Hi there!
So you want to go from Tokyo to Nachi Falls!
To go to Nachi Falls from Tokyo, at minimum it will be an overnight trip.
It’s not reasonable to make it a day trip to Nachi Falls from Tokyo, even if you were prepared for a very long day with minimal time at Nachi Falls.
It will depend on your timing and exact route, but you can expect the train from Tokyo to Nachi Falls area to be around 6 hours.
👆 Tokyo to Nachi Falls train route: Sample train route from Tokyo Station to Kii-Katsuura Station, the train station near Nachi Falls. Explore the map. Adjust the departure time if necessary!
If you’re going to Nachi Falls, then that means that you’ll be going to the Kumano Kodo area.
Kumano Kodo is a UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage route.
While there are many Kumano Kodo routes, a popular way to do the Kumando Kodo is to do the Nakahechi Route and ending at Nachi Falls.
Nachi Falls is often a final stop on one’s Kumano Kodo itinerary, whether you are doing the classic Kumano Kodo hike or you are doing the Kumano Kodo area by bus.
Nachi Falls is where you will find one of the most famous views of Japan!
The classic way to do the Kumano Kodo is to hike it over several days, staying at inns and guesthouses along the way. (So it’s like an inn-to-inn hike.)
If you are not interested in doing full-day hikes for several days, you can also experience a bit of the Kumano Kodo by getting to various spots along the way by bus. You can do some short or long day hikes too.
But if your main (only) interest is Nachi Falls, then you can also make it a trip to just Nachi Falls, without going to other parts of the Kumano Kodo.
If you want to see it all around Nachi Falls by walking it all, you could do it quickly in 2 hours of time in Nachisan.
It would be much better if you have at least 3 to 4 hours however, as 2 hours is really rushing it!
But I can tell you that you can do it all in 2 hours, because that is how much time I had!
Of course, the more time you have, the more you can take it all in!
You should also know that a trip to Nachi Falls can mean a lot of stairs!
Where is Nachi Falls?
Nachi Falls is located on the Kii Peninsula in the prefecture of Wakayama.
👆 Where is Nachi Falls: Explore the map.
How to get to Nachi Falls from Tokyo by train and bus
Important stops to know about when you want to go from Tokyo to Nachi Falls:
- Tokyo Station (possible starting point for shinkansen bullet train depending on where in Tokyo you’re coming from)
- Shinjuku Station (possible starting point for shinkansen)
- Kii-Katsuura Station (your train destination: train station “near” Nachi Falls. also where you will take the local bus to Nachi Falls)
- Nachi-no-taki-mae bus stop (bus stop to go straight to Nachi Falls)
- Daimonzaka bus stop (take the bus to this bus stop instead to make it a walk to Nachi Falls, and walk to see all of the Nachi Falls area! recommended stop if you don’t mind walking for a couple of hours!)
Google maps makes travel around Japan super easy, and that includes getting from Tokyo to Nachi Falls!
You just need to know the “destination” you need to enter in google maps!
In this case, for the first part of your journey to get to the general Nachi Falls area, your destination can be Kii-Katsuura Station. (This is if you will not be doing other parts of the Kumano Kodo first!)
Your main starting point will be Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station to board the shinkansen bullet train.
If you’re not staying near either of these stations, then you will have at least one extra train ride to get here!
Tokyo to Nachi Falls is a bit of a distance, so the best route will include a shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Nagoya. This portion of your Tokyo to Nachi Falls trip can be covered by a JR pass! Without a JR pass, this portion of the journey will cost around 11,100 yen (less than US$100.)
And then you will take a train from Nagoya to the train station near Nachi Falls, for which there is a direct train. There is a JR train (called Nanki), but even with a JR pass you may have to pay out of pocket for a portion of this train ride.
The local buses around Nachi Falls do not accept the JR pass.
For google maps, you can add your Tokyo hotel as the starting point.
Then, after you’ve entered your starting point and ending point, select the public transportation icon!
It is also helpful to change the departure time to a time that you might be leaving. (Try the morning for the best results.)
If the current time is at night, the suggested route may be unhelpful!
Google maps also gives approximate cost.
You can buy train tickets when you get to the train station. The ticket machine has an English option you can select.
Or if you see a manned ticket booth, it can be easiest to buy your ticket from a person. But it will still be helpful to know exactly which train you want to take. (Thanks, google maps!)
How long does the Tokyo to Nachi Falls train take?
The train will only go to Kii-Katsuura Station.
From there, you will take a local bus to Nachi Falls.
The exact route may vary slightly depending on your timing.
But going by train from Tokyo to Kii-Katsuura Station will require at least one transfer. Transfers are generally easy enough. Once again, use google maps as your guide.
You can find a train trip from Tokyo Station and Shinagawa Station to the train station near Nachi Falls (Kii-Katsuura Station) that is around 6 hours.
👆 Tokyo to Nachi Falls train route: Sample train route from Tokyo Station to Kii-Katsuura Station, the train station near Nachi Falls. Explore the map. Adjust the departure time if necessary!
The cost of this train route is around 16,700 yen (less than US$150) one-way without a JR pass.
👇 Tokyo to Nachi Falls train route: Sample train route from Tokyo Station to Kii-Katsuura Station, the train station near Nachi Falls.
Then, once you get to Kii-Katsuura Station, if you want to go straight to Nachi Falls, then you can take the local bus.
How to get to Nachi Falls: Local bus from Kii-Katsuura Station
You will not be in the direct Nachi Falls area at Kii-Katsuura Station.
You need to take a local bus from Kii-Katsuura Station to get to Nachi Falls.
The local bus from Kii-Katsuura Station to Nachi Falls is around a 30 minute bus ride. And then you will also have waiting time as you wait for the next bus. The cost of this bus ride is 420 yen to 620 yen, depending on where you get off.
