Falls was only partial due to a lot of foliage obstructions during our Summer visit.

Yonako_021_iPhone_07072023 - This was the closest view of Gongen Falls (the other of the Yonako Great Falls) that I was able to get, but it was a bit overgrown during our Summer visit
This was the closest view of Gongen Falls (the other of the Yonako Great Falls) that I was able to get, but it was a bit overgrown during our Summer visit

However, I’d imagine that this view might improve in the Autumn when the leaves might start falling and opening up some of the obstructions.

Once we had our fill of the Gongen Falls, we then returned to the Old Temple area.

At that point, we then proceeded to continue the loop hike (which wasn’t trivial to find, by the way, given some trail work that was going on during our visit).

We knew we were going the right way when we went across a bridge with an attractive cascade that had a natural waterwheel on it.

Yonako_198_07062023 - Looking upstream from a bridge below the Old Temple where the first section of this cascade had a bit of a natural waterwheel to it
Looking upstream from a bridge below the Old Temple where the first section of this cascade had a bit of a natural waterwheel to it

After going past the bridge, we ascended up to some kind of road and contraption where apparently supplies could be pullied across the ravine to the old temple.

Yonako Great Falls Trail Description – Hiking The Road

At this point, the trail continued by going up the unpaved road that is only meant for locals and staff.

After roughly 200m up the road, we got to a sign about the Yonako Great Falls, and from this spot, we could look back and start getting a nice double waterfall view.

Continuing further up the road another 100m (the path was flanked by lots of wildflowers during our visit), we then reached a trail spur.

Yonako_244_07062023 - Looking back at the Yonako Great Falls fronted by a sign by the unpaved road that only authorized locals or staff can drive
Looking back at the Yonako Great Falls fronted by a sign by the unpaved road that only authorized locals or staff can drive

The path going 50m across a meadow to the right led to a bench and a more elevated view of the Yonako Great Falls pairing, and in my mind, this could very well be the best view of both falls seeing together.

Back on the road, we then walked another 400m (or 700m from the end of the road) towards another trail junction.

The loop track continued to the left while the continuation of the road on the right went towards the Kimyoudaki Falls.

Yonako Great Falls Trail Description – The Kimyoudaki Detour

During our July 2023 visit, it turned out that we only learned about this detour through some signage at the trailhead.

Yonako_287_07062023 - Mom hiking along the unpaved road leading to the Kimyoudaki Waterfall and beyond
Mom hiking along the unpaved road leading to the Kimyoudaki Waterfall and beyond

However, there seemed to be a noticeable absence of signs mentioning the Kimyoudaki Falls (though I did spot a faded one near this trail junction), and I thought that was strange.

Well, after we walked the road about 400m towards a bridge, we then saw a barricade warning not to go any closer to the Kimyou Waterfall.

I did a little investigating to see what the trouble spot was, and it turned out that there were metal steps leading closer to the base of the Kimyou Falls.

However, these steps were unstable as they had been battered by rock falls.

Yonako_303_07062023 - The steps leading closer to the Kimyoudaki Waterfall was battered and sketchy looking. It's no wonder why they closed this waterfall's spur trail
The steps leading closer to the Kimyoudaki Waterfall was battered and sketchy looking. It’s no wonder why they closed this waterfall’s spur trail

Therefore, I had to be content with partial views of the 60m waterfall as the foliage around its stream was pretty thick.

And as a result, our detour to the Kimyoudaki Falls was rather short and anticlimatic (and thus it made sense why the authorities tried to de-emphasize this third waterfall as part of the Yonako Great Falls Loop Hike).

Yonako Great Falls Trail Description – Completing The Loop

Back at the trail junction with the Kimyoudaki Falls detour, we then hiked about 100m to a shelter with a distance view of the Yonako Great Falls pairing.

This turned out to be the nearest lookout for both waterfalls from the car park, but it definitely left a lot to be desired compared to the lookouts we had seen earlier on.

Yonako_344_07062023 - The final 1.2km section of the Yonako Great Falls Loop Hike involved dealing with a bit of overgrowth, switchbacks, and steepness with some slippery footing to boot. All this conspired to make this hike harder than what the literature may have you believe!
The final 1.2km section of the Yonako Great Falls Loop Hike involved dealing with a bit of overgrowth, switchbacks, and steepness with some slippery footing to boot. All this conspired to make this hike harder than what the literature may have you believe!

After having our fill of this lookout, we then descended the trail through some overgrown parts before reaching an extensive stepped descent over the remaining 1.2km of the loop hike left.

We definitely had to be careful with this stretch of the trail because it can be quite hard on the knees.

But at the same time, we saw a handful of hikers go up this way, and each of them were breathing heavily and sweating profusely given the long and persistent climb (we at least got to go downhill).

Eventually, we got back down to the main trail fork where we started the clockwise loop, and we ultimately went the remaining 200m back to the car park.

Yonako_039_iPhone_07072023 - Mom having a rest at the end of a meadow peering right back at the Yonako Great Falls
Mom having a rest at the end of a meadow peering right back at the Yonako Great Falls

According to my GPS logs, Mom and I went a little over 7km, including all the detours taking over 3.5 hours.

We were glad that we had the early start because when we were finished, the day heated up pretty quickly (which meant it must have been another 10 degrees Celsius warmer down at Nagano)!

Authorities

The Yonako Great Waterfall resides in the Joshinetsu-Kogen National Park near Suzaka in the Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It may be administered by the Nagano Nature Conservation Office. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the Ministry of the Environment website.

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Tagged with: yonako great falls, yonako big falls, yonako great waterfalls, yonako falls, gongen falls, fudo falls, nagano, suzaka, azumaya, japan, kimyoudaki, kimyou falls, kimyou waterfall, mt nekodake, mt azumayasan



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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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