Shomyo Falls

Shomyo Falls lies at the head of the Shōmyō gorge on the western flank of the Tateyama range. The Shōmyō River, draining the high lava plateau of Midagahara, drops off its edge in four stages of roughly 70, 58, 96 and 126 metres, totalling about 350 metres – the greatest height of any waterfall in Japan.

In spring and early summer, when meltwater from the heavy Tateyama snowpack floods the plateau, a second fall appears to the right: Hannoki Falls, which at around 500 metres is taller still but dries up by late summer. When both flow, they form a V-shape down the cliff that is one of the great sights of the Northern Alps.

The falls are reached by a mountain road from the town of Tateyama, open from spring to late autumn, followed by a walk of about 30 minutes to the viewing area. They can also be seen from above along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.

The Midagahara plateau is built of welded tuff and lava from the Tateyama volcano. The Shōmyō River has cut back into the plateau edge, and the falls have retreated several kilometres since the plateau formed, leaving the deep, steep-walled Shōmyō gorge below them. The falls continue to retreat as the rock breaks away at the lip.

Beech forest covers the gorge below, with subalpine vegetation on the plateau above. Spray from the falls keeps the cliffs damp, and autumn colour on the gorge walls peaks in late October.

According to legend, the priest Hōnen heard the thunder of the falls as the chanting of the nenbutsu, the invocation of Amida Buddha, and named them Shōmyō, 'chanting the name'. The falls lie on the ancient approach to Tateyama, one of Japan's three holy mountains, where pilgrims believed hell and paradise could be seen side by side.