Shosenkyo Gorge is in a beautiful national park in Kofu City of Yamanashi prefecture. There is a four-kilometer trail. This time, instead of enjoy a long hiking, I just visited Sengataki Waterfall which is one of the popular spots along the trail and walked a little bit around the area. It was a short walk but still, I could feel the deep green nature surrounded by giant rocks. Yes, you will be surprised to see a number of really really huge rocks which is the most interesting thing to see in this gorge.
The water is crystal clear and I could see a small fish swimming against the fast stream.
The scenery of the rock mountain reminds me of old Japanese paintings of Chinese mountain by Sesshu.
Landscape of the Four Seasons By Sesshū Tōyō (1420-1506) – http://bunka.nii.ac.jp/SearchDetail.do?heritageId=149068, public domain, Link
Sesshu, a monk and a painter of 15th century painted Chinese landscape where he studied but remarkably it is quite similar to the scenery of Shosenkyo.
Shosenkyo is also known for the jewelry stones such as crystals and onyx. They even present a big crystal ball as an offering to the god.
For more information including access, please visit the website of Shosenkyo Tourism Board. A-couple-of-hour train ride and another-hour bus ride from Kofu Station will take you to this beautiful gorge where you can admire the nature every season.
