The Rock Garden: Ayahiro Falls
The wooden torii gate with a shimenawa rope that stands in front of Ayahiro Falls indicates that the area is considered sacred. The falls cascade around ten meters into a plunge pool encircled by rocks.
Priests and pilgrims visit the falls to practice takigyo, the ritual cleansing of the mind, body, and soul through meditation beneath the cascading water. Several shukubo lodgings on Mt. Mitake offer a morning takigyo experience for their guests. The practice involves specific prayers and rituals, and so cannot be undertaken without guidance.
The waterfall flows into a stream in a narrow valley of moss-covered rocks surrounding a picturesque section of the stream known as the Rock Garden. A number of hiking routes start at the base of the steps leading to Musashi Mitake Shrine, and the Rock Garden trail is the most popular. The 1.5-kilometer trail loops through the valley past Ayahiro Falls and Nanayo Falls. On the way to Ayahiro Falls, hikers can see an outcropping known as Tengu Rock (Tengu-iwa), shaped like the long nose of the mythical bird-like goblin called a tengu. These tengu are believed to protect the forests and mountains.