Dondon Buchi Falls

This series of cascades begins high on Mt. Gongendake, with the final falls visible from the trail below. The name combines the onomatopoeia don, describing the sound of water on rock, with the Japanese word for a deep pool. The falls rush over welded tuff, a porous volcanic material that filters the water crystal-clear. That purity makes the surrounding streams ideal for raising rice and for ayu sweetfish that migrate up from the sea. In summer, families wade in the pool below, and fireflies light up the streambanks after dark. Ascetic monks once practiced shugendo meditation under the falls.