Kegon Falls

Kegon Falls is a 97-meter single-drop waterfall formed where Lake Chuzenji's outflow plunges over a basalt cliff near Chuzenji Onsen in Nikko City, Tochigi, ranked among Japan's three most famous waterfalls. Visitors first reach a free upper observation platform beside the parking area for a head-on view of the full drop, then can descend via a 100-meter elevator through the rock face to a lower observation deck at the base of the gorge, where the falls' full height and mist are visible from close range. The lower deck also offers views of several smaller secondary falls seeping from cracks in the surrounding cliff face. A visit to both viewpoints takes 30 to 60 minutes, and the elevator descent is the main paid element of the stop. The falls are busiest at midday during the mid-October to early November foliage season, when the maple and beech trees framing the gorge turn red and orange; arriving at opening time on weekdays offers a clearer, less crowded lower-deck view. Water volume is highest in June, giving the falls a heavier, more dramatic flow than the thinner autumn stream. Photography is permitted at both the upper and lower platforms, with the lower deck offering the more dramatic close-up angle.