Fukuroda Falls Coloring Pages

One of Japan's Three Great Waterfalls

Fukuroda Falls is a giant waterfall in Daigo Town, Ibaraki Prefecture.
It is 120 meters tall and 73 meters wide!
It is counted as one of Japan's Three Great Waterfalls, along with Kegon Falls in Tochigi Prefecture and Nachi Falls in Wakayama Prefecture.
In 2015, it was chosen as a national Place of Scenic Beauty. It is a very special sight.

Flowing Down Four Steps

Fukuroda Falls flows down a huge rocky cliff in four steps.
Its main feature is how the water spreads out like a reed screen as it flows over the rocks.
The first coloring page shows Fukuroda Falls from the front. You can see water flowing down like a reed screen on both sides of a big, round rock.
The second page shows the view looking up from the bottom of Fukuroda Falls. The lowest step spreads out big right in front of you!

Why It Is Called "Yodo no Taki"

Fukuroda Falls is also called Yodo no Taki, which means "Four-Times Waterfall".
One story says it is because the water flows down in four steps.
Another story says an old poet named Saigyo praised it, saying, "You cannot know the true beauty of this waterfall unless you visit four times, once in each season."
It shows a totally different face in every season: fresh green leaves in spring, bright green maples in summer, red autumn leaves, and frozen ice falls in winter!

A Waterfall Wrapped in Autumn Leaves

In autumn, the mountains around Fukuroda Falls turn red and yellow. The white waterfall and autumn leaves match beautifully!
The best time to see the autumn leaves is from early to mid-November.
The third coloring page is a detailed picture of Fukuroda Falls seen through autumn maple branches.
The flowing water and every single maple leaf are drawn in detail. Take your time and enjoy coloring it!

Differences Between the Three Coloring Pages

The first page shows Fukuroda Falls and the rock wall from the front. The lines are thick and the spaces are big so that even young children can color it easily.
The second page shows Fukuroda Falls surrounded by autumn mountains, looking up from below. The third page is a detailed picture with fine lines for grown-ups.
If you display all three together, you can see the many different faces of Fukuroda Falls!
Try comparing them with the Kegon Falls coloring page to find the differences in how the waterfalls look.
Kegon Falls drops straight down, while Fukuroda Falls spreads out in steps. They are both famous waterfalls, but they look so different!

For the waterfall, let white be the main color

Leave most of the waterfall's water white.
If you add light blue or light gray here and there along the lines of the flowing water, it will look just like water spreading out like a bamboo curtain.
The trick to making it look pretty is not to color too much!

For the rocks, use gray and brown

Color the rocky parts where water is not flowing with gray or dark brown.
If you make the shadowy parts of the steps a little darker, the four steps will stand out clearly.
The darker you make the rocks, the brighter the white waterfall will shine!

For the autumn leaves, use red, orange, and yellow

For the surrounding mountains in the 2nd and 3rd pictures, color-code each group of trees with red, orange, and yellow.
If you color the maple branches in the front of the 3rd picture with dark red, you can feel how far away the waterfall is in the back.
If you leave a little bit of green, the autumn leaves will look even brighter!

Try coloring different seasons

Even with the same coloring page, if you make the mountains green, it becomes a summer waterfall. If you make the waterfall a bluish-white and the mountains white, it becomes a frozen winter waterfall.
Just like its other name "Yodo Waterfall" (the Four-Times Waterfall) says, try coloring Fukuroda Falls in all four seasons!

Leave the splashing water white

Where the water splashes at the bottom step of the waterfall, do not color it and leave it white.
If you add just a little bit of light blue to the surrounding water, the white spray will look like it is rising up.
Leave the small round bubbles in the spray uncolored just as they are!

In winter, the waterfall freezes

When winter gets super cold, Fukuroda Falls can freeze into white ice.
It is very rare for the whole waterfall to freeze, so lots of people visit in winter just to see the frozen falls.
People have even done ice climbing up the frozen waterfall!

The viewing platform past the tunnel

To see Fukuroda Falls, you walk through a tunnel carved into the mountain.
When you step out of the tunnel, a big waterfall appears right before your eyes.
If you take the elevator up to the top viewing platform, you can look out at all 4 steps at once.

Japan's Three Famous Waterfalls

Japan's Three Famous Waterfalls are the 3 top, famous waterfalls in Japan.
Most of the time, this means Fukuroda Falls, Kegon Falls, and Nachi Falls.

The water goes to the Kuji River

The water from Fukuroda Falls flows down the Taki River and empties into a big river called the Kuji River.
The Kuji River is a clean river known for sweetfish fishing.
Mountain water turns into a waterfall, becomes a river, and flows out to the sea.
It is fun to color while thinking about the water's big journey!