Two months ago, Sachiki-san and I visited Namiita
Beach in Otsuchi Town, but this time we visited the Namiita Fudonotaki Falls,
located in the mountainous area of the same Namiita district.
I'd wanted to go for a long time, but Google
Maps navigation showed that the final few hundred metres to the falls would have
to be on foot, so I hesitated.
I checked the Otsuchi Town Tourism and Exchange
Association’s website, and it seemed possible to drive there, so I decided to
go. I was able to drive almost all the way to the Kujirayama Shrine actually, just
before the waterfall. However, the road is unpaved.
According to the information board, the
waterfall is about 15 metres high.
The sound of the powerfully flowing waterfall
was soothing, and it feels as plenty of negative ions are being released.
It seemed possible to drive right up to
Kujirayama Shrine, which is very close to the waterfall, but since making a
U-turn would be difficult, I parked my car in a wider area along the way.
There are many stone monuments standing where I
parked. Some of them appear to have been donated recently, showing that the
shrine is still a place of worship today.
Kujirayama Shrine can be seen at the end of the
approach path in the image below. The waterfall is beyond that.
The current shrine building appears to have
been constructed after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The shrine used to be situated so close to the
waterfall that it seemed as if the water's droplets splashing to it, but now
only a small offering box is placed in that spot.
The water flowing from the waterfall forms a
gentle stream, which seems to cleanse the soul.
