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Hossawa Falls
A four-step waterfall of about 60 metres in Hinohara, the only place in Tokyo still governed as a village. It is the single Tokyo waterfall named to Japan's list of 100 notable falls.
Hossawa Falls sits in Hinohara — the only place in Tokyo still governed as a village — up a side valley of the Kita-Akigawa river. The walk in is calm at first: the lane from the Hossawa-no-taki-iriguchi bus stop passes Chitoseya, a family tofu maker known for its okara doughnuts made from the soy pulp left over from tofu production. Beyond the shop the road narrows and a streamside path climbs into cedar trees, arriving in about 15 to 20 minutes at the basin where the water drops in four tiers over dark rock, totalling about 60 metres. Of all the waterfalls in Tokyo, this is the only one selected for Japan's list of 100 notable waterfalls.
Why it stays quiet
There is little information in English, and it never appears on standard Tokyo day-trip lists, so most visitors stop at Mt. Takao, an hour to the east. It also takes a train, a bus, and a short uphill walk to reach, which keeps casual crowds away.
Background & history
The falls were historically also called Hosshi-no-taki, because the cascade was likened to the tasselled whisk that Buddhist monks carried, and local legend holds that a great serpent lived in the basin at its foot. Hossawa is famous for freezing in the coldest weeks of winter, and Hinohara village runs an annual ice-fall quiz inviting people to guess the date of the biggest freeze. A complete top-to-bottom freeze has become uncommon in recent years, with one notable full freeze recorded in January 2006.
What to look for — in walking order
- Chitoseya tofu shop
- a family tofu maker on the approach lane, known for okara doughnuts (opens around 9:30, closed Tuesdays)
- Four-tier cascade
- the water falls in four linked steps totalling about 60 metres over dark rock
- Tokyo's only Top-100 fall
- the sole Tokyo waterfall on Japan's national list of 100 notable falls
- Winter ice-fall
- the cascade freezes in deep winter; the village runs an annual quiz on the peak freeze date
How to enjoy it
It is a 15-to-20-minute walk up the streamside path from the bus stop to the falls. Come in the coldest weeks of winter for the chance of seeing the cascade partially frozen, and stop at the Chitoseya tofu shop on the approach for a doughnut. Rural buses here run roughly hourly in the morning but thin out around midday — check the return times at the stop when you arrive.
How to actually get there
- Shinjuku Station → Musashi-Itsukaichi Station (JR Chuo Line, transfer at Tachikawa to the Ome/Itsukaichi Line, ~70 min).
- Musashi-Itsukaichi Station → Hossawa-no-taki-iriguchi stop (West Tokyo Bus from platform 1, ~25 min).
- Hossawa-no-taki-iriguchi stop → the falls (walk past the tofu shop, up the streamside lane, ~15 min).
- JR train + West Tokyo Bus, ~110 min total
- Shinjuku Station →(JR Chuo Line, transfer at Tachikawa to the JR Ome/Itsukaichi Line, ~70 min)→ Musashi-Itsukaichi Station →(West Tokyo Bus from platform 1, bound for Fujikura, Hossawa-no-taki-iriguchi, or Kazuma, ~25 min)→ Hossawa-no-taki-iriguchi stop. Total about 110 min, then a 15-min walk. Several bus routes serve the stop and morning buses run roughly hourly, but service thins out around midday — check the day's timetable before you leave.
- Return buses run through the day but thin out in the afternoon
- Buses back to Musashi-Itsukaichi Station run through the day but become infrequent later on. Check the return times posted at the stop when you arrive, so you do not miss the last useful bus.
Before you go
- Cash
- Rural buses here are often cash-only, so carry coins just in case.
- Closing days
- The streamside path can be icy in winter, so go early and watch your footing.
- Another way
- The Chitoseya tofu shop on the approach lane sells tofu and okara doughnuts; it opens about 9:30 and is closed on Tuesdays.
- After you get off
- From the stop, walk past the tofu shop and up the signed streamside lane; it is about a 15-minute walk uphill to the falls.