Hagoromo Falls

Deep in the Tenninkyo gorge, in the heart of the Daisetsuzan mountains, white water pours down a cliff in seven bending steps. This is Hagoromo Falls in Higashikawa, Hokkaido. Its drop of 270 meters is the largest in Hokkaido, and it is said to be second in Japan only to Shomyo Falls in Tateyama (350 meters), though opinions on the ranking differ. It lies at an elevation of about 1,000 meters and is one of Japan's 100 Famous Waterfalls.

The falls are the work of differences in geology. The upper part is welded tuff, the middle part pumice tuff and the lower part Tertiary volcanic rock, and the uneven erosion caused by their differing hardness created the unusual flow that bends down the cliff in seven steps. They fall into tributaries of the Chubetsu River, the Aishipoppu and Futami streams, and belong to the Ishikari River system. Two streams join partway down the seven steps.

The falls are said to have been discovered around 1900, though the Cultural Heritage Online site puts it around 1870, so accounts differ. At first they were called Meoto-daki, the 'husband and wife falls.' In 1918 the writer Omachi Keigetsu is said to have praised them highly and named them Hagoromo Falls. In 1951 they were designated a Hokkaido Scenic Place.

To see them, you walk the trail from the Tenninkyo public parking lot. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the falls, and general vehicles cannot go beyond the lot. The falls viewpoint higher up is reached from Tenninkyo Onsen by a mountain path of about 1.5 km with an elevation gain of about 230 meters, and one way takes roughly one hour to one and a half hours. From the viewpoint you can see the whole of Hagoromo Falls and nearby Shikishima Falls. Shikishima Falls drops only about 20 meters, but because it lies on the main stream it carries a lot of water and is called the 'Niagara of Hokkaido.' Along the trail you pass the Tenninkyo gorge with its cliffs of columnar joints and rocks of many shapes with names such as Amatsu-iwa, Namida-iwa and Shichifuku-iwa.

The scenery changes with the seasons. There is fresh green in spring, deep green in summer, and in autumn rowan and maple turn color in vivid contrast to the gray rock wall, followed by snow scenes in winter. However, the trail is closed during the snow season, and the opening and closing dates vary from year to year. In 2026 the winter closure was lifted at 9:00 on June 6, and the trail was scheduled to stay open until October 30 (it can close earlier because of snow).

The falls were once out of reach for a long time. In May 2013, while the trail was closed for winter, a huge landslide 260 meters high and 80 meters wide buried the viewing platform and trail. Restoration took about five years, and it reopened on June 11, 2018. Before you go, it is wise to check the trail conditions with the Higashikawa Tourist Association (0166-82-3761) or similar.

By car, it is about 45 minutes from Asahikawa Airport and about 1 hour 10 minutes from Asahikawa-Kita IC on the Doo Expressway. We could not confirm any public transport. You can combine it with nearby Sounkyo Gorge in a trip around the scenic spots of the Daisetsuzan area.