At Nabegataki Falls, you can stand behind a curtain of falling water and look out at the world beyond it.

The waterfall is beautiful from the front as well. The overhanging rock above the falls probably collapsed along joints running perpendicular to the river, leaving a level edge about 20 meters wide. Water now falls almost evenly across this edge, creating a graceful curtain-like cascade.

I first learned about this waterfall through a photograph taken by an acquaintance, photographer Hideki Mizuta. Captivated by that photograph, I knew I wanted to visit the falls myself.

My first visit was in June 2015, during the early summer rainy season. I was worried about the weather, but fortunately the rain held off. Even so, I had to make my way down a slippery dirt slope, watching every step. When I returned in the autumn of 2024 to see the fall colors, stairs had been installed and an admission fee was being charged. To my surprise, reservations were also required. I visited on a weekday, and because there were relatively few reservations that day, I was allowed in without one. A staff member told me that before the reservation system was introduced, the falls became so crowded on weekends that they were almost overwhelmed by visitors. Its popularity probably grew after it appeared in a television commercial featuring Nanako Matsushima and in a music video by SKE48, though exactly how much those appearances contributed to its popularity is impossible to say.

Incidentally, Nabegataki Falls is located on the Horai River, part of the Chikugo River system, in Oguni, Aso District, Kumamoto Prefecture. It lies about 10 km north of Kurokawa Onsen and makes an easy stop while touring the Aso–Oguni area by car. I visited it both in 2015 and 2024 as part of such road trips.