Cult of waterfalls in Japan. How to create a beautiful Japanese waterfall on a country plot with your own hands Ryusei and Ginga Falls in Sounkyo, Hokkaido Prefecture

Water and stones in the famous gardens of Japan are the eternal embodiment of the unity and opposition of the energies of yin and yang, symbols of the transience of time and the inviolability of the Universe. DIY Japanese waterfall and island wildlife in a suburban area they will give the landscape a mysterious oriental flavor and transform it. To the quiet music of falling water jets, harmoniously merging with the sounds of nature, it will be pleasant to dream in solitude or enjoy leisurely communication with dear people.

Creating a Japanese corner with a waterfall

The design of an artificial Japanese waterfall is no different from others. The subtle oriental style of the composition is given by the special arrangement of stones at the source and design elements.

Design of a decorative source and bowl

The waterfall consists of two elements located at different heights: an upper decorative source and a lower receiving reservoir - an artificial pond, a garden stream combined with it, or a specially constructed bowl.

A pump is installed at the bottom of the reservoir and connected to the waterfall using a hose or flexible pipe. The upper end of the pipe is fixed among a composition of stones. Flowing down their surface, the water stream enters the pond, and then, using a pump, is directed to the source.

Before you make a Japanese waterfall, you need to prepare a bowl. To do this, dig a shallow (15-20 cm) irregularly shaped pit in the ground and cover the bottom layer by layer with fine gravel and sand. Having compacted them tightly, the bowl is lined with a PVC sheet or a suitable plastic container is placed in it. The edges of the reservoir are decorated with cobblestones or pebbles.

Construction of a waterfall from stones

Japan is a country of volcanic islands. When creating a waterfall, it is advisable to use stones of igneous origin: iron ore, andesite, gabbro, perlite, porphyry, granite, basalt, tuff, rhyolite. By combining them in shape and size, you can achieve amazingly spectacular overflows of flowing water.

A low (60-80 cm) pyramid is formed from stones in a loose order and secured with concrete. At the same time, it is important to avoid clear lines and shapes, trying to reproduce natural harmony. The second stone from the top should be wide enough and flat. When laying a Japanese waterfall, it is pushed forward a little - it forms and directs the flow.

By smoothly processing the outer edge of the stone, it is easy to obtain the effect of a wide water ribbon, and by making notches, you can divide the flow into many sparkling jets. By directing the waterfall through a narrow gap between two flat stones, it will be possible to intensify the movement of the stream and it will rush down, foaming and noisy.

Composition design in Japanese style

The waterfall design uses paraphernalia, decorative elements and plants characteristic of a Japanese garden. When creating a decorative source, it is important to take into account the principles of Japanese landscape culture:

• lack of symmetry and clear forms;
• discreet color scheme;
• conciseness;
• restraint;
• naturalness;
• harmony.

Decorating an artificial waterfall

To design the waterfall and the coastal zone of the pond, volcanic stones, fine gravel, sand and sea pebbles are used. Near the source or behind it, you can place a tall stone vertically - a symbol of rock. Around it - place several more stones of different sizes - symbols of mountains. According to tradition, their number should be odd.

An element of a Japanese rock garden will also fit effectively into the landscape - an irregularly shaped area strewn with fine gravel or sand with wavy lines (a symbol of the sea) or concentric circles (a symbol of eternity). The waterfall will be decorated in a Japanese style and small paths leading to it, lined with flat large pebbles.

Japanese attributes in design

The composition will be successfully complemented by the usual attributes of a Japanese garden: melodious bells on tree branches, a miniature pagoda, stone sculptures, a small bamboo fence or a bench made of untreated wood.

The general style of the composition will be complemented by a stone lantern traditional for Japanese landscape design - oki-gata or yakimi-gata. It is placed in close proximity to an artificial reservoir. The final oriental touch will be tsukubai - a bowl for washing hands and face with a ladle - a symbol of purity.

Selection of trees and plants

According to Eastern philosophy, plants, in contrast to stones symbolizing immutability and constancy, help to contemplate natural changes in nature. Their location is determined only after the design of the Japanese waterfall in order to give the composition harmony and completeness.

There are usually few flowers in Japanese gardens. When choosing plants for a waterfall, it is better to give preference to evergreen trees and shrubs with beautiful crowns and graceful leaves. This will help create a characteristic, discreet color scheme and maintain the attractiveness of the composition at any time of the year.

A single dwarf pine, coniferous or deciduous bonsai plants: boxwood, thuja, juniper, cypress will look harmonious against the background of flowing water. Purple Japanese maple, rhododendron bush and hydrangea will successfully highlight the natural palette. In spring, wild plums and decorative cherries will enchant with their blooms, like Japanese sakura.

