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Nikko NP, Tochigi
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A boulder near the basin divides the flow into 2 streams, shaping what looks like a dragon’s head, with whiskers trailing below. “Ryuzu” means “dragon’s head”; the twin cascades are often seen as its beard.
Ryuzu runs 210 m along a stepped rock face about 10 m wide—but its vertical drop is about 60 m, not 210. It is a long, rushing cascade rather than a single sheer plunge.
The rock beneath Ryuzu is a volcanic legacy of Mount Nantai: a late-stage dacitic pumice flow filled the giant lake basin that became Senjogahara. Yukawa later carved its stair-like channel through the deposit.
Just behind the falls-side teahouse is a small hall for Ryuzu Kannon, depicted riding a single-horned dragon. The teahouse describes this one of the 36 Kannon as a guardian who governs water.
The teahouse’s signature dango is called 施無畏 (Semui), a name the shop explains as “bringing comfort to many people.” Even this simple local sweet carries a warm message beside the rushing water.
The waterfall gets two vivid color seasons: purple-red Togoku-mitsuba azaleas bloom in May–June, then autumn leaves begin turning around late September—said to be the earliest color change in Nikko City.
Ryuzu is Yukawa’s last dramatic leap before it joins Lake Chuzenji. The river begins at Lake Yunoko, spills over Yudaki, winds through Senjogahara, then reaches these falls and the lake.
The Edo-era guide Nikko Sanshi records a “Jigoku Chaya” (“Hell Teahouse”) here, where travelers rested because Yumoto was far away; it links the name to a nearby cave called “Hell Cave.” The teahouse today traces its story to that stop.
A 12.98-hectare reserve named for Ryuzu Falls has protected its rare old larch population since 1987. The trees grow scattered rather than in a dense stand, yet nearby trunks reach 50–100 cm across.
