Shomyo Falls

Published: Aug 11, 2026

Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Shomyo Fallstallest waterfallTateyamaHannoki Fallsnatural monument

Representative image — not a photograph of this location.

Shomyo is the tallest waterfall in Japan: 350 metres in four stages down a wall of columnar rock at the western edge of the Tateyama massif. At full flow it moves more than a hundred tonnes of water a second, and the noise reaches you well before the falls come into view. It is designated both a national Place of Scenic Beauty and a Natural Monument.

In spring, and after heavy rain, a second fall appears alongside it. Hannoki is seasonal and therefore not counted in the official rankings, but at around 500 metres it is taller than Shomyo — for a few weeks each year Japan's highest waterfall is standing right next to its highest waterfall and nobody lists it. Access is by a road that closes in winter and in bad weather, from a car park half an hour's walk below the viewing point. It is the only part of the Tateyama area you can reach without buying an Alpine Route ticket.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

Access road generally 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM in the open season | Adjusted hours in peak summer

Closed: Closed in winter | Road closes in heavy rain or high wind

Entrance Fee

Free | Sightseeing bus from Tateyama Station charged separately

Best Season

Late April–June for maximum flow and the seasonal Hannoki Falls | Late October for autumn colour

Visit Duration

2 hours including the walk from the car park

Getting There

Access Information

Ashikuraji, Tateyama, Nakaniikawa District. From Tateyama Station take the Shomyo Falls sightseeing bus, about 15 minutes, or drive about 40 minutes from Tateyama IC to the Shomyodaira car park; from there it is a 30-minute walk to the falls. Free to visit. The access road generally operates 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM in April to June and September to November, with adjusted hours in peak summer, and closes in winter. It also closes in bad weather — thresholds are around 70 mm of cumulative rain, 30 mm an hour, or 30 m/s winds.

Insider Guide

Premium

**Late spring for two waterfalls.** Snowmelt in late April through June brings Hannoki Falls out beside Shomyo at around 500 metres. It is the single best reason to time a visit, and it disappears when the melt ends. **Thirty minutes uphill from the car park.** The walk is on a paved road with a steady gradient. It is not difficult but it is not a viewpoint you drive to, and you do it twice. **The road closes on rain thresholds, not on judgement.** Cumulative rainfall of about 70 mm or 30 mm in an hour shuts the access road. Check the Tateyama town notice before setting out in unsettled weather. **It is outside the Alpine Route ticket.** Everything else at this altitude in Tateyama requires an expensive multi-vehicle pass. Shomyo does not, which makes it the cheapest way to see the scale of this mountain wall. **Winter closes it entirely.** The road shuts under snow from roughly December to April. There is no winter access.

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