Ryusei Falls

Ryusei Falls and its paired companion Ginga Falls sit side by side in a gorge along the Sounkyo canyon in the Daisetsuzan mountains of Hokkaido. Ryusei, meaning 'shooting star,' drops straight and fast down a narrow channel, while Ginga, meaning 'Milky Way,' spreads wider in a gentler curtain. A viewpoint about 1 kilometer from the parking area gives you both falls in a single frame. The surrounding walls of the canyon rise steeply, and the forest on the upper ledges creates a frame around the water. The falls are most dramatic in early summer when snowmelt is still feeding the flow, and again in autumn when the canyon walls turn red and orange.