Sankai Falls — the "three-story falls" — stages its 181-meter descent in three great tiers on the Sumikawa River in the town of Zao, Katta District, Miyagi Prefecture. The Japanese record calls this tiered cascade one of the most magnificent in the entire Tohoku region, and its selection to Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls confirms the standing. The falls lie close to Mount Zao and are a noted autumn-foliage destination, when the three white steps cut through slopes of turning color. From the viewing platform across the valley, a second Top-100-adjacent sight appears as a bonus: Fudo Falls, visible further up the Sumikawa.
Visiting Sankai Falls
A viewing platform (takimidai) stands on the opposite bank of the Sumikawa, along the Zao Echo Line road, offering a sweeping prospect of all three tiers — and a view of Fudo Falls upstream. The platform is closed in winter.
