Daigo (Fukuroda Falls)

Kanto, Japan · Mountain, Town / small city

Fukuroda Falls, 120m spread across four tiers (nicknamed the 'waterfall of the four seasons' for how radically it changes look through the year), together with the smaller Namase and Tsukimachi falls, linked by a full-day hiking trail of about 5 hours; the town also has three distinct types of hot spring (Daigo, Fukuroda, and Tsukiore) and, nearby but reached from a different station (bus ~40min from Hitachiota), the Ryujin Suspension Bridge, home to Japan's highest bungee jump.

The essentials

Getting there

Train — Limited express Hitachi/Tokiwa Tokyo-Mito + transfer to the JR Suigun Line to Fukuroda (or Hitachi-Daigo for the town centre), ~2h20-2h40, ¥4,770 with a reserved seat, fully JR. For anyone already based in Mito, the trip back is much shorter: direct JR Suigun Line, no transfer, 1h16min, ¥1,040.

Frequently asked questions about Daigo (Fukuroda Falls)

What to do in Daigo (Fukuroda Falls): 23 activities

• Fukuroda Falls 1.5 h must-see

  A 120-meter waterfall spread across four terraced tiers, one of Japan's three great waterfalls; spectacular in autumn and with ice formations in winter, with an elevator and observation tunnel leading to several viewpoints.

• Daigo hot springs 2 h

  The town has three distinct types of hot spring water (Daigo, Fukuroda, and Tsukiore Onsen), with traditional ryokan right on the riverbank.

• Namase and Tsukimachi Falls 3 h

  Two smaller, far less crowded waterfalls linked to Fukuroda by a full-day hiking trail of about 5 hours total.

• Nichirin-ji temple on Mount Yamizo 4 h

  Stop number 21 on the Bando pilgrimage of the 33 Kannon and by far the hardest of them all: it stands at the top of Yamizo and was historically reached on foot from the valley.

• Okukuji shamo rooster 1.5 h

  Native breed raised for around 100 days and considered among the best chicken in Japan; it is served stewed, grilled or in broth in the village restaurants.

• The frozen waterfall (hyobaku) 1.5 h

  In the coldest winters the Fukuroda waterfall freezes solid and turns into a wall of bluish ice, a phenomenon that draws climbers and photographers.

• Camping and petting farm in the Okukuji park 4 h booking

  Bungalows, a camper van area and farm animals in the middle of the nature park, a comfortable base for spending the night in the valley.

• Climb up Mount Yamizo 4 h

  The highest summit in Ibaraki (1,022 m), with a lookout from which four prefectures are visible on clear days.

• Daigo urushi lacquer 1 h

  Natural lacquer of very high quality harvested here and used to restore cultural properties and for Wajima lacquerware; very few tappers are left in all of Japan.

• Night illumination of the waterfall (Daigo Light) 1 h only from November to mid-January

  Light projections onto the falls in certain seasons, recognised as part of Japan's night landscape heritage.

• Okukuji Daigo roadside station 1 h

  Producers' market with a free thermal footbath and local apple pie, the natural stop on any route through the valley.

• Okukuji tea 1 h

  One of the northernmost tea crops in Japan, with some 500 years of history, open to visits at the valley's tea park.

• Ridge of Okukuji Nantai-san 3 h

  Rocky 654 m peak with chained sections, the classic climb of the Okukuji region, demanding but short.

• Rural onsen of Tsukiori 1.5 h

  Small spa beside the valley, with alkaline waters known as 'beautiful skin' waters, far quieter than the onsen on the main road.

• Ryujin Suspension Bridge 2 h

  A 375-meter pedestrian bridge suspended 100 metres above the Ryujin reservoir, home to Japan's highest bungee jump; reached from a different station (bus ~40min from Hitachiota).

• Salt-grilled ayu from the Kuji river 1 h

  River fish skewered and grilled whole with salt beside the embers, the taste of summer in the Kuji valley.

• Scenic train on the Suigun line 2 h

  Single-track local train that follows the river between gorges and rice fields; in autumn the run is one of the great railway journeys in the region.

• The apple route 2 h

  From September to November, dozens of orchards in the valley open so that apples can be picked straight from the tree.

• The old wooden school of Kamioka 1 h

  Prewar wooden primary school, preserved intact and used as a set for television series and commercials; it can be walked through inside.

• Chikatsu shrine and the thousand-year-old cedar 1 h

  Cluster of small rural shrines around a venerated cedar centuries old, with a very ancient wooden temple gate.

• Frozen konnyaku (kori-konnyaku) 0.5 h

  Konjac dried outdoors by freezing following a centuries-old method, exclusive to this mountain area and with the texture of a sponge.

• Kuji stone inkstones 0.75 h

  Suzuri of local black stone for calligraphy, already prized by the feudal lords of Mito.

• Oyaki workshop 1.5 h booking

  Class in kneading and filling by hand the village's traditional dumplings, with vegetables from the area.

What only happens on specific dates

• Night illumination of the waterfall (Daigo Light) from November to mid-January

Chains well with

More destinations in Kanto