Nakatsu Gorge

Nakatsu GorgeUryu FallsNiyodo BlueNiyodogawawalking trail

Kochi · Niyodogawa

33.5613°N, 133.1341°E

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.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

Open access | Daylight only

Closed: Open year-round | Path may close after heavy rain

Entrance Fee

Free | Onsen and restaurant at the entrance charged separately

Best Season

Late April–May for fresh green | November for autumn colour | Summer for the cool ravine

Visit Duration

60–90 minutes | 2–3 hours with the onsen

Getting There

Access Information

Nanogawa, Niyodogawa, Agawa District. Car recommended. Free to visit. Park at the former Nanogawa primary school ground at the gorge entrance; the Yunomori onsen car park is for its own customers. The path to Uryu Falls is about 1.3 km round trip. Yunomori at the entrance offers day bathing and a restaurant to non-residents. Paths are slippery — proper shoes recommended.

Insider Guide

Premium

**Walk to Uryu Falls and back.** About 1.3 km round trip on a made path with steps. An hour at a slow pace, which is the right speed here. **Bathe afterwards.** Yunomori at the gorge entrance takes day visitors and has a restaurant. Gorge then onsen is how people from the valley do it. **Park at the old school.** The closed Nanogawa primary school ground is the visitor car park. The Yunomori lot is reserved for its customers. **Wet rock, all year.** The path runs beside water in a shaded ravine and stays slippery. This is not a place for smooth soles. **Do the Niyodo trio in a day.** Nakatsu, Yasui gorge and Nikobuchi are all within about forty minutes of each other and are the three places the Niyodo Blue reputation rests on.

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