Overview
Kurokuma Falls is a waterfall in the town of Ajigasawa, Nishitsugaru District, Aomori Prefecture, and is counted among Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls selected by the Ministry of the Environment. It hangs on a tributary of the Akaishi River, which flows down from the World Heritage Shirakami Mountains, showing off a powerful cascade amid rich nature.
Highlights
- ●A famous falls named among Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls
- ●A waterfall on a tributary of the Akaishi River from the Shirakami Mountains
- ●A form likened to Kannon Bosatsu in prayer
- ●A shape reminiscent of a standing bear
History
Kurokuma Falls was chosen for Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls, a list published by the Ministry of the Environment in 1990. Its shape is said to resemble Kannon Bosatsu with hands clasped in prayer, and it has long been an object of religious veneration. At the same time it is thought to resemble a standing bear, which gives the falls its name, literally 'Black Bear Falls'.
Access
The falls are in the town of Ajigasawa, Nishitsugaru District, Aomori Prefecture, along a tributary of the Akaishi River that flows from the Shirakami Mountains. For detailed routes and transport, please check a map or the official information.
Best season
In early summer, when the fresh greenery is dazzling, and in autumn, when the surrounding trees turn color, the contrast between the white cascade and the colors of nature is especially beautiful.
Map
40.6295, 140.1105 · Wikidata
Suggested itinerary
- 1Head along the Akaishi River from the town of Ajigasawa
- 2Walk the trail to reach Kurokuma Falls
- 3Gaze at the falls and look for the figures of Kannon or a bear
- 4Stroll through the rich nature of the Shirakami Mountains
Did you know?
💡 Because the shape of the falls resembles Kannon Bosatsu with hands clasped in prayer it drew religious devotion, while its likeness to a standing bear is said to be the origin of the name 'Kurokuma (Black Bear) Falls'.
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