You should not strive to add a lot of details to the landscape - the Japanese style is not characterized by deliberateness and clutter. To create a harmonious composition, a few successful touches are enough.

The nature and cultural and historical riches of Japan are very multifaceted; everyone here will find something interesting for themselves. The country’s rich culture, carefully preserved and sacredly revered traditions are amazingly combined with the extraordinary pace of development high technology, huge skyscrapers coexist with graceful pagodas, and the noise of cars coexists with the murmur of small waterfalls in quiet gardens.

It is difficult to imagine the beauty of Japan without its waterfalls. After all, the sparkling streams of falling water are truly beautiful. If you carefully examine the hieroglyph of the word “waterfall”, it is visually divided into two component elements, meaning the concepts of “water” and “dragon”. This probably has a deeper meaning. Having never seen this strange beast in person, the Japanese were reminded of the dragon by the swirling streams of water that shook the area with their menacing roar, falling from a height to the ground. At the same time, residents of the Japanese islands are quite familiar with this extraordinary natural phenomenon. Reservoirs of the country Rising Sun They are famous for their “burrow”; for the most part they flow not on a flat surface, but through mountainous terrain. We can say that a calm river for Japan is an exception to the rule. According to special calculations, the territory of Japan contains almost two and a half thousand waterfalls, and their height is five meters or more! Almost every river can boast of its own waterfall, or, in extreme cases, rapids. To this we must add that, according to the old religious tradition, the Japanese consider waterfalls to be the habitat of spirits. The higher and more formidable the waterfall, the more powerful and respectable the deity who chose this place to live. Hence the deepest respect people have for such natural phenomena. More than once they tried to build a single value vertical on which the most famous waterfalls of the country could be placed - higher or lower. The problem is what criteria should be used to choose the “very best”.

Most often, waterfalls are compared by the height of the jet. But even here there are doubts. As is known, some of them are represented by a single stream falling into an abyss; others have a cascading character, where the water, like a naughty child, jumps from ledge to ledge, filling the surroundings with a cheerful murmur; Still others, small streams breaking up, cover the steep mountainside like a white cloak... It is quite difficult to compare such waterfalls, much less arrange them in a hierarchy.

If we apply the generally accepted criterion - height, then the leader among Japanese waterfalls is Hannoki-but-still, located on one of the small rivers running down from the high mountain plateau of Midagahara in Toyama Prefecture. Its height is 497 m. It is considered the highest not only in Japan, but throughout Asia, although it ranks only 88th in the global ranking. However, even in Japan itself, the primacy of Hannoki-no is questioned. The fact is that the waterfall functions only 4 months a year - from April to July, when the snow melting on Midagahara replenishes the riverbed with water. The rest of the time, the “dragon” Hannoki prefers to relax in silence, hidden from prying eyes. And then the palm among Japanese waterfalls is taken over by the “twin” Hannoki-no-taki waterfall Shomyo-daki. These two waterfalls are called “twins” because, falling down different paths, they bring their waters to one river, and their jets against the backdrop of the mountain resemble a giant Latin letter V. But Shomyo-daki, unlike his lazy “brother,” works without a break all year round. Its height is 370 m. The water falling from the top produces a sound similar to the muttering of a monk offering a prayer to Buddha. Hence the name - Shomyo (offering prayer).

Third on this list is Hagoromo-but-still, considered one of the attractions of the island of Hokkaido. The height of this waterfall is 270 m. Flowing down seven ledges, the water flow resembles (at least, this is what local residents say) a dancing “star maiden”, whose snow-white outfit sparkles in the sun with water jets. The “Star Maiden”, who took a fancy to these places in ancient times, is considered the patroness of rice growing, since she generously supplies peasant fields with life-giving moisture.

This could complete the story about the “best” among waterfalls. But the Japanese have other criteria for superiority. So, there is a list of the “three most beautiful waterfalls countries".

The first of the most beautiful waterfalls Nati-but-still located in the Kumano Mountains, an area sacred to Japanese Shintoists. The 133-meter column of water cascading down the mountain against the backdrop of evergreen forests covering the slope provides a magnificent backdrop for religious ceremonies held at the local temple. Sacred notes can be heard quite clearly in the round-the-clock roar of the waterfall.

Second on this list is a waterfall. Kegon-but-still(or simply Kegon) - also located in a sacred place for the Japanese - in national park Nikko, where a powerful burial complex was built in memory of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the military ruler of Japan, who made a lot of efforts to unify the country. The Daiyagawa River flows from Lake Chuzenji, located next to the memorial. Once upon a time, the lava of an awakened volcano blocked the flow of the river, directing it along a new channel. Now, barely leaving the lake, the river rushes down in a 97-meter stream. The beauty of the waterfall is supported and highlighted by 12 smaller jets falling on the sides of the main stream. However, the beauty and sacred nature of this phenomenon gave Kegon a not entirely pleasant reputation. The falls became notorious as a site of frequent suicide among young Japanese, starting in May 1903, when 18-year-old philosophy student Misao Fujimura jumped from it. Before committing suicide, Fujimura left a poetic suicide note on a tree trunk, which was later circulated by the media.

