Japan Times: Nikko Part 2: a HUGE waterfall!

Refreshed from our post-gyoza sleep in our Utsunomiya hotel, we decided against the hotel’s breakfast in favour of seeing what was available locally. I was totally up for more gyoza but I think Simon felt that would be a little overkill so instead we opted for the ueber-healthy McDonalds next door to the hotel. Well, every once in a while can’t hurt I suppose! Fortified by fake meat and plastic coffee (it’s wrong but it is tasty) we took the very sweet dedicated Nikko line back through the countryside. Upon arrival we got straight on a bus which wound its way up and up into the hills, far above where we had been the previous day. The views back down the valley were stupendous.

Lovely little train to Nikko

At the very top of all the hairpin bends lies the huge Lake Chuzenji, surrounded on all sides by more mountains. Above the small town of Chuzenji-Onsen where the bus dropped us rises Mount Nantai, the volcano whose eruption 15,000 years ago blocked the valley, meaning that the water running off the mountains collected to form the lake. The clarity of the water is astounding. It is this lake that, once it filled up enough, burst through the hills at the south end of the valley and spilled over, creating the thundering Kegon Falls.

Mount Nantai dominates one side of the Lake Chuzenji

Stunning Kegon Falls

Spring greenery hadn't quite finished blooming
so we could see the falls peeking through

We took the lift (it’s Japan, of course there’s a lift) 100 meters down through the ground, walked along a long corridor and emerged into the spray and rainbows at the bottom of the falls. It was truly epic. With a drop of 97 meters, the Kegon Falls are twice the height of Niagra Falls and the water pouring over the edge, constantly shifting and changing shape, was so compelling that we were transfixed and just stood and stared for ages.

Honestly could have looked at this for hours

The weather was absolutely fantastic

From the viewing platform you can also see a secondary fall, and some magnificent rock formations. Because of the bright sunshine and all the spray, rainbows danced all over the place, adding a magic sparkle to the scene.

Beautiful rainbows all over the place

The smaller, secondary fall joining the Kegon Falls at the bottom

You could almost walk through the rainbows - magical

Thousands of years have created these rock formations

Eventually, soaked through and deafened by the roaring water, we returned up through the earth to the level of the lake. It was another glorious day so we went for a wander along the water’s edge, stopping for a delicious lunch with an amazing view of the mountains. After lunch we carried on walking. There’s a course that takes you round the whole lake but it’s 25km long and sadly we didn’t have enough time before our bus left to take us back to the train that would transport us all the way back to Tokyo. So instead we had a relaxing coffee in the sunshine, sitting on a deck overlooking the lake. It has to be one of the most peaceful and beautiful views I have ever seen, and was the perfect end to our wonderful weekend in Nikko.