Painters were traveling to see Neo Falls before Japan had prefectures. Known since the Edo period for what the sources call a mysterious beauty — the literati artist Nukina Kaioku was among those who committed it to paper — the fall drops 63 meters in a band roughly 5 meters wide on the Nigorigo River, an upper reach of the Osaka River that feeds the Hida River in Gero City, Gifu Prefecture. The surrounding Osaka district is extraordinary waterfall country: fed by rivers rising on Mount Ontake, it is said to hold more than 200 falls over 5 meters high, with names like Mitsutaki, Karatani-daki, and Sennin-daki scattered along the same valleys. Neo is the acknowledged centerpiece.
Visiting Neo Falls
Neo Falls lies in the Osaka district of Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, on the Nigorigo River in the upper Osaka River system. Neighboring valleys such as the Hyoedani and Sawaratani hold many further falls, including Sennin Falls near Nigorigo Onsen.
