Nachi Falls

Nachi Falls drops 133 metres in a single unbroken ribbon - the tallest one-drop waterfall in Japan - and it has never been merely scenery: the fall itself is the enshrined deity of Hiro Shrine at its base, venerated since antiquity and folded into the UNESCO-listed sacred landscape of the Kii mountains in 2004. Above it spreads the temple-shrine complex of Kumano Nachi Taisha and Seiganto-ji, whose vermilion three-storey pagoda composes with the white cascade into one of the most photographed frames in the country. The right approach is on foot up Daimon-zaka, a stone staircase climbing through an avenue of centuries-old cedars, arriving at the shrine terraces with the fall thundering in its forest amphitheatre beyond. In July the Nachi fire festival carries flaming torches down the sacred stair.

What you actually see

• The 133-metre drop - the single white ribbon in its forest bowl.
• The pagoda frame - Seiganto-ji's vermilion tiers against the fall.
• Daimon-zaka - the cedar-avenue stone stair, the pilgrim approach.
• Hiro Shrine's platform - closest to the spray, where the fall is the god.

When to go

The fall runs year-round and swells dramatically after rain; fresh green in May and mist in autumn both flatter it. Mid-July's fire festival is spectacular and correspondingly packed.

Honest expectations

Daimon-zaka plus the shrine stairs add up to a sweaty few hundred steps - buses reach a higher stop if knees object. The closest viewing platform charges a small fee worth paying for the spray. Tour timing matters: late morning brings the coach groups, so come early.

Nearby

The Kumano Kodo trails, Kii-Katsuura's tuna port and the Kumano shrines at Shingu.