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Akame 48 Waterfalls

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

Akame 48 WaterfallsNabarigiant salamanderninjagorge walk

Photo: KENPEI / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · original

Getting the most out of Akame 48 Waterfalls is less about the destination than about timing the light right.

Forty-eight is a figure of speech meaning a great many; there are more than twenty named falls along this gorge, strung out over a 3.3-kilometre path in the Muro-Akame-Aoyama Quasi-National Park. It appears on the national lists of hundred famous waters, hundred waterfalls, hundred forest-bathing woods and hundred walks, which is an unusual clean sweep.

It was also a training ground for the Iga ninja, who came here from over the ridge. Entry is through the Akame Waterfall Aquarium — until 2024 the Japan Giant Salamander Centre — which keeps around fifty animals of nine species including giant salamanders bred here. Admission of ¥500 covers both the aquarium and the gorge, and the walk to the last fall and back takes about three hours.

What to know before you go

Access hours

8:30 AM – 5:00 PM from the second Friday in March to 30 November | 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM from 1 December to the second Wednesday in March

Closed: Open year-round | Path conditions vary in winter

When to go

May for fresh green | November for autumn colour

Fee

¥500 high school students and above | ¥250 elementary and junior high school students | Free for preschool children | Includes the aquarium

Time to allow

2–3 hours for the full path

Access route

Directions

Akameguchi-cho Nagasaka, Nabari. By bus or taxi from Akameguchi Station on the Kintetsu Osaka Line. Admission ¥500 for high school students and above and ¥250 for elementary and junior high school students, free for preschool children; the ticket includes the Akame Waterfall Aquarium, which holds about 50 animals of 9 species including Japanese giant salamanders. The path runs about 3.3 km one way past more than 20 named falls.

Local knowledge

**The ticket includes the aquarium.** ¥500 covers both, and the entrance to the gorge is through it. The giant salamanders are bred on site. **Three hours there and back.** To the furthest named fall and return on the 3.3 km path. Shorter turnarounds at Fudo, Senju and Nunobiki are perfectly reasonable. **Winter hours are shorter.** Half past four closing from December to early March, and the path can be icy. **Ninja trained here.** Iga is over the ridge and the gorge was used for austerities. The town runs ninja-themed events on that basis. **November is the season.** Autumn colour over the pools, and the car parks fill. Fresh green in May is nearly as good and far quieter.

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