The height of another representative of the three most beautiful waterfalls - Fukuroda-but-still- reaches 120 m, and the width of its streams spreading along the slope is 73 m. Unlike the Nachi and Kegon waterfalls, it is cascading (4 steps). In winter, streams of water freeze, forming fancy white laces on the chest of the mountain.

On the Shiretoko Peninsula, facing the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, there are waterfalls that are replenished with water that comes from nowhere. There are no lakes, rivers, or even streams nearby, and streams flow from the mountain slopes, as if from a water tap that a careless housewife forgot to turn off. This is, for example, a waterfall Furepe-no-take. Its source is located right on the cliff of a mountain protruding into the sea. A stream gushing from the ground, scattering into several streams, forms a beautiful waterfall, which is sometimes called “Maiden’s Tears.”

No less amazing is the waterfall located on the same peninsula. Kamuiwakka-but-still. It is formed by underground mineral springs, splashing hot sulfurous water onto the surface. It flows into the ocean in a cascade, forming small reservoirs at each stage. The lower the level, the cooler the water. Local residents and visitors willingly take baths in these ponds. Healing water can quickly heal scratches and bruises received on the way to the waterfall.

Among the “strange” waterfalls, one should also mention a 30-meter stream flowing inside one of caves of the karst labyrinth of Otaki Shonyudo in Gifu Prefecture. This is the biggest underground waterfall Japan - the height of a 10-story building.

I would also like to pay attention to Shirato. As a rule, for tourists, the fact of visiting this waterfall evokes the usual feelings - well, a waterfall is like a waterfall, what’s special about it. But at the first glance at Shiraito, it becomes clear that this waterfall is unusual.

Shiraito surprises everyone with his unconventional approach to waterfalls. Its height is only 3 meters and its width is 70! Shiraito means “white thread” in Japanese. Many who have visited this miracle of nature speak of it as the most unusual waterfall they have ever seen. What's strange about it is that it's wide and flat. Its waters do not rush down from a cliff, but come out of a mountain gap. This is a product of groundwater. Countless thin streams ooze from the mountain and merge into a single colorful waterfall. Thanks to these jets, the attraction got its name - White Threads. The best time to admire Shiraito is in the fall - then an absolutely magnificent sight opens up.

Another beautiful creation of nature, which is located in the vastness of Japan, is the Fukiware Falls. It is called the Japanese Niagara and not without reason - in its shape it really resembles Niagara, although on a much smaller scale. The waterfall is not large, its height is only 7 meters and its width is 30 meters, but it is very unusual, here the Japanese god took the plug out of the river and let the water down. This place is exceptionally beautiful. The waterfall is considered a national treasure of Japan. Walking along the rocks along the river bank can be quite dangerous, but there are ropes there to keep people safe. Fukiware Falls is located along romantic road, which leads from Nikko to Nagano.

It is very difficult to choose a criterion for comparing waterfalls, because they can be assessed both in terms of the height of the stream, and by beauty, and by originality, and by many other characteristics.

The tallest waterfalls in Japan

If we consider the most high waterfalls, then the championship in Japan belongs to Hannoki-but-still(Hannoki). The waterfall originates in one of the streams on the Midagahara high plateau, located in the Toyama perfection, and reaches a height of 497 meters. But it is impossible to call it the highest with confidence, because it is valid only for 4 months out of 12.

During the lull of Hannoki, the palm passes to his brother, who flows into the same river - (Shomyo). Its height is 370 meters, and its name means “offering prayer”, as the sound of the waterfall resembles the muttering of a monk.

The third highest is located on the island of Hokkaido Hagoromo-but-still(Hagoromo). The height of the waterfall is 270 meters. Another feature of it is its appearance: it flows along seven ledges, sparkling with splashes of moisture that irrigate nearby rice fields. Locals believe that Hagoromo resembles a dancing "star maiden", who is considered the patroness of rice farming.

The most beautiful Japanese waterfalls

If you compare waterfalls by appearance, the leading position is occupied by located in Wakayama Prefecture Nati-but-still(Nachi no Taki). The 133-meter-long stream cascades down a mountain cliff in the Kumano Mountains, surrounded by coniferous forests and temples.

Second place goes to the Kegon waterfall (97 m), located in Nikko National Park. Next to the main stream there are 12 more cascading jets, creating a beautiful spectacle.

Top three most beautiful waterfalls in Japan Fukuroda-but-still(Fukuroda) (120 m). Unlike previous attractions, Fukuroda is cascading (4 steps) and spreads 73 meters wide. In winter, streams of water freeze, forming a delightful lace of ice on the mountain range.

