Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Ryūzu Falls in Japan for Treasure Tuesday

 


Many years ago, I found myself wandering the mountain paths of Nikkō with only a small point-and-shoot camera and a tripod as my companions. My intention had been to capture the splendour of autumn leaves, but the season had already slipped away, leaving the branches bare and the forest quiet. What might have seemed a disappointment at first revealed itself instead as a rare gift: in the absence of fiery foliage, the falls themselves became the focus, luminous and unadorned. I pressed the shutter only a few times, yet this image has endured as one of the few remaining from that period of my life. Looking back, I would not dare attempt such a venture again, yet the memory remains as vivid as the sound of the water that day.

The cascade before me was Ryūzu Falls (Ryūzu no Taki, 竜頭の滝), the Dragon’s Head Waterfall, whose twin streams tumble down the rocks in a white veil that, with a touch of imagination, resembles the horns and mane of a mythic creature. The Yukawa River feeds its ceaseless descent, carrying the mountain’s breath from Lake Yunoko down toward Lake Chūzenji, tracing a course carved over countless centuries.

Ryūzu has long been cherished not only for its beauty but for its spirit. In Japan, waterfalls are often regarded as sacred thresholds where nature reveals its force and purity, and where pilgrims once paused for contemplation on their way to the shrines of Nikkō. Standing before the falls, one senses that same timeless quality: the mingling of power and grace, the endless renewal of water against stone. In autumn, the spectacle is even more profound, when maples and beeches ignite in red and gold, as though the dragon itself were breathing fire into the forest. Even out of season, however, the falls hold their majesty—reminding the traveler that beauty is not confined to the height of autumn but lingers quietly in every moment of the year.

What remains most precious to me is not the photograph itself, but the silence and humility it recalls. The memory of Ryūzu Falls is a reminder that nature does not perform for us; it simply endures, and in its endurance, offers us a glimpse of something eternal.


Linking Treasure Tuesday


32 comments:

  1. Buena imagen has captado. Debes de haber disfrutado mucho de ese precioso paisaje, que forma la cascada.

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  2. What a wonderful photo. The details in the streams of water is amazing. It almost looks like a fine painting.

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  3. Lovely waterfall. It looks like a bride's vail coming down the mountain. Just because you didn't have your large SLR camera, it didn't matter. The resulting photo is still good.

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  4. Photographs are meaningful when we can tie them to how we experienced a certain, time, place and feeling.

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  5. So beautiful. I would love to see this in person.

    Thank you for joining the Awww Mondays Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Awww Monday and week. ☺

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  6. HAPPY MosaicMonday... 🌻
    ...and again, I say thank you for sharing your Post with this wonderful scene.

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  7. Many times photos are meant to remind us of the story behind them...

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  8. Wonderful looking falls with a lot of water cascading down - a sight to see for sure and listen to.

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  9. Beautiful waterfalls! Take care, enjoy your day!

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  10. Es muy impresionante la forma en que el agua se desliza para terminar cayendo en el cauce del río.
    Un abrazo.

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  11. That photo, that encounter, was a rare gift indeed. I've never seen a falls divided like that. How wonderful and what a memory.

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  12. This is beautiful and such a wonderful memory.

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  13. Es una casada de gran belleza, la cual creo enamoraría a mas de uno.

    Saludos.

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  14. Very cool! What a lovely falls!
    Thank you for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2025/09/a-glimpse-back.html

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  15. Thank you for joining the Happy Tuesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Happy Tuesday. ☺

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  16. Very beautiful. I love how the water is spreading near the base of the fall.
    Happy WW, Roentare!

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  17. Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. ☺

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