華厳の滝

If you like the great outdoors than Nikko is the place for you Kegon Falls is one of the more popular attractions in Nikko, though it's easy to see why. The waterfall is not so wide, but very long and cascades down into a beautiful valley. Apparently if you take photos of the waterfall, sometimes ghosts may even appear in your photos! Spooky! The waterfall itself is situated a short bus ride up the mountain, nearby to the Lake. Quite easily accessed. You can reach a viewing platform from a nearby elevator, which can be used for a small fee. I highly recommend using the viewing platform, it gives you the best view of the falls.

Kegon Falls wants to be photographed, and why wouldn't it? When I first arrived, I was pleased to find that I could enjoy the waterfalls for free of charge, whilst surrounded by beautiful cliff faces and the sound of falling water, but it wasn't enough. I wanted to get closer; luckily, I could. There was an elevator I could ride down 100 metres to a second observation platform (it cost around 500 yen), and it was there that I could really experience the full thrill of this natural wonder. I got so close that I could feel the water on my face as it bounced off the rocks. Amazing!

This is an incredible spot for photography, especially in the fall (and perhaps winter?). I went here in the fall myself, and took a few long exposures down on the platform at the bottom of the falls (you have to pay a small fee and take an elevator to get there). The photos turned out very nice with coloured leaves surrounding the falls and the stream trickling down below. Even if you aren't a photographer it is well worth the view! A word of advice if you do plan to take some serious landscape photos - the area is very crowded, so be sure to set up and prepare your shot behind the crowd then move in when you see a lull in the crowd. If you are patient and wait for the right opening you can find some nice compositions ;)