Three rivers meet, and three waterfalls answer. Sanbon Falls — "Three-Line Falls" — stands at the point where the Kodaono River, the Kuroizawa, and an unnamed stream converge in the Azumi district of Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, so that three separate 50-meter falls hang side by side in a single view. The site lies at the foot of Mount Norikura, at the uppermost edge of the Norikura Kogen highland, where it is counted with Zengoro Falls and Bandokoro Otaki as one of the "Three Falls of Norikura." It holds a Nagano prefectural Place of Scenic Beauty designation. Elsewhere in Japan only the area around Toyama's Shomyo Falls shows a comparable three-abreast arrangement — and there it depends on season and water volume.
Visiting Sanbon Falls
Sanbon Falls sits at the top of the Norikura Kogen highland at the foot of Mount Norikura, in the Azumi district of Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. It is commonly paired with the other two "Norikura Three Falls," Zengoro Falls and Bandokoro Otaki, on the same highland.
