Izu is a popular tourist destination known to be a cool off spot to visit during the the hot summer. With plenty of waterfalls around the area to visit, here are some of the recommended waterfalls to implement in your holiday plan!
Joren Water Falls
Ranked amongst the Top 100 waterfalls in Japan, if you had to choose one waterfall to visit in Izu, Joren Water Falls (浄蓮の滝 – “Joren no Taki”) would be the top contender. The water flows down 25m from the top and connects to the basin which is 15m deep providing excellent impact when you visit for the first time. There is also an wasabi farm and a fishing spot to enjoy near the water fall as well.
Location and Access
By car:
Access by car is greatly recommended. There are some fairly large public car park available near the entrance to the waterfalls for easy access. The carpark is free of charge and there is an public toilet available here as well. Simply have Joren water falls set up on your car GPS and let the GPS guide you to the car park.
Public Transport:
As Joren Water Fall is located in the middle of the Izu area, Buses are available from Shuzenji station (修善寺駅) from the North and Kawazu station (河津駅) from the South. Travel time from Shuzenji station is closer at around 30 minutes, while the bus from Kawazu station will take approx. 1 hour. Both route only has 1-2 buses coming through every hour, so be sure to check out the bus time table beforehand if you are planning to use public transport.
The best way to find the time table is via the travel app on your phone. Check out my guide on which app to use below.
Cautions:
To get to the waterfall you will have to go through more than 200 steps of fairly steep stairs. These steps also become very slippery when wet. There is no particular access for wheelchairs or baby carts so have this in mind when visiting Joren Water Falls.
If you are wondering where Izu is and how to get here in the first place, please see my separate post below.
How long will I need?
If the intention is to just visit the water fall and have a look around the wasabi farm and the shops, you will be looking at 30-40 minutes depending on how fit you are going up and down the stairs.
Fishing is available along the river bank so if you want to experience the whole package you will be looking at 1-2 hours.
The experience
After 5-10 minutes of going down the wide stairs, you are met with the famous Joren Water Falls. The waterfall itself is big and purifying but the surrounding environment with the thick bush and large cliff is also one sight to behold.
Izu is well known for its Wasabi’s and there is a wasabi farm right next to the waterfall. There isn’t much to do here but it is interesting to see how the Wasabi’s that we consume frequently are made.
Right next to the wasabi farm is a small shop selling raw wasabi and other various wasabi products including Wasabi Ice-cream (No this is not a typo). Wasabi Ice-cream is also available at the shops near the entrance to this area so it is not necessarily a must-have at the waterfall. What does it taste like? You have to find it out yourself! (It’s not bad, but having it once is probably enough for me..!)
Traditional Fishing is available to experience in the same area. Rods are available for rent and it will cost \1,830 yen for 1 hour or \3,640 yen for 2 hours. 6-12 rods are available to rent per group. There is also an option for 1-day renting (\4,540 yen) but I do not see any point in this unless you are an fishing fanatic.
Kawazu Seven Waterfalls
As the name implies, Kawazu seven waterfalls (河津七滝 – “Kawazu Nanadaru”) consists of 7 waterfalls located along the 1.5km section of the Kawazu river. These waterfalls are linked by a hiking trail in parallel to the Kawazu river. Naturally the hiking trail includes hills and stairs along the way and can be taxing on the body for the non-hikers – as a result many people tour only the closer waterfalls but the experience will still be enjoyable.
There are many routes in which you can enjoy the 7 waterfalls. In here I will list one of the simplest ways to enjoy the 7 waterfalls as a full, and a time saving route to enjoy 4 of the main waterfalls.
Location and Access
Location of the 7 waterfalls:
Ignore the 13 minute walk comment in the google map above, this obviously does not take in to account the mountainous terrain in the hiking course. (Actual time for the full course will be 1-2 hours)
Whether you are looking at going through all 7 waterfalls or only a few, I recommend starting the journey from the Southern end of the course.
Car Park/ Bus stop:
The general location of where the journey typically begins is centered around the Kawazu Seven Waterfalls car park (河津七滝駐車場). This carpark is located at the Southern most end of the waterfall trail and it is minutes walk away from the nearest bus stop (大滝入口 – “Odaru Iriguchi”).
