To Get to One of Japan’s Coolest Waterfalls, You Have to Take an Elevator

Kegon Falls is only one of 48 waterfalls that visitors can observe in Nikko National Park, but it’s certainly the most convenient to get to. Since 1930, there’s been an elevator taking tourists to the base of the falls. The elevator has been updated a couple of times since its creation nearly 100 years ago, and it now takes up to 30 visitors at a time down 328 feet through the bed rock to reach the best viewing point, in just one minute.

Access to Kegon Falls is open throughout the year: From 8 AM to 5 PM from March 1 to November 30, and from 9 AM to 4:30 PM from December 1 to February 28. The falls are beautiful no matter the time of the year you choose for a visit, even in winter when the flow is partially frozen and the surrounding landscape covered in snow.

Photo: AaronChenPS2/Shutterstock

Photo: Arata Matsumoto/Shutterstock

Photo: Eleonora Tuveri/Shutterstock

Admission rate to the falls is $3.75 (¥570) for adults and $2.25 (¥340) for children.

You can easily reach Kegon Falls from Tokyo by using public transport. Start by riding the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo Ueno station to Utsunomiya station for just over 40 minutes. Then, from Utsunomiya station, ride the Nikko Line to Nikko station for about 40 minutes. Finally, take a bus from Nikko station to the waterfall (50 minutes).