Nachi Falls

Nachi Falls is Japan's tallest single-drop waterfall, plunging 133 meters from a width of 13 meters into a sacred pool below. The waterfall is worshipped as a deity at Hiro Shrine, which sits at its base, and forms part of the UNESCO-listed Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. The iconic view of the three-story pagoda of Kumano Nachi Taisha framing the falls is one of Japan's most photographed scenes. Visitors can pay a small fee to access an observation platform at the base for a closer look and even taste the sacred spring water, believed to grant longevity. The surrounding ancient cedar forests and stone-paved pilgrimage trails add to the deeply spiritual atmosphere.