Amagoi Falls, Mountain waterfall in Kamiyama, Japan.

Amagoi Falls is a pair of cascades in Kamiyama: the female fall on the right drops 45 metres in three steps, the male fall on the left plunges 27 metres in a single drop. The water runs down a dark, moss-patched rock face and gathers in a shallow pool ringed by grey and greenish stones.

The falls were chosen for Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls list, drawn up by the Environment Ministry in 1990. The same area also appears among Shikoku's 88 water sites and Tokushima's 88 landscapes and 50 water itineraries. The name records earlier use: farmers wore straw raincoats and struck bells and drums here to pray for rain during droughts.

The name Amagoi, "rain prayer", recalls farmers who during droughts came here wearing straw raincoats and hats and beat bells and drums to call down rain. A dragon king deity (Ryūjin) and Fudō Myōō are enshrined at the falls, and visitors still see these small devotional sites beside the water.

The trail to the falls winds through a forest with natural paths that take roughly an hour to walk. The terrain is uneven in places, so sturdy footwear and a moderate fitness level are helpful for the journey.

The falls are a married pair: the 45-metre female cascade drops in three stages on the right, while the 27-metre male cascade falls in a single straight drop on the left. The name comes from farmers who once wore straw raincoats here and beat bells and drums to summon rain during droughts.