Shiraito Falls, Japan

Here’s a trick/tip that can be useful when traveling: when flying through different countries, you can often book multi-day layovers without the cost going up significantly. In May, we went to Australia. After two weeks, on the way back, we flew All Nippon Airways into Tokyo. We were able to stay for 3 days in Tokyo and then fly onto Vancouver. While there, I searched for some waterfalls that would be close to Tokyo.

One of the top waterfalls near Tokyo is Kegon Falls, which I will write about later. You can get close to that area, a city called Nikko, via train, but we booked a tour bus to get us there. We first stopped at Nikko Toshogu, a Shinto Shrine. We knew we were going to stop at Kegon Falls after lunch, but I had searched for some other waterfalls nearby. And there are a lot of them. The area is home to a number of mountains and around them are a number of waterfalls.

We had some extra time after visiting the Toshogu and Shiraito Falls is the closest waterfall to the shrine. Extra time means limited time, so we walked rather briskly to the falls. It wasn’t a difficult hike, but definitely a workout because we had to be back to the bus rather soon. We arrived, though, with some time to spare! And Shiraito Falls, while not as tall as the very impressive Kegon Falls, is still a very pretty smaller waterfall. There is a shrine along the way and then one near the falls, which is understandable considering we were surrounded by such beautiful scenery.

If you take a bus tour from Tokyo, you’ll be limited like we were. If you want to explore more here and at other waterfalls in the area, I could see two options: a rental car or hiring a personal tour guide in Nikko to take you to the waterfalls you want to visit. I was content with visiting Shiraito Falls and the few others we got to see, and I’m not sure I’d want to rent a car to get outside of Tokyo, but I could see hiring a personal guide if I went back again.

Directions:

1. Head to Nikko, which is in the Tochigi Prefecture north of Tokyo.
2. Follow National Route 119 heading west from Nikko toward the Shrines and Temples of Nikko.
3. Once you cross the Daiya River, turn right onto Prefectural Road 247.
4. After 300 meters on Road 247, you’ll turn left onto a narrow road that leads uphill toward some other shrines and the falls. There is a parking area on the right of the road across from the falls.
5. You can also arrive at the falls by walking from the Nikko Toshogu. The information below about accessibility and length of hike is based on walking from here.

Accessibility: 8/10 (easy/moderate), 10/10 (if you drive to the parking lot)
Length of Hike: 1.2 miles round-trip walking from the Toshogu, nearly roadside from the parking area
Height: 21′

Where in the World is Shiraito Falls?