Fukuroda Falls

Fukuroda is about 120 metres high and 73 metres wide and drops in four distinct stages down a face of andesite, which is where its other name comes from - the four-stage falls - although a second story says it is called that because you should see it in each of the four seasons. It is counted among the three great waterfalls of Japan alongside Nachi and Kegon. Access is through a tunnel bored into the cliff, which comes out on a viewing deck at the base, with a lift to a higher deck that shows the full drop. The volume is large and the spray reaches the platforms. In a hard winter the falls freeze, wholly or in part, and the frozen face is lit at night; this does not happen every year and depends entirely on the cold. Autumn colour on the surrounding slopes peaks in early November.

What you actually see

• Four stages - the drop broken into distinct steps down an andesite face.
• 120 metres by 73 - one of the three great waterfalls of Japan.
• Tunnel access - a bored passage to decks at the base and a lift above.
• A frozen face - in cold enough winters, lit at night when it happens.

When to go

Early November for colour; January to February for a chance of ice. Two hours.

Honest expectations

Access is charged and through a tunnel, which some find anticlimactic. The freeze is not annual and cannot be predicted far ahead. Autumn weekends congest the approach road. Spray soaks the lower deck in high water.

Nearby

Daigo town is close; Mito and Kairakuen are south-west.