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Ashizuri-Uwakai NP, Ehime
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Yukiwa means “snow ring,” but no snow is needed: water traces pale, ring-like ripples as it glides over a broad granite slab. Those delicate patterns give this unusually gentle, sloping waterfall its name.
Part of this cascade doubles as a natural waterslide: the Forestry Agency describes a 40m slide at Yukiwa Falls, where canyoners ride the water over smooth granite. It’s a remarkable twist for a waterfall selected among Japan’s 100 best.
The view from the falls shows about 80m of flowing rock, but the connected cascade stretches roughly 300m in total. Rather than plunging from a cliff, the water slides down the granite in an unusually long, graceful run.
Matsuno’s annual mountain-opening ceremony marks the gorge season with prayers for visitors’ safety and nature conservation. At the 2013 event, the rites also included releasing river fish into the stream.
The wider Nametoko Water Source Forest covers 637 hectares, and 86% is natural forest. Its river system supplies tap water to 375 people and irrigation for 98 hectares—a practical local role for the landscape around the falls.
