Ametaki Falls

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

Researched and written by Hinato

Ametakiwaterfall100 WaterfallsTottoriMt. Ogino

Tottori · Tottori City

35.4783°N, 134.4095°E

Ametaki Falls is one of the reasons Tottori keeps coming up whenever the conversation turns to Japan's landscapes.

Forty metres of water off a lip of columnar basalt into a pool surrounded by beech and zelkova, at the foot of Mt. Ogino in the far east of Tottori city. It is on the national list of a hundred notable waterfalls and is the best-known fall in the prefecture. What surprises people is the volume — this is a heavy-flow waterfall rather than a thread, and the noise fills the valley.

There are said to be forty-eight falls of various sizes in the surrounding forest, and paths lead to several of them. The valley holds cold air through the summer, which is why people from Tottori drive up here in August. It is worth noting that the site was damaged by Typhoon 7 in 2023 and was closed for repairs; it reopened to the public in July 2026, so older accounts of access may be out of date.

Plan your visit

Time to allow

60–90 minutes

Hours

Open access | Daylight only

Closed: Open year-round | Access affected by snow in winter; confirm status after the 2023 typhoon repairs

Best time to visit

July–August for the cool valley | Late October–November for autumn colour

Entry fee

Free | Three free car parks

Finding your way there

Access notes

Ametaki, Kokufu-cho, Tottori. By car from JR Tottori Station, or by bus on the Ametaki service then a short walk. Free to visit, with three free car parks. The site was damaged by Typhoon 7 in 2023 and reopened after repair works in July 2026 — confirm current access before travelling.

Beyond the guidebook

**Confirm access before driving out.** The falls were closed for three years after typhoon damage in 2023 and reopened in July 2026. Guides published in between are unreliable on this. **August is why locals come.** The valley holds cold air and is markedly cooler than the city. It is a heat-escape destination more than a scenic one. **Walk to the other falls.** Forty-eight are counted in the surrounding forest and paths reach several. Most visitors see one and leave. **It is a high-volume fall.** Not a thread down a rock face. After rain the noise and spray are considerable. **Forty minutes from the station, up a valley.** There is nothing on the way. Bring what you need.

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