Hi there!
The town of Nachi-Katsuura is where you will find Nachi Falls and Nachisan (Mount Nachi).
And this is where you will find one of the most famous views of Japan!
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.
Kumano Kodo is a UNESCO world heritage pilgrimage route, and there are different Kumano Kodo routes.
Nachi Falls can be your final stop when you are doing the popular Nakahechi Route.
You can also go to Nachi Falls on its own, without doing any other parts of the Kumano Kodo if that’s all you want to make time for.
First you will take a train to get to the Nachi Falls area.
Then, you will take a local bus to get to Nachi Falls itself!
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 Nachi.
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!
This time also doesn’t include the transit time to and from Nachi Falls which will depend on where you are coming from and where you are going afterwards.
With a half day around Nachi Falls, you can walk up one of the famous Kumano Kodo slopes, see really big and old trees (800 years!), see one of the “big 3” Kumano grand shrines, see some tall waterfalls, and then of course see one of the most famous views of Japan!
You should also know that a trip to Nachi Falls can mean lots of STAIRS!
If you are looking to go to Nachi Falls from these places, see these posts:
- Wakayama City to Nachi Falls
- Osaka to Nachi Falls
- Kyoto to Nachi Falls
- Nagoya to Nachi Falls
- Tokyo to Nachi Falls
You’ll find the same information below, but the trains will be more specific to where you’re coming from!
If you’re coming from elsewhere… read on!
👆 Nachi Falls train route: Sample train route to Kii-Katsuura Station, the train station near Nachi Falls. Explore the map. Adjust the departure time if necessary!
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 by train and bus
Important stops to know about when you want to go to Nachi Falls:
- Nachi Station (maybe your bus or train destination if you are already in the area and making a day trip. where you can take the local bus to Nachi Falls)
- Kii-Katsuura Station (your train destination: train station “near” Nachi Falls when you are coming from out of the area. 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!)
You can arrive by train to Kii-Katsuura Station from a variety of tourist destinations, including Nagoya, Osaka, and Kyoto.
Google maps makes travel around Japan super easy, and that includes getting 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!)
On google maps, after you’ve entered these train stations, 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!
If you are traveling with a JR pass, you will just want to be sure to get on the JR trains when possible.
The local buses around Nachi Falls do not accept the JR pass, but there are JR trains to Kii-Katsuura Station. (There are also non-JR trains, so that’s why you’ll want to look out for it.)
If you are traveling without a JR pass, then you can choose the most convenient route! (It still might be all JR trains.)
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!)
Nachi Station vs Kii-Katsuura Station
Nachi Station or Kii-Katsuura Station are where you to go to get the local bus to Nachi Falls.
So you can also get to Nachi Falls by going to Nachi Station.
Whether or not you want to go to Nachi Station instead of Kii-Katsuura will depend on your route and whether you are going to Nachi as a day trip from nearby and with or without luggage.
If you have luggage and an onwards journey directly after Nachi, then Kii-Katsuura Station might be easier.
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 Station has coin lockers too.)
Kii-Katsuura Station will have more connections than Nachi Station if you are leaving Wakayama prefecture after Nachi.
Similarly, if you are coming from far away (aka outside of Wakayama prefecture), there are better connections to Kii-Katsuura Station compared to Nachi Station.
There are also direct buses from Shingu to Nachi Station and Kii-Katsuura Station. If you are coming from Shigu, you will have to go to one of these stations, and then get a bus to Nachi Falls. Again, which one is best will depend on if you’re doing Nachi as a day trip without luggage, or if you will need to store luggage somewhere.
How long does it take to get to Nachi Station or Kii-Katsuura Station?
- Shingu to Nachi Station is around 20 to 45 minutes, depending on your timing! (240 to 570 yen, less than US$2 to $5)
- Shingu to Kii-Katsuura Station is around 20 to 45 minutes (240 to 630 yen)
- Wakayama to Kii-Katsuura Station is around 3 hours on a direct train (5700 yen, less than US$50)
- Nagoya to Kii-Katsuura Station is around 4 hours on a direct train (7900 yen, less than US$75)
- Osaka to Kii-Katsuura Station is around 4 hours with a transfer (7100 yen, less than US$70)
- Kyoto to Kii-Katsuura Station is around 5 hours with a transfer (9000 yen, less than US$80)
- Ise to Kii-Katsuura Station is around 3 hours with a transfer (5900 yen, less than US$50)
Your exact train route and cost may vary! The above is just to give you an idea.
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.
How to get to Nachi Falls: Local bus from Nachi Station or Kii-Katsuura Station
You will not be in the direct Nachi Falls area at Nachi Station or Kii-Katsuura Station.
You need to take a local bus to get to Nachi Falls.
The local bus from Nachi Station to Nachi Falls is around a 15 minute bus ride. (Shorter if you get off at an earlier stop!)
The local bus from Kii-Katsuura Station to Nachi Falls is around a 25 minute bus ride. (Shorter if you get off at an earlier stop!)
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.
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! 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 GETTING TO NACHI FALLS!
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