In general, statistics show that in Japan there are 2,488 waterfalls over 5 meters high, but this does not stop the Japanese from creating new man-made reservoirs.

Note: if you want to spend an unforgettable vacation, then opt for Dominican Republic tours, prices for which can be found on the website tourskidki.ru. Believe me, you will have a great time, and positive emotions and memories will last for a very long time. Book your tours right now!

general information

Every year Kegon comes to the waterfall a large number of tourists who want to get acquainted with its amazing beauties. The natural object famous for its impressive size and picturesque landscapes. At its foot you can find a tea house, and you can also use the lift, which allows you to easily climb to the top to fully enjoy the amazing panoramas. Kegon Falls is considered one of the most beautiful in Japan, being in the top three along with Fukuroda and Nachi waterfalls. In summer you can see flying swallows at the waterfall, and in winter it forms a picturesque ice cascade. This is a place with unsurpassed mountain beauty, where you can experience real aesthetic pleasure.

• Kegon is especially spectacular due to twelve small waterfalls located on the sides of the main stream. All of them also make their way through the hardened remains of the lava flow.
• Kegon acquired its name thanks to the Buddhist school of the same name (which, in turn, is named after one of the Buddhist sutras). Since 1930, there has been a lift at the waterfall.
• Kegon Falls is also notorious. The fact is that this place is very popular among Japanese suicidal teenagers.

The mountainous nature of Japan gives rise to an incredible number of waterfalls. Almost every river or rivulet has its own ledge, from where a stream bursts with irresistible power. In total, the meticulous Japanese counted 2,488 “water dragons”, whose height exceeds 5 meters.

If you look carefully at the Japanese character for waterfall, you can see its two components: water and dragon. This attitude is associated with the endowment of these places with a sacred status: the higher the ledge, the more significant the deity lives here.

The Japanese, like true pragmatists, tried to organize the water giants into ratings. As a result, you can select several lists where the very best are collected.

The highest

The obvious criterion by which to rank waterfalls is height. Hannoki-no-taki is considered the undisputed leader here. Its flow breaks down from one of the ledges of the high-mountain plateau Midagahara, in Toyama Prefecture. The height of the giant is 497 meters, which is a record for Asia. However, Hannoki-no can still be called the leader, adjusted for its seasonality: the river bed is filled only 4 months a year, when the snow melts on the plateau.

During the period when the “water dragon” is dormant, the palm goes to its 370-meter brother Shomyo-daki. They call him brother because the waterfalls unite into one river. During the snow melting season, they form a giant letter V. In other seasons, Shomyo-daki works for two.

In third place on the Japanese list is the landmark of the island of Hokkaido, the 270-meter waterfall Hagoromo-no-taki. It consists of 7 ledges, according to local residents reminiscent of the dance of the “star maiden” in the sun.

Most beautiful

The poetic Japanese soul could not ignore such an important quality as beauty. There is a list of the three most beautiful waterfalls in Japan.

The first in this ranking is Nachi-no-taki in the Kumano mountains. The water stream falls from a height of 133 meters, surrounded by evergreen coniferous forests. The mysterious beauty gave its surroundings sacred status among Japanese Zionists. In the roaring sound of water, especially subtle natures hear sacred notes.

Another combination of sacred and aesthetic beauty is located in Nikko National Park. Constant recharge water flow gives Lake Chuzenji. In addition to the main column of water, 12 smaller jets create a beautiful background. Next to this “water dragon” is the famous funerary complex of Ieyasu Tokugawa.

Fukuroda-no-taki closes the trio of falling beauties. Water spreads along the slope in a 73-meter stream, forming 4 cascades. A remarkable picture can be observed in winter, when water freezes on the ledges in intricate laces.

The strangest

The strangest waterfalls can be included in a separate list. In Japan, there was a place for this - high volcanic activity created unusual shapes and natural formations.

The Shiretoko Peninsula, jutting out into the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, is rich in such wonders. There are waterfalls with unknown sources of water. There are no lakes, rivers or streams nearby, but mountain range water flows out or even spurts out.

The Furepe-no-take waterfall, located on a mountain jutting out into the sea, has such an unusual character. Water pressure shoots straight out of the ground, dispersing several streams. Kamuiwakka-no-taki is also located here. The water giant originates from underground hot springs. Water flows into the ocean in several cascades. Small reservoirs with different water temperatures form on each ledge. Tourists willingly take baths in them.

The underground waterfall of the Otaki Shonyudo karst labyrinth can also be considered strange. Water falls in one of the caves from a height of 30 meters.

The listed natural “water dragons” also include many artificial formations with which the Japanese like to decorate all kinds of gardens and shopping centers. Although this will be a completely different rating.