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Daisetsuzan NP, Hokkaido
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Ginga is the older neighbor: it existed before Ryūsei. About 10,000–20,000 years ago, lava from an eruption near Mikurasawa buried another valley; water later carved new channels that became Ryūsei Falls.
First called “Married-Couple Falls” in 1872, then male and female falls in 1916, the pair got today’s names—Ginga (“Milky Way”) and Ryūsei (“Shooting Star”)—from Yoshinao Niijima’s 1923 poems.
In winter, Ginga may freeze while Ryūsei keeps flowing: the visitor center says Ryūsei’s abundant water makes complete freezing unlikely. One December observation caught Ginga iced over while its partner still ran.
Daisetsuzan spring water supports Kamikawa trout farms; these fish have supplied Sounkyo inn kitchens and even been cooked into sweet-simmered souvenirs—a local livelihood behind the waterfall landscape.
Ginga stands in Sōunkyō Gorge, whose name has an Ainu connection: writer Omachi Keigetsu popularized “Sōunkyō” from nearby Sōunbetsu, an Ainu place-name meaning “river with a waterfall.”
The neighboring falls have separate headwaters: Ginga’s feeder streams rise about 4 km from Mt. Aka, while Ryūsei’s begin about 9 km from Mt. Hakuun.
