Kawazu Seven Waterfalls

The Kawazu Seven Waterfalls (Kawazu Nanadaru) are located in the mountains above Kawazu Town in southeastern Izu. They range from the 30 meter tall Odaru ("large waterfall") to the 2 meter tall Kanidaru ("crab waterfall"). A pleasant walking trail leads for about one kilometer through the forest and past the waterfalls, but note that access to Odaru is currently closed to the general public and restricted to guests of the nearby ryokan. Several statues along the walking trail depict the heroine of the short story "Izu no Odoriko" (The Izu Dancer, 1926), one of several works by Kawabata Yasunari (1899-1972), which are set in this area of the Izu Peninsula. Kawabata won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1968. At the base of the trail you can find the small hot spring resort Nanadaru Onsen and the imposing Kawazu Nanadaru Loop Bridge, a unique, two-storied spiral bridge along National Route 414 high above the valley floor.