Sōmon Falls stages its 70-metre descent in two distinct acts. The upper section breaks into a stepped cascade of several tiers; below, the water gathers and shoots down in one rush, threading a narrow seam between faces of bare rock. It hides deep in the mountains of Tenkawa village in Nara Prefecture, and it makes visitors work for a view: there is no ordinary route to the base of the falls at all. The reward for those who do reach the overlook — a rock terrace known informally as the Sōmon Falls Terrace — is a distant, framed sight of one of the more secretive entries in Japan's official Top 100 Waterfalls.
Visiting Somon Falls
The approach begins on the Mount Misen climbing trail: hikers enter the river and ascend along the Misen River before climbing a rock ridge called Ura-Sōmon to the high terrace overlooking the falls. No general route reaches the base directly. A far more distant view is possible from the summit of Mount Kannomine to the north, looking toward Misen.
