We are having a great summer holiday in wintery Japan and one of the first photo stops we enjoyed was a day trip to the beautiful Akiu Otaki (falls) in Miyagi Prefecture, Northern Japan.

The winter beauty of Akiu Otaki (falls) in Miyagi, northern Japan

The falls are easily accessed by car from the nearby onsen (hot spring) town of Akiu. A short walk from the car park takes you through a nice old shrine to the viewing deck for the view of the falls from above. You can then walk to the base of the falls or even drive to a closer car park for views of the fall from river level.

A great set of cascades right in front of the falls.

I took these shots with the latest and greatest in high tech equipment – a giant pair of gaudy orange rubber boots – that allowed me to wade through the creek to get in front of a lovely set of cascades. The shot above is my favourite of the day 🙂

Another view of Akiu Otaki from the river.

The bare trees and frosted ice around the falls were beautiful too

Closer shot of the frosted details

Another angle

Walking out – and capturing the sun low in the sky behind the bare trees

Here is the google maps location of the fall. Highly recommended if you are spending some time in Japan!