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Daisetsuzan NP, Hokkaido
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From Sōbakudai viewpoint, the contrast is striking: the roaring Ryūsei Falls drops about 90 m, while the delicate, thread-like Ginga Falls is taller at about 120 m. The quieter-looking waterfall wins on height.
Their starry names took hold after forestry scholar Yoshinao Niijima wrote tanka about the falls in 1923. Before that, they were called “Couple Falls” and later given male-and-female names—though the old records disagreed about which was which.
About 30,000 years ago, a Daisetsuzan eruption laid down hot volcanic deposits that welded into tuff. The Ishikari River later cut through the rock, carving the gorge and exposing the dramatic column-like cracks behind the falls.
They can look like enormous frozen curtains, but water still moves beneath the ice. National Park rangers observing the falls in winter saw flowing water under both Ginga’s ice and Ryūsei’s frozen face.
The canyon’s name came from nearby Sōunbetsu, an Ainu-derived place name from sō-un-pet, meaning “river with waterfalls.” With Ginga and Ryūsei tumbling down its cliffs, the old name still feels wonderfully apt.
A granite monument in the waterfall parking area bears a verse by Emperor Shōwa, who stayed in Sōunkyō in September 1968. The visitor center notes that it is not known whether he composed the poem at the falls themselves.
The waterfall rest stop is called Taki Mintara. “Taki” means waterfall in Japanese, while “mintara” is an Ainu word for an open square—a small local language connection beside the famous falls.
