The short stretch of road between Matsuyama and Imabari includes many spots that are very pleasant to visit. Route 196 runs within a few meters of the beautiful Seto Inland Sea, and it’s easy to become mesmerized by the sight of rocky islets topped with pines and little ports with their fishing boats. But in fact, the inland side of the road holds many secret places of interest that are well worth investigating too.
One of these spots is Mugo Waterfall. As you pass through the seaside town of Kikuma, home of Shikoku’s artisanal tile industry, you may see a standard blue and white road sign pointing to the Kasen Falls, a near neighbour of the Mugo Falls. Chances are, you’d drive straight past it, wondering what you might be missing.
The road to the falls starts through the narrow streets of Kikuma with its attractive old buildings. You’re likely to encounter some very old people on foot, and children on bicycles. Once out of the little town, the road follows a pretty, winding river. There are rice fields, traditional farmhouses, graveyards, shrines and bamboo groves—the ideal Japanese countryside. The road suddenly gets steeper, and after a couple of doglegs, there’s a small car park, a big sign with faded paintings of the falls, and a footpath that goes up at an acute angle. This is the route to the Kasen Falls, which are well worth a look.
If you continue up the hill another couple of turns, you come to the Mugo Falls. When you round the bend, suddenly the falls are there in front of you, in a double stream. You can park next to the little temple. I visited in July which is the month of the rainy season. The river that feeds the waterfall is very small, but it was fairly gushing from the recent rain. Hydrangeas bloomed in purple and blue, and on the path down to the falls, I found and ate some wild strawberries. You can clamber over the boulders and get close enough to the falls to feel their refreshing spray and the cool, delicious minus ion-rich air that they generate.
Mugo Falls can be visited easily by car from Matsuyama or Imabari, but cyclists will also find the falls a rewarding detour from the main road.
Name in Japanese 霧合の滝 mugō no taki Mugo Falls
