Skip to content
RESORTport
Nachi Falls dropping in a single strand down the rock face

Wakayama, Japan

Nachi FallsNACHI

A 133 m drop. A waterfall as an object of prayer.

33°40'N 135°53'E

01IntroductionIntroduction

A 133 m drop. A waterfall as an object of prayer.

Nachikatsuura Town, Wakayama Prefecture. A waterfall that drops 133 m in a single tier, the falls themselves long enshrined as the sacred body of Hiro Shrine. A component part of the World Cultural Heritage site "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range".

Japan's three great waterfallsHiro ShrineSeiganto-jiKumano Kodo

02Key InformationKey information

Key information about Nachi Falls

Only information confirmed in the sources (listed at the bottom of the page) is shown. Please check the latest official information before your visit.

PrefecturePrefecture
Wakayama
RegionRegion
Kansai
MunicipalityMunicipality
Nachikatsuura Town
CategoryScenery
WaterfallsForestsNational parksWorld Heritage
Protected areasProtection
  • Yoshino-Kumano National Park
  • World Cultural Heritage "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range" (2004)
HeightData
133 m
LocationCoordinates
33°40'N 135°53'E
The three-storey pagoda of Seiganto-ji and Nachi Falls

Nachi Falls — Wakayama

Photo: Naokijp / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

03StoryStory

The Story of
Nachi Falls

Deep in the forests of Kumano, a single strand of water falls 133 m down the rock face. Since ancient times, the Nachi waterfall itself has been worshipped as a deity.

The composition of the falls seen past the three-storey pagoda of Seiganto-ji is one of the landscapes that symbolise Kumano. The falls lie at the end of the Kumano Kodo, walked for centuries as a path of prayer.

04GalleryGallery

4 photographs

—FilmTravel through film

Nachi Falls on film

All films →

那智勝浦PV

Source: 観光協会那智勝浦町 / Watch on YouTube ↗

国立公園ものがたり 吉野熊野　Stories from the National Parks of Japan: Yoshino-Kumano National Park

Source: 環境省　日本の国立公園 / Watch on YouTube ↗

The films shown here are published on YouTube by official channels such as the Ministry of the Environment, local governments and tourism associations, and are presented using YouTube's embed feature. Copyright remains with each publisher. No connection is made to YouTube until you press play.

05SeasonsThrough the seasons

The four seasons of Nachi Falls

  1. SpringSpring

    The fresh green forest, and the whiteness of the falls.

    Recommended

  2. SummerSummer

    The Nachi Fire Festival (Ogi Matsuri) is held in July.

    Recommended

  3. AutumnAutumn

    The surrounding mountains take on a touch of colour.

    Recommended

  4. WinterWinter

    The air is clear, and the sound of the falls echoes through the forest.

    Recommended

06LocationLocation

33°40'N 135°53'E

Wakayama, Nachikatsuura Town (Kansai)

OpenStreetMap ↗Google Maps ↗

An interactive map is in preparation. For now, the location is shown among all destinations.

26°N30°N34°N38°N42°NNACHI

07NearbyNearby scenic spots

Another landscape, close by.

The great vermilion torii of Shirahige Shrine standing in Lake Biwa

Lake Biwa

BIWA

About 177 km (straight-line distance)

An inlet of Naoshima and the islands of the Seto Inland Sea seen from high ground

Naoshima

NAOSHIMA

About 196 km (straight-line distance)

The sandbar of Amanohashidate and the blue sea seen from above

Amanohashidate

AMANOHASHIDATE

About 220 km (straight-line distance)

08RelatedSimilar landscapes

If you love this landscape.

Kegon Falls dropping down a cliff in fresh greenery

NIKKO

Nikko & Kegon Falls

Tochigi

The water of Lake Chuzenji drops 97 m in a single plunge.

Yakushima's mountains covered in deep forest, with a river flowing into the sea

YAKUSHIMA

YakushimaKagoshima · Kyushu

Yakushima Town, Kagoshima Prefecture. Home to Mount Miyanoura (1,936 m), the highest peak in Kyushu, with forests of Yakusugi cedars over a thousand years old and moss-covered ravines. In 1993 it became one of the first areas in Japan inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site.

Islands / Forests / Mountains

The Shiretoko range reflected in the first of the Shiretoko Five Lakes

SHIRETOKO

ShiretokoHokkaido · Hokkaido

The Shiretoko Peninsula at the eastern tip of Hokkaido. Recognised for an ecosystem in which nutrients carried by drift ice link the sea to the forests and mountains, it was inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site in 2005. The Shiretoko Five Lakes, sheer coastal cliffs and pristine nature home to brown bears and deer remain.

Seas / Forests / Lakes

09SourcesSources

Sources

10Photo CreditsPhoto credits

PhotoTitle / PhotographerSourceLicence
Nachi Falls dropping in a single strand down the rock faceNachi Waterfall Feb2010玄史生Wikimedia Commons ↗CC BY-SA 3.0
The three-storey pagoda of Seiganto-ji and Nachi FallsThree-storied Pagoda of Seiganto-ji and Nachi Falls 201808NaokijpWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY-SA 4.0
Nachi Falls dropping through deep forestNachi Falls 201908-2SuikoteiWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY-SA 4.0
Nachi Falls with green forest and rock faceNachikatsuura Nachi Falls 04ZaironWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY 4.0
The top of the falls hung with a sacred shimenawa rope, and the rock faceNachi Waterfall in Winter 03Douglas PerkinsWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY 4.0
Nachi Falls seen past a vermilion railingNachikatsuura Seiganto-ji Three-Storied Pagoda View to the Nachi Falls 1ZaironWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY 4.0
All photo credits →