Ryūka Falls
Ryūka Falls is Shiobara’s tallest waterfall, measuring 60 meters tall. The water that zigzags across its three tiers is said to look like a dragon climbing a cliff before soaring into the heavens. The fall’s name, which means “Becoming-Dragon Falls,” is a reference to the popular Japanese legend about a carp that swam upstream until it encountered a waterfall. The carp managed to climb the waterfall, and is said to have passed through the “dragon’s gate” and became a dragon.
The rock formations that surround the falls are made up of two types of volcanic rock: green tuff and andesite. Volcanic activity is responsible for the striking natural structure of the andesite formations. As the andesite magma cooled, its outer layers cooled more quickly, which exerted shearing forces along the rock’s surface and caused it to crack.