Part III of our Mt Chokai trip is the spectacular scenery along the walk to Ninotaki waterfall on the southwestern slopes of the mountain.

Ichinotaki Waterfall Yamagata Japan

The gorge is in fact the starting point of an alternate track to the summit of Mt Chokai but the waterfalls are an attraction in their own right and well worth a half day (or more) visit. The waterfalls were tough to photograph due to thick mist at Ninotaki (the 2nd waterfall) and a very high volume of water which sent a fine spray over the best viewing spots. The above image is Ichinotaki (the 1st waterfall) which is at the start of the trail.

Misty Forest near Niinotaki Waterfall Yamagata Japan

The trail beyond Ichinotaki becomes a little more up and down as you pass through some great looking forest. Again the mist added an extra dimension for our visit. Upon arriving at Ninotaki waterfall, the mist was in fact very thick and the waterfall was barely even visible. Instead I spent a couple of hours at the base of one particularly striking tree and down on the rivers edge. The results are below.

Misty Forest, Niinotaki Waterfall Yamagata Japan

River and forest below Ninotaki

Along with the half day spent at Nakadai Recreation Forest this shoot was a real pleasure. The only sound was the crashing water, no other people at all on the track and beautiful misty forest. I have a new collection of three original photographs from the Mt Chokai region which will be available upon our return to Tasmania next week.

Mt Chokai Forest Scenes – Collection of 3 Photos

Ill have one more post from this region and one from a separate visit along the east coast which was hit by the tsunami of March 2011 before we return to winter in Tasmania.