Similar to most major train stations in Japan, you can expect the Kii-Katsuura Station to have coin lockers for luggage storage so you can immediately go from the train to the local bus without your luggage.
Nachi Falls bus: General tips for taking the local bus to Nachi Falls (and most local buses in Japan)
Once again, consult google maps to guide your way! It makes knowing where to get on the bus and where to get off the bus super easy!
You pay for the bus as you get off the bus. You don’t need to buy a ticket ahead of time.
You will get on the bus from the back door, not the front. As you get on the bus, you need to look for a little ticket to grab. This will have a number on it, and it will allow you to determine how much you need to pay when you get off the bus.
If you get on the bus where the bus route starts, then there likely won’t be a ticket. In this case, for purposes of figuring out your bus fare later, your “ticket” is number 1.
Once your bus stop is the next bus stop, you will press a little button to signify to the bus driver to get off next. There will be an announcement, and there is a display sign at the front of the bus that will tell you the next bus stop.
Then, you will also look at the front of the bus to find out how much the bus fare costs. You will look for the number that’s on the ticket that you grabbed as you got on the bus, and that is how much you need to pay for the bus fare.
Once the bus arrives at your bus stop, you’ll go to the front of the bus. You’ll put exact change into the fare box. There will be no change given to you.
If you need smaller change, it is also possible to break a 1,000 yen bill in the coin machine at the front of the bus. You can do this as you get off the bus. You cannot break a 5,000 yen bill, so be sure to have coins and/or 1,000 yen bills for the bus to Nachi Falls.
More about how to take the local bus to Nachi Falls
For the visual: here is how to take the local bus in Kyoto, which is similar to how to take the local bus to Nachi Falls and other local buses in Japan.
How to get around Nachi Falls area to the waterfalls, pagoda, and grand shrine: WALK!
So you’ve arrived in the Nachi Falls area from Tokyo! Now what?!
The best way to see Nachi is to walk!
If you are up for walking all of the Nachi Falls area, then you can get the bus from Kii-Katsuura Station to the Daimonzaka bus stop.
Then, you can start your walk!
There are lots of signs along the way, so you will basically just be following the signs.
Once you get off at the Daimonzaka bus stop, then you will go to Daimonzaka, then Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine, then finally Nachi Falls.
There is a bus stop near Nachi Falls to get back to Kii-Katsuura Station.
If you prefer (a little) less walking, then the bus stops in the Nachi Falls area are at Daimonzaka (daimonzaka bus stop), Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine (nachisan bus stop), and Nachi Falls (nachi-no-taki bus stop).
If you decide to get off at the Nachi Falls bus stop, you will also want to take the stairs UP near the bus stop so you can get the famous views of the Nachi Falls and pagoda. Going down will get you closer to the waterfalls, but no pagoda view!
What to see near Nachi Falls
This is your walking route from Daimonzaka to Nachi Falls.
1. Kumano Kodo Daimonzaka Slope
Japanese: kumano kodo daimonzaka / 熊野古道大門坂 / くまのこどうだいもんざか
2. 800-year-old Meoto Sugi trees (Daimonzaka)
Japanese: meotosugi / 夫婦杉 / めおとすぎ
3. Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine
Japanese: kumano nachi taisha / 熊野那智大社 / くまのなちたいしゃ
4. Nachisan Seiganto-ji Temple
Japanese: nachisan seigantoji / 那智山青岸渡寺 / なちさんせいがんとじ
5. Nachisan overlook of pagoda and waterfalls
6. Nachisan laughing Buddha
7. Nachisan Pagoda
Japanese: nachisan seigantoji sanjyunoto / 那智山青岸渡寺三重塔 / なちさんせいがんとじさんじゅうのとう
8. Hiro-jinja Shrine
Japanese: hirojinja / 飛瀧神社 / ひろうじんじゃ
9. Nachi Falls (Hiro-jinja Shrine)
Japanese: nachi no taki / 那智の滝 / なちのたき
Nachi Falls itinerary: One day around Nachi Falls
Of course, your day can vary based on how much time you decide to spend in different places.
I was rushed in Nachi!
But, to give you an idea, this was how a couple of hours in Nachi was for me!
- 2:10pm: Arrive at Daimonzaka bus stop
- Walk to Daimonzaka start (5 minutes)
- Walk up the Daimonzaka steps! (20 minutes if you’re fast!)
- Continue walking to Kumano Nachi Taisha Grand Shrine (up, up, up!)
- 2:45pm: Walk around Kumano Nachi Taisha
- Continue walking, following signs to Nachi Falls
- 3pm: See the famous view of Nachisan pagoda and Nachi Falls!
- Walk down the steps to see the laughing Buddha
- Get a closer look of the Nachisan pagoda (Walk up the pagoda for 300 yen)
- Continue walking and following signs to Nachi Falls to get closer views of the waterfalls
- 3:20pm: Arrive at Nachi Falls! (Enter the waterfall worship stage for 300 yen for the closest views of the waterfalls)
- Walk to Nachi Falls bus stop (nachi-no-taki-mae bus stop)
- 3:45pm: Bus to Kii-Katsuura!
👆 Nachi Falls map: Stop by a tourism information center in the Kumano Kodo area to get a Nachi Falls area map! You can also ask for the Nachi Falls bus schedule, along with other bus schedules around Kumano Kodo.
I went to Nachi Falls in October 2022. Your experience may vary!
HAPPY TRAVELING FROM TOKYO TO NACHI FALLS!
NEXT UP: HONGU?
NEXT UP: YUNOMINE ONSEN? (private onsen hot springs!)
NEXT UP: SHINGU?
SLIGHT DETOUR: Between Tokyo and Nachi Falls, you can make a slight detour to the city of Ise.