Nabegataki Falls

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

Researched and written by Hinato

NabegatakiwaterfallOgunibehind the fallsAso

Photo: Big Ben in Japan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · original

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

Nabegataki is ten metres high and twenty wide, and the rock behind it is undercut deeply enough that a path runs along the back of the curtain. You walk behind the water and look out through it, which is why it is called an ura-mi no taki, a falls seen from behind. The hollow was formed by the Aso eruption of around 90,000 years ago.

A tea commercial made it nationally famous and the resulting traffic forced the town to act: since November 2021 entry has been by advance web booking, with a call centre for those who cannot book online, and on busy days there is no admission without a reservation. Entry is ¥300 for high school age and above, ¥150 for schoolchildren, and it is open nine to five with last entry at half past four. There are 120 steps.

Plan your visit

Time to allow

60 minutes

Hours

9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Last entry 4:30 PM

Closed: Confirm seasonal closures | Entry by advance web booking, compulsory on peak days

Best time to visit

Late April–May for fresh green | November for autumn colour

Entry fee

¥300 high school students and above | ¥150 elementary and junior high school students | Free below school age

Finding your way there

Getting there in detail

Kurobuchi, Oguni, Aso District. About 1 hour by car from Hita IC, 1 hour from Kumamoto IC, or by car or taxi from the Michi-no-Eki Oguni Yu Station. Admission ¥300 for high school students and above, ¥150 for elementary and junior high school students and free below school age. Entry has been by advance web booking since November 2021; on peak days booking is compulsory and there is no entry without a reservation. Same-day online booking is possible; those unable to book online can arrange it on the day through the Aso Oguni tourism association. Phone. There are about 120 steps down to the falls.

What to bring

**Book online before you go.** Same-day booking works if you do it before arriving. **120 steps down, and back up.** Not a long walk but a real descent. Footwear matters, and the rock behind the falls is wet. **You get wet behind the curtain.** That is the experience. Cameras need protecting and so do phones. **Golden Week is fully reserved.** Peak periods run on a strict reservation-only basis. Turning up hopefully is a wasted drive from Kumamoto. **Combine with Kurokawa.** The onsen village is about twenty minutes away and the two are the standard northern Aso pairing.

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