Nunobiki Waterfall & Dam Hike

This is one of my favorite simple hikes in Kansai, and my usual go-to hike if I don't have a lot of time. It's easily accessible from downtown Kobe, and I often will take the extra time to walk the fifteen minutes from Sannomiya Station. This time, however, I took the subway to save some time.
The trail starts from Shin Kobe Station, which is nestled at the foot of the Rokko Mountains. This is even a great spot for a riverside barbecue, if you don't mind the sound of the bullet trains above. Crossing under the station, I soon arrived at the giant map of the trails on Rokko mountain. It's a bit faded, but gives a good idea of where you are in relation to the other trails on the mountain. I continued to go right past the entrance to the riverbed, where a couple of families were barbecuing. Unfortunately, several families had left their trash there, despite the no dumping signs. Some wild boar must have gotten into it because it was strewn everywhere. Gross. It's a shame that people couldn't just carry out their garbage so we can keep that area nice and clean and others can enjoy nature there.

I paused when I got to the first bridge and stood for a minute watching the water rush by below. I noticed the level of the water was quite low. It reminded me of my dad, and how when I was little I would ask to go by our old house on Cherry Road, which I moved out of when I was two. It was right next to Black Creek, and my dad would often comment about how the level of the river was low or high, depending on the season.
After the bridge, there is a trail to the left up a set of stone stairs leading to the main Nunobiki Waterfall, one of the 100 famous waterfalls in Japan. I have been here so many times, but every experience is always different. This time, I ran across many little woodland creatures, such as this cicada. We have cicadas back in New York, but none as annoying as these not-so-little guys in Japan. I can always tell the rainy season is over when these guys come out and serenade us with their ear-splitting songs.

I arrived at the waterfall, and took a couple pictures before moving on.  As beautiful as the falls are, I had been there several times and I knew that many people usually came through the area because it was only a fifteen minute walk from the station.  I was hoping to find a more peaceful place to have my lunch.  In fact, I had the area around Nunobiki Dam in mind.

On the way to the dam, I came across the Vine Bridge, and found a little lizard.  He was booking it down the rail, he must have had some place to go.  Or maybe I was just scary.  In either case, it was hard to get a proper picture of him.

 

The bridge

Just a little bit past the bridge I arrived at my final destination, the dam!  Apparently this dam is one of the oldest in Japan.  The reservoir is still used for drinking water in Kobe.  There is a water fountain where you can try some of the water if you’d like, or fill up your water bottle.  It’s absolutely beautiful here, and I love the tranquility. 

I found a nice bench and sat for awhile and ate my lunch.  I dropped a piece of lettuce from my salad and soon found an army of ants making their way up my leg.  I freaked out for a second and brushed the little buggers off, and relocated to the next bench, where I made another discovery- the first earthworm I’ve seen in Japan!!  I used to dig these up when I was a kid and cut them into pieces for fish bait.  It was kind of cool to watch it wiggle along the crevice between the pavement. 

 

I’ve got ants in my pants and worms in my…help me out here.

On my way back down the mountain I ran into two of the coolest little lizards that I have ever seen.  The end of the tail was bright blue leading up into black and yellow stripes.  The first little fellow kept scrambling against the stone wall, trying to get away from my prying eyes and the camera.  At one point he got his head stuck inside a curled up dried leaf, and seemed to panic when it couldn’t move without carrying his newfound hat with him.  Eventually he found a safe haven and wiggled away into the grass, but I found his older brother just a few minutes later!

This hike is really easy and you don’t really need detailed directions as the trail has maps along the way of the Nunobiki Dam System.  On the way up, after the waterfall, there is a small café that is sometimes open on weekends.  Past that, you should take a left if you want to continue toward the dam, or go straight if you want to go back to Shin Kobe station.  If you take the route to the dam, a few minutes after you make that left you will come across a lookout with public restrooms to the right.  The view of Kobe is pretty amazing from here, and sometimes you can see as far as Wakayama and Kansai Airport.

Level: Easy

Time: 1 1/2 - 2 hours

Access: JR/Hankyu/Hanshin Sannomiya Station. Transfer to Subway Yamate line for Shin Kobe Station. The trail head is just outside the bullet train station.