Hello, this is _hiroyuki.ta. This time, I took a motorcycle tour from central Tokyo to Kegon Falls in Nikko City. Kegon Falls is one of the three most famous waterfalls in Japan, and is a waterfall with an abundant amount of water that falls all at once from a rock wall 97 meters high. Kegon Falls, which has a different look depending on the season, is also an attractive tourist spot for bikers. This time, we will introduce in detail what Kegon Falls is, how to get there, where to park your bike, etc.
Kegon Falls is a waterfall located on the Otani River flowing from Lake Chuzenji in Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture. The person who discovered it is said to have been Shodo Shonin, the founder of Mt. Nikko, and it is said that it was named after the Kegon Sutra, one of the Buddhist scriptures. It was designated as a nationally designated place of scenic beauty in 1907, and was selected as one of Japan’s top 100 geological sites in 2007. At Kegon Falls, you can enjoy different scenery depending on the season: fresh greenery in the spring, spray of water in the summer, autumn leaves in the fall, and icicles in the winter. Also nearby are tourist attractions such as Nikko Toshogu Shrine and Lake Chuzenji.
Route to Kegon Falls
This time, I went on a motorcycle tour from central Tokyo to Kegon Falls. I rode on my favorite Harley-Davidson FLSB Sport Glide. Below is the driving route.
From Hakozaki Minatobashi Dori and Hakozaki IC, take the 45 Mukojima Line/Shuto Expressway No. 6/Route 6.
Drive on Shuto Expressway No. 6 and take Tohoku Expressway at Kosuge JCT.
Drive on the Tohoku Expressway and take the Utsunomiya IC to Nikko Utsunomiya Road.
Drive on Nikko Utsunomiya Road and take National Route 120 at Kiyotaki IC.
Drive along National Route 120 and head to the Kegon 2nd Parking Lot, which is located near the Kegon Falls elevator facility.
The entire route is about 200 kilometers and takes about 3 hours. There are many toll roads along the way, so you will have to pay a toll, but the ride will be smoother. Also, National Route 120 has a section called Irohazaka, which has a series of curves, but it is a fun road for bikers.
There are two ways to see Kegon Falls. The first way is to look down from the free upper observation deck. You can see the entire Kegon Falls from the upper viewing platform, but it is a bit far away and may not be as impressive. The second method is to use the paid elevator to go down to the waterfall viewing platform. From the Takitsubo Observatory, you can see Kegon Falls from the front, and you can feel the spray and sound of the water, making it very impressive. Both methods have their pros and cons, but I personally recommend using the elevator to go down to the waterfall viewing platform. You can experience the beauty and splendor of Kegon Falls up close.
Kegon Falls motorcycle parking lot
There are two parking lots at Kegon Falls. The first one is “Kegon 2nd parking lot” which is located near the Kegon Falls elevator facility. This is the nearest parking lot, where you can park your bike. The fee is 100 yen once. However, there are sometimes mischievous monkeys that appear here, so you need to take precautions to prevent your belongings from being stolen when you leave your bike. The second parking lot is Kegon Daiichi Parking Lot, which is about 200 meters away from Kegon Daiichi Parking Lot in the direction of Lake Chuzenji. Motorcycles can be parked here as well, and the fee is 100 yen once. Both parking lots are subject to availability, but I think it is generally convenient to use Kegon 2nd Parking Lot.
summary
This time, I took a motorcycle tour from central Tokyo to Kegon Falls in Nikko City. Kegon Falls is one of the three most famous waterfalls in Japan, and is a waterfall with an abundant amount of water that falls all at once from a rock wall 97 meters high. Kegon Falls, which has a different look depending on the season, is also an attractive tourist spot for bikers. There are two ways to see Kegon Falls, but I personally recommend using the elevator to go down to the waterfall viewing platform. You can experience the beauty and splendor of Kegon Falls up close. There are two motorcycle parking lots, but I think it’s generally more convenient to use the Kegon 2nd parking lot. But be careful of naughty monkeys.
The above was sent to you by _hiroyuki.ta. We will bring you another fun bike tour next time. See you soon!
