Nakatsu Gorge

Nakatsu is the Niyodo gorge you can walk into. A 1.3-kilometre path runs up the ravine from the entrance to Uryu Falls, a twenty-metre drop at the head of it, passing rock columns, pools of the characteristic blue-green, and a red-painted bridge. Seven small statues of the seven lucky gods are set along the route, which sounds twee and is in practice a decent way of marking distance.

Unlike Nikobuchi, which is a single viewpoint with a short window, this is an actual walk of an hour or so through a gorge where the water is visible most of the way. There is an onsen inn at the entrance that takes day bathers, so the standard local plan is walk then bath. Parking is in the yard of a closed primary school, which tells you something about the valley.