This is an amazing place to visit. We found driving to be easier than utilizing public transportation. There are several parking areas available, and shuttle vans operate between each parking lot, so please make a note of your parking number. I have attached the timetable and shuttle route here, should it be helpful to you at any point. As we were traveling with a child and an elder, the shuttle van greatly assisted us in returning to the car park with ease.
The gorge itself is magnificent and picturesque. However, its primary attraction is limited to one specific section of the gorge, unless you intend to engage in trekking. If we had been reliant on public transportation, we might have chosen to bypass this location. Even with a car, access is not straightforward due to the winding roads.
Unfortunately, we missed the opportunity to dine at the popular somen shop there because a landslide the day before had resulted in the closure of all shops in the area.
Truly marvelous place..!!
First of all, to get the boat reservation, you must have to book the boats online 2 weeks prior to your trip, because they sold out within 10 minutes (there are only 18 boats, per slot). Ticket sale opens at 9:00am, two weeks before the target date in the official website. Highly recommend to have a backup person to proceed with the booking, because sometimes website freezes due to obvious traffic at that time. Thus, the boat ride is well worth, and highly recommended. one person can only reserve one boat, and three people can go on it. Paddler can't be changed in the middle of the ride. Arrive at least 30 minutes before the exact departure time, because if the boat pier parking is full, you have to park your car in somewhere far away, and there will be roughly a 20 minute walk to the boat boarding pier.
1000 yen for parking but the gorge is so unique and so interesting that's it's very worth it. We did not get to kayak because of heavy rains. But seeing the lively rapids and waterfalls was amazing. Fairly popular with tourists like us.
An incredibly beautiful place with dramatic cliffs, clear river water, and a very peaceful atmosphere. Walking along the paths and seeing the waterfalls was relaxing, and the scenery felt almost unreal. It’s a wonderful spot to slow down, enjoy nature, and take in one of Japan’s most iconic landscapes. Definitely worth the visit.
The most scenic gorge anywhere , especially if you can reserve one of the rowing boats and see it from below. The reservation opens two weeks ahead and usually filled up immediately. I tried several times and was unsuccessful, but luckily I got a last minute cancellation the day before. Everybody wanted to park at lot 1 , but actually it was nicer to park at lot 2 and enjoy the very scenic walk to the fall. Just be aware that if they had heavy rain a day or two before, the water will look muddy and not pretty, plus the boat ride will close as well .
