IBARAKI - Prolonged rain has dramatically transformed Fukuroda Falls in Ibaraki Prefecture, sending far more water than usual over the famous cascade and drawing growing numbers of tourists eager to see the unusually powerful spectacle.
Visitors emerging from the tunnel leading to the falls are being greeted by the thunderous sight and sound of water crashing down the rock face.
Fukuroda Falls is regarded as one of Japan's three most celebrated waterfalls, alongside Kegon Falls in Tochigi Prefecture and Nachi Falls in Wakayama Prefecture.
Under normal conditions, much of the rock face remains visible between the streams of water. The flow was already above normal when the site was visited on September 8, but by September 11 the volume had increased further, giving the falls a dramatically different appearance.
Images of the swollen waterfall have attracted attention on social media, helping bring more visitors to the area.
Benches in front of the falls were soaked, while spray filled the air as tourists pointed cameras toward the torrent.
"It feels like Splash Mountain at Disney," one visitor said. Another said, "I've seen it many times since I was a child, but I've never seen it this powerful." A third visitor said, "This is the most water I've ever seen here, and in terms of impact, it's the most impressive."
The manager of the facility said such a large volume of water is unusual and encouraged visitors to enjoy what he described as a rare version of the falls.
Businesses nearby are also hoping the unusual conditions will boost tourism.
At a restaurant about a seven-minute walk from the waterfall, popular items include miso dengaku made with homemade yuzu-flavored miso.
Keisuke Komuro, president of Takimotoya Honten, said visitor numbers appeared to be rising despite the wet weather. "It seems the volume of water at Fukuroda Falls has become incredible, and because of the rain, we're suddenly seeing more customers coming to the falls. We have a five-day holiday coming up, so if this momentum continues, we're hopeful."
Unusual conditions ahead of the five-day holiday were also affecting Hakone, a popular tourist destination in Kanagawa Prefecture.
At the shopping street in front of Hakone-Yumoto Station, many visitors were wearing long sleeves as light rain and cooler temperatures continued.
Warm food proved popular, with two women eating kamaboko fish cakes as they walked. "It was cold, so we thought we'd buy some. It's been raining constantly lately, so I suppose it can't be helped," one said. The other said they were considering spending the day at Hakone Kowakien Yunessun because its pools are indoors.
Some businesses, however, said persistent rain was hurting sales.
Yumeka Endo of Fukukyuya Kuzuryu Mochi said customers carrying a lot of luggage were sometimes reluctant to go through the trouble of closing their umbrellas to enter stores. "It hasn't caused a huge drop, but it is affecting sales," she said.
Hakone's footbaths, meanwhile, were proving popular with visitors seeking warmth.
"It feels great. My feet are warm, so I'm happy," one tourist said. Another said, "We were planning to go to Fuji-Q, but because of the rain we can't ride the attractions, so we thought we'd stop in Kanagawa before heading back to Saitama."
Indoor attractions in Hakone have also reported increased visitor numbers because of the prolonged wet weather.
Ichiro Maruyama, director of the Hakone Karakuri Museum, said the museum also offers hands-on craft activities and can see attendance roughly double when the weather is rainy or severe. "We hope people can still fully enjoy Hakone even when it rains," he said.
Source: フジテレビ 報道
