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Akiōta · JP

Sandan Falls

Sandan Falls marks the three-tiered cascade deep inside Sandankyō Gorge, one of Japan's most celebrated river canyons. Set in the forested hills of northwestern Akiōta in Hiroshima Prefecture, the gorge runs for about 16 kilometres along the Shibaki River, and its towering cliffs, emerald pools and stepped waterfalls have earned it the rare national title of Special Place of Scenic Beauty. Only six gorges in all of Japan hold this designation, and Sandankyō is the sole one in the western half of the country—so the falls and the trails that lead to them sit in genuinely protected, almost painterly scenery. The experience is built around walking: an elevated boardwalk threads above the rushing water past pools, rock walls and waterfalls, while small hand ferries carry visitors into the wilder inner reaches that the path cannot reach.