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Nikko NP, Tochigi
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The Kinugawa River carved Setoaikyo through tuff, leaving cliffs nearly 100 m high along about 2 km. In autumn, evergreen pines and turning broadleaf trees stripe the pale and dark rock.
In Kawamata’s traditional ishi-yaki, river stones do the cooking: heat them over a fire for about half a day, then lay fish and wild greens on top and season with miso. Community-led experiences around Lake Kawamata share the technique.
Lake Kawamata covers the former Kawamata main village, traditionally described as a settlement of Heike fugitives. The Kinugawa flows out of the lake and into Setoaikyo, linking the gorge to this submerged local story.
The Watarasshai Suspension Bridge began as a dam-maintenance bridge before being rebuilt for public use. It is about 75 m long and roughly 100 m above the gorge, bringing visitors close to the canyon walls.
At Kawamata’s Genpuku rite, men reaching 20 (formerly 15) exchange cups to form a ceremonial parent-child bond. Reported since the late Edo period, it is a nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Just beyond the gorge, Kawamata Dam rises 117 m, while its crest is 131 m long. The dam authority calls it Japan’s most vertically elongated dam—an unusual silhouette framed by the canyon.
Setoaikyo lies below a working dam: a Kawamata project began releasing water downstream in 2003 to improve river flow. A government review later reported dry reaches resolved and fish-spawning sites documented.
In September 2010, Kawamata Dam and the Watarasshai bridge were filming locations for the Japanese movie Seiji – Riku no Sakana, featuring actors Hidetoshi Nishijima and Mirai Moriyama.
