Nishizawa Gorge Loop Trail

Nishizawa Gorge, near Yamanashi City in the foothills of the Oku-Chichibu range, is widely regarded as one of Japan's most scenic gorge walks, following the Fukazawa River past a series of waterfalls, cascades, and granite pools on a one-way loop system that climbs one side of the valley and returns along the other. No permit is required, and the loop begins and ends at the Nishizawa Keikoku Iriguchi trailhead. The roughly 10 km circuit crosses several suspension bridges over the ravine, including sections with metal walkways bolted directly to the cliff face, and gains and loses about 350 m of elevation overall on a mix of dirt path, stone steps, and boardwalk; footing can be slick near the waterfalls and after rain. The trail's centerpiece is Nanatsugama-Godan-no-Taki, the 'Seven Pools, Five Falls' cascade, where turquoise plunge pools step down the granite riverbed in a series of drops; other named falls and pools line the route on both the outbound and return legs. There are no water sources beyond the river itself, and no shelters along the trail, though the trailhead has restrooms, a rest house, and a small shop. The gorge road and trail close for winter, typically from early December through mid-April, due to snow and rockfall risk, and afternoon crowds build during peak autumn foliage weekends in late October.