Meoto Falls 夫婦滝 - a splash of romance

Meototaki Falls 夫婦滝 - Oguni

Meototaki 夫婦滝 or Meoto Falls situated nearby the village of Kurokawa Onsen is not one waterfall but two. Meoto translates as ‘male and female’ and the waterfall comprises two adjacent waterfalls; a male and a female one that meet together and blend to form one river … therefore symbolising true love.

The legend of the male & female falls

The 15m high cascade on the left is the male waterfall , while the wider 12m high falls on the right is the female. Local folklore says the male falls represents a young samurai who fell in love with a lowly farm girl, their destiny never to be together and ending in tragedy.

A splash of romance

The waterfalls are a magnet for romantic couples. The little shop/cafe by the waterfall entrance and the steps down to the falls are festooned with hundreds of plastic hearts, buy one for a couple of hundred yen, write your names on and tie it up for a guarantee of everlasting togetherness.

Meoto Falls are free to enter and if you’re passing by, the Falls are worth a quick stop off but they are not a destination in themselves, it only takes a couple of minutes to walk down the steps to view the Falls and doesn’t take long to see them as there’s nowhere to sit, though in the summer you could try clambering over the rocks to get a closer look or cool down.

Meoto Falls shop & cafe

At the entrance to the Falls there is a small shop which has some good local gifts like these reasonably priced handmade brushes and local produce on sale. The shop also has a cafe, selling coffee, icecream and other refreshments.

Say hello to this charismatic Frog God in the shop and give him a lucky 5 yen to ensure your safe return back home.

He is the Bujinikaeru Kami, a Japanese joke, ‘kaeru’ means ‘frog’ and also means ‘go home’, so his name translates as the ‘Go home safely’ God.

Getting to Meototaki Falls

There is no English sign so look out for these signboards in Japanese. The falls are on the way out of Kurokawa Onsen heading towards Oguni and just after the Farmroad turn off to Waita.

There don’t seem to be any bus stops nearby, so the falls are best reached by car, it’s around a 5 minute drive from Kurokawa Onsen, you could also bike or walk there if you were staying in the Kurokawa area. Kurokawa Onsen has motorised bicycles for rent.

Of course you can also put a stop off at Meoto Falls into your Kurokawa Onsen tour or Aso and Kurokawa sights tour with Explore Kumamoto. Contact us now for details.