Fukiwarenotaki Fall called Niagara of Orient which is located inside Katashina-valley in Numata-city of Gunma whose width is 30 meter and the height is 7 meter. The path walking around this area is maintained well as ringed shaped that is surrounding the falls and we walk around the path with anticlockwise rotation.
Total walking time is around 60-80 minutes based on the walking pace of each tourists.
After entering from the entrance beside of the national road and going down along with slope of the valley, you at first see Masutobino taki-fall with 15 meter fall which is making rumbling sound and falling with big waving.
The origin of this name “Masutobinotaki” is to express that a lot of touts coming up from the sea had tried to go up to the fall with some passing and some failed. 
After forwarding to walk, you can see the curious rock called Hannya mask rock (female demon’s mask) on the side of the valley as shown below. This Katashina valley is the treasury of fantastically shaped rocks and huge rock. The landscape created by nature is very much dynamic combined with autumn color of leaves now in fall on surrounded mountains, fantastic rocks and the calm flow of river changing to rapid & wild flow into the falls. You can see these landscape with 360 degrees. You will feel the rugged rock skin during walking up to the road path.
After a little climbing up, you will find the Fukiwarenotaki-fall. The stream of clear water is going down to the land space broken between the earth and is crashed with white splash. That show tremendous power.
This fall is made by the rocks created by the eruption of the active mountain around 13million years ago. Around 10,000 years ago, at first this fall was shaped at 750 meter down from current position by two different rivers flowing into each other. Then, the continuous erosion proceeded had the fall moved up to current position. The moving distance can be calculated with 7.5 cm per year. This has been registered as natural monument in Japan.
After passing over the fall, you can see Senjyojiki which spread widely with around 1,000 pces of Tatami-mat.
Then, going up to the slope on the walking path along with the east side of the valley, you will find the Ukibashi-bridge and by going through that, you will reach Ukishima-small island which is located inside the river. The view from the bridge is fantastic as shown in the photo where you can see the Hannya-rock beyond the Senjyojiki.
On the Ukishima-island, there is the small temple called Ukishima-Kannon which was founded in 795 and re-built in 1984. Then, moving to the walking path as gentle slope along the West of the valley called Utano-komichi, you will see tens of tombstones on which local Haiku is carved.
After going through the Haiku path, you will reach three fall observatory spots at fairly high altitude from where you will see the large scale of dynamic fall flowing down with splashing as one whole landform.
I recommend that after you finish sightseeing of Fukiwarenotaki, you take a lunch near the spot and move to Oigamionsen (hot spring) to heal your fatigue of the walking tour finished and to enjoy the traditional hot spring with the calm and spacious view. You can have a experience of day trip bath.
I recommend Yumotohanatei inn which serve the special day trip bath with yen700 per 3hours. You can smell sulfur and enjoy several kinds of hot spring including open-air bath and the bath with rose or apple floating.
The spring quality of Oigamionsen is sulfur spring with alkaline and the effects is to heal the muscular pain, arthralgia and skin disease.
One of the example of the gourmet mostly consumed by locals is Maitake-tenzaru: soba noodle with maitake mush-room.
As described above, this one day trip tour of Fukiwarenotaki and Oigamionsen in Gunma is very much attractive.If you are interested in this blog content, please visit below URL and request me to support you as a guide.
Fukiwarenotaki & Oigamionsen one day tour
By Kashima
