Gojyou Waterfall

Small, but easy to get to waterfall in the Hidaka countryside

Hidaka is rich in nature and there are some nice hiking trails you can enjoy in the area. The appeal of Gojyou Waterfall is that it is easy to hike to, even for children. I wouldn't recommend it as a final destination, just as a stop on a drive or a larger hiking route. The last time we were there, there was a group of boy scouts passing through with their scout leaders. There were also a lot of families in the area and people over retirement age. My kids who were between 1 and 7 years old at the time, found most of the hike easy. It was really just my almost 2 year old that found parts hard, especially crossing over bridges made from fallen tree trunks. While the hike is easy, you must be careful of wildlife in the area. We saw a mamushi (poisonous) snake in the area and there are signs to watch out for the wild boar. This year there was the fear of bears too. There are also some areas that have a high presence of moss which is easy to slip on. The waterfall is about a 30 minute walk for adults from Musashi Yokote station on the Seibu Ikebukuro line. As you enter the woods it is a fairly steady incline and in one part the slope is about 25 degrees. There is no parking near the waterfall. There is a road up, but a regular car would not manage it. You would need a 4 wheel drive, but the road is very narrow so it might be tricky to navigate even with an off-road vehicle.