Kegon Falls, and the beauty of Lake Chūzenji

The Lake Chūzenji region (中禅寺湖) is an area of natural beauty, just a half-hour bus ride up the valley from historic Nikkō. It forms a part of Nikkō National Park (日光国立公園) and is a popular destination, both for domestic and foreign tourists. In Spring, many come to see the cherry blossoms throughout the valley, as well as in Autumn, when the leaves change colour. Discovered by a priest in the year 782, Lake Chūzenji was considered a sacred area, and nearby Mount Nantai (男体山) was off limits to women and livestock until the Meiji era.

The area became a popular spot for European embassies in the early 20th century, with many villas built around the lake’s shoreline (perhaps because the Japanese Emperor also has a villa in the area). Famed British Japanologist Sir Ernest Satow constructed his own house here between 1895-1900. Afterwards, it was used by the British Embassy for the next century, and today it is a memorial park, along with the nearby Italian embassy.

The eerie beauty of Lake Chūzenji in Winter…

The modern town around the shoreline has several restaurants and cafes, mainly to accommodate tourists. If you come here in Winter like I did, I recommend having some traditional nabe (Japanese hotpot). Travelling further along the lake, you mostly find hotels and onsen, along with a few shrines and temples. The area hasn’t been overly developed, to preserve the natural beauty of the scenery.

A view of Mount Nantai from the town

Kegon Falls

A short way downstream from the lake is Kegon Falls (華厳滝), one of the Eight Views of Japan. It is a plunge waterfall, totalling 97 metres in height. The roar of the water as it splashes down over the rocks is very impressive. There is an elevator you can take down to an observation platform directly opposite the waterfall. When I visited, an elderly, white-gloved bellhop in a scarlet uniform opened the doors for us on the way down. For another vantage point, there’s a ropeway on the road up to the lake region from Nikkō, the Akechidaira Ropeway Observation Deck (明智平ロープウェイ展望台).

The sheer power of Kegon Waterfall

There is a darker side to the history of this waterfall, in that it has become an infamous suicide spot. Fujimura Misao (藤村操) was a student of philosophy who threw himself from the waterfall in May 1903. Before his suicide, he had carved a farewell poem on a tree trunk nearby, helping to romanticize the tragic event. His death caused a sensation in the newspapers, even catching the attention of the novelist Natsume Sōseki (夏目漱石), who mentioned Fujimura in his novel Kusamakura (草枕).

This place has the strangest mascots…

Unless you plan on staying at one of the many hotels, or want to go boating or hiking, there isn’t much more to see in this area. It’s a beautiful spot and well worth a visit. Of course, Nikkō itself is a little way down the valley, and full of historic shrines and temples.

Running in the Nikkō…

On a final note – a nearby winding road, that takes you back to Nikkō, also features some famous twists and bends from the popular anime and manga series Initial D (頭文字D). Fun to see if you’re a fan of the series.