Imose Falls

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

Researched and written by Hinato

Imose FallsOhgashira Shrineriver playHatsukaichitwin falls

Hiroshima · Hatsukaichi

34.3025°N, 132.2013°E

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

Imose is two falls in one valley behind Ohgashira Shrine, named as a married pair: Otaki, the husband, drops 30 metres in a heavy single column, and Metaki, the wife, comes down 50 metres in a thin sheet over rock. The shrine sits at the mouth of the valley and a walking path runs up between them.

What makes it a genuinely local place rather than a scenic stop is the river. The Kebo runs shallow and clear over gravel through the shrine grounds, and in July and August Hiroshima families spend whole days in it — children in the water, adults in the shade, food on the bank. It is one minute from the Ono exit of the expressway and twenty minutes on foot from Ohnoura Station, with free parking and toilets, and it is free.

Plan your visit

Time to allow

60–90 minutes | Half a day in summer

Hours

Open access | Daylight only

Closed: Open year-round

Best time to visit

July–August for river play | Late April–May for fresh green | November for autumn colour

Entry fee

Free | Free parking

Getting out there

Getting there in detail

Ono, Hatsukaichi, behind Ohgashira Shrine on the Kebo river. By car from Ono IC on the Hiroshima-Iwakuni Road, or about a short walk from Ohnoura Station on the JR Sanyo Line. Free to visit, with a first and second car park in front of the shrine entrance and toilets at the first car park and on the path to the falls. Otaki is 30 m and Metaki 50 m. The path from the shrine to the falls is maintained as a walking route.

Beyond the guidebook

**Summer is river play, not sightseeing.** July and August, the shallow gravel-bottomed Kebo through the shrine grounds is full of local families. Bring water shoes and expect company. **Two falls, two walks.** Otaki is the heavy 30-metre column, Metaki the 50-metre sheet. They are in the same valley but not from the same spot. **One minute from the expressway.** Ono IC is essentially at the entrance, which makes this the most accessible waterfall in western Hiroshima. **It is a shrine first.** Ohgashira Shrine is at the mouth of the valley and the falls are behind it. Conduct in the grounds follows accordingly. **Fresh green and autumn for the walk.** Outside the swimming season the path is a quiet hillside walk with almost nobody on it.

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