Shiraito Falls
licensed photographAlpsdake / CC BY-SA 4.0

Shizuoka · FujinomiyaNo.782★★★Open in map →

Shiraito Falls

natureThe classic — done right

A cliff on the southwest flank of Mount Fuji where groundwater pushes straight out of the rock face and falls in countless white threads. It is a national Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument, and part of the Mount Fuji World Heritage property.

  1. FromFujinomiya Station
  2. ~30 minBus, about 30 min
  3. Get off atShiraito-no-Taki Kanko Annaijo-mae (Fujikyu Shizuoka Bus)
  4. On foot
  5. Shiraito Falls
Directions ↗

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

Otodome FallsZairon / CC BY-SA 4.0
  1. Otodome Fallsa single narrow column of water in the same protected area, passed first on the way in
  2. The upper viewing terracea paved lookout in front of the stairs, giving the full width of the cliff without the descent
  3. The pool-level walkwaythe path at the base of the cliff, where the falls wrap around the pool
  4. The lava seamthe horizontal line where the lava flow rests on the older mudflow deposit, with water leaving along it

How to actually get there

  1. Reach JR Fujinomiya Station, the nearest railway station to the falls.
  2. Fujinomiya Station → Shiraito-no-Taki (Fujikyu Shizuoka bus, about 30 minutes).
  3. Bus stop → car park → Otodome Falls → the Shiraito Falls viewing terrace (on foot).
  4. Terrace → the stairway down to the pool, then back up the same way.
Fujikyu Shizuoka bus from Fujinomiya Station
JR Fujinomiya Station → (Fujikyu Shizuoka bus bound for the falls, about 30 minutes) → the Shiraito-no-Taki visitor-centre stop, a few minutes on foot from the viewing area. Fujinomiya Station is the nearest railway station to the falls and the transfer point for this side of Mount Fuji. This is a country bus route rather than a turn-up-and-go service, so pick a departure before you set out.
Return to Fujinomiya Station
Take the same bus route back from the visitor-centre stop to Fujinomiya Station. Departures are spaced out through the day, so read the timetable posted at the stop when you arrive rather than when you are ready to leave.
Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Shiraito Falls sits in the Kamiide district of Fujinomiya, on the southwest side of Mount Fuji. The rock here is layered: an older mudflow deposit underneath, a younger lava flow on top. Groundwater from the mountain moves through the porous lava, reaches the layer it cannot cross, and is pushed out sideways along the seam. The result is not one river dropping over an edge but a curtain about 20 metres high, fed at roughly 1.5 tonnes of water every second. Only the darker single stream at one end is a true river fall. Otodome Falls, narrower and much louder, stands a short walk away inside the same protected area.

How to enjoy it

From the car park it is about five minutes on foot to Otodome Falls and the same again to Shiraito Falls, so both fit into a short stop without hurrying. Take the paved terrace first for the full width of the cliff, then go down the steps to the pool, where the spray reaches you. Check the return bus time before you walk down.

Background & history

The Japanese government designated Shiraito Falls and neighbouring Otodome Falls together as a Place of Scenic Beauty and a Natural Monument in 1936, and the site was later chosen for the national list of one hundred waterfalls. Its place in the Mount Fuji World Heritage property has little to do with scenery: the falls are included as evidence of Fuji worship, the practice of treating the mountain and the water it releases as sacred. The geology behind that belief is legible from the viewing area, where the line between the two rock layers runs straight across the cliff.

Before you go

Cash
In the information published by Fujinomiya City and the city tourism association, the only stated charge is the visitor car park; no admission is listed for the falls themselves. Carry cash for the bus and for parking.
Before you go
The car park keeps set hours and closes earlier in winter, so a late arrival by car can leave you without a space. The stairway down to the pool is steep and stays wet from the spray.
Another way
By car, the falls are about 30 minutes from the Fuji interchange on the Tomei Expressway. The Shin-Fuji interchange on the Shin-Tomei Expressway and the Kawaguchiko interchange on the Chuo Expressway also connect to the site.
After you get off
From the Shiraito-no-Taki visitor-centre stop, walk into the car park area and follow the signed path down past Otodome Falls to the Shiraito Falls terrace.