Access by Car:
As stated at the beginning, whether you are planning to visit all 7 waterfalls or just a few, it is a good idea to park your car at the “Kawazu Nanadaru” Car park above. Simply input the location in your GPS and let the GPS guide you. There is a narrow and sharp uphill roadway leading to the car park which should become obvious as you approach the spot.
Access by Public Transport:
From “Kawazu” Station (河津駅), take the bus to “Kawazu Nanadaru” (河津七滝) bus stop. The trip from Kawazu to Mizurade is approx. 35 minutes.
If you are wondering where Izu is and how to get here in the first place, please see my separate post below.
Tour Route
The Full route
1. Kama-daru (釜滝) ➡ 2. Ebi-daru (海老滝) ➡ 3. Hebi-daru (蛇滝) ➡ 4. Shokei-daru (初景滝) ➡ 5. Kani-daru (カニ滝) ➡ 6. Deai-daru (出会滝) ➡ 7. Oh-daru (大滝)
From “Odaru Iriguchi” bus stop (大滝入口) take the bus to the “Mizudare” (水垂) bus stop. This will take you the northern area close to Kama-daru waterfall. There should be a sign right at the Mizudare bus stop which tells you the route in which to travel.
The entire trip should take you between 1.5 – 2 hours.
Click for the Google Map route here
It is possible to inverse this route and start from the other side however you will need to be prepared for an uphill battle as you will be travelling up the terrain against the flow of the water current.
The Recommended route
Kani-daru (カニ滝) ➡ Shokei-daru (初景滝) ➡ Deai-daru (出会滝) ➡ Oo-daru (大滝)
From the Seven Waterfalls car park (河津七滝駐車場) all 4 waterfalls listed above is within 20-25 minutes walking distance. Kani-daru is on the way to Shokei-daru, while Deai-daru is on the way to Oh-daru.
Take a walk to Shokei-daru and you will see Kani-daru on the way. Once you reach Shokei-daru, back track and head to Oh-daru, in which you will see Deai-daru on the way.
This trip should take you around 1 hour to complete and you will experience the largest waterfall (Oo-daru) and arguably the most photo friendly waterfall (Sokei-daru).
How long will I need?
For the full route you will need 1.5 – 2 hours depending on your pacing.
For the Recommended route, you will need approx. 1 hour depending on your pacing.
The experience
Going through the many waterfalls available in the area can prove to get repetitive although the enjoyment is still there. I recommend taking the recommended route to save time and energy as the 4 waterfalls in this route is plentiful to experience what this area is give.
The 2 waterfalls that are particularly impressive are the Shokei-daru and Oo-daru. There is a statue at Shokei-daru which provides you the perfect Instagram photo shoot. Oo-daru on the other hand is the largest waterfall amongst the 7 waterfalls which does not disappoint.
Recommendation – Wasabi Eatery
There is a small restaurant very close to the car park here called Wasabi Garden Kadoya (わさび園 かどや). This place is a family run restaurant which has been running for over 100 years across 4 generations.
Restaurant is open during the day only between 9:30 – 14:00 and is closed on Wednesdays.
Kadoya offers authentic wasabi-centric cuisine in its most raw format. They give you fresh wasabi grown from the purified waters in the nearby waters in which you grind it yourself to make wasabi paste. This paste will then be used on menu items such as Rice bowls and Soba Noodles.
When we think of wasabi we expect the hard pungent spice that destroys your nose and tears your eyes when taken in too much quantity. What you will find out that fresh wasabi is actually very mild, and that the flavor and spice differs on the area of the wasabi that is being consumed (mildest at the root and spiciest at the head). Wasabi at Kadoya is recommended even for those who are not fond of the strong taste of wasabi.
The menu is limited and is written on the walls in traditional Japanese style. Unfortunately there is no signs of English in this venue. My recommendation is the Wasabi-don and Zaru-soba set (\1,300 yen).
Kadoya is well known and has been picked up by numerous TV shows in Japan. Many celebrities have visited this place and it shows with a wall full of framed signatures. Due to their popularity and small seating space, it is extremely crowded during lunch time. In my case, I waited 2 hours from 11:30 until I was finally able to take a seat. It is strongly recommended that you dine here well before lunch time (perhaps 10-11am) to avoid the insane que.
There you have it, everything you need to know to experience waterfalls in Izu Japan. Be sure to check out my other posts on Izu and also check out my SNS accounts for the photos taken from the areas discussed!
