Oyanagawa Gorge

Oyanagawa Gorge, on the long, snaking river of the same name, features dramatic natural landscape—including five enchanting waterfalls—navigated via a succession of ten rope bridges. Those with a love for swaying high above rocks and gushing waters will be in their element here, while the less brave can be assured that all is very much safe.

A walking path leads you on a vigorous, yet not overly demanding, 90-minute course through the gorge. It takes you right up close to—and over—rugged cliff faces, huge moss-covered stones, and foliage of a deep, rich green that speaks to the nourishment offered to us by nature.

Some of the more recently constructed rope bridges are mini-feats of architecture, albeit in a subtle way that never upstages the scenery they carry you through. The Ryujin (dragon god) Bridge features a square terrace/observation deck along its length, while the Ryusenkyo Bridge, the gorge’s largest with a length of 68 meters, has a distinctive, 90-degree right-angle form.

Those visiting in the hot and humid summer months will want to stop briefly at the Ryumabuchi pool, reached after crossing the Kawasemi (kingfisher) Bridge. Here the landscape creates a small oasis of airy coolness, the temperature refreshingly lower than its surroundings.

Before exiting Oyanagawa Gorge, you will be blessed by an effigy of the benevolent goddess Kannon that overlooks a waterfall named for this Buddhist deity.