Mikaeri Falls, Natural cascade in Karatsu, Japan
Mikaeri Falls plunges 100 meters down vertical rock faces, forming a powerful cascade in Saga Prefecture that stands among Japan's tallest waterfalls. The water descends in stages over dark stone surrounded by dense forest.
The falls became known nationwide when selected for Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls list through a formal evaluation of water features across the country. This recognition brought wider attention to the site as a destination.
About 40,000 hydrangeas of some 40 varieties grow around the falls and downstream, and since 1988 the Mikaeri Falls Hydrangea Festival is held every June. The name comes from a saying that the slope up to the falls is worth climbing again to see them; the spelling 見返りの滝 is incorrect.
Two parking areas provide access to the site, with one requiring a forest walk of about 25 minutes and the other closer to the viewing area. Visitors can choose a longer or shorter route depending on their time and mobility.
The name means "waterfall worth turning back for": walkers who climbed the slope, saw the falls and turned home are said to have come back up for another look. It is sometimes written 見返りの滝, which the Japanese Wikipedia article calls an error.
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