Tsuwano is a castle town nestled in a narrow valley, between the Aonoyama and the Shiroyama mountains, the latter loosely translated as "castle hill". From its snowfall in winter and bountiful rain in other seasons, it is a perfect location for a clean and abundant water supply.

This abundant and clean water not just helps traditional livelihoods like sake brewing, wasabi growing and washi Japanese paper making, but also creates beautiful waterfalls. There are four big waterfalls in the area Tsuwano area, including Naru Falls, Shiraito Falls, On Falls and Men Falls. The closest to the town center is the Naru Falls, which takes about 20-25 minutes on foot.

Naru Falls (in Machida area)

The water of this 16 meter high water fall is said to be so clean, that people of Tsuwano's were still using it as drinking water until recently. There is a shrine next to the pond of the waterfall, and some locals regulary come here for a purification ritual. The GPS position of the waterfall is 34.458581, 131.772257.

Shiraito Falls (Takamine area)

This is located in the Takamine area of Tsuwano. After heavy rain, the water falling directly into the basin look like white threads, giving its name in Japanese. It is said that this waterfall was one of the favourites of the Tsuwano domain lord. The Shiraito Falls is close to the Washibara Hachimangu Horse Archery grounds. It is quite a hike from the station, it would take about 40-45 minutes, thus taxi or rental bicycle is recommended.

The GPS position of the waterfall is 34.4538175, 131.7415242.

On Falls and Men Falls (Otada area)

These two waterfalls were often visited by the domain lord of Tsuwano, for the coolness they bring in the summer as well as its scenery. Sometimes the domain lord would come equipped with his drawing tools to sketch the beautiful scenery. These waterfalls are slightly further outside of Tsuwano, towards Nichihara. The road leading to the stream might be easy to miss.

The approximate GPS position of the On Falls is 34.514258, 131.841778 and for the Men Falls is 34.5126471,131.8411321.



 By Denes Perlaky