At 133 metres, Nachi-no-taki is Japan's tallest single-drop waterfall and has been worshipped as a kami since before Buddhism reached these shores. The water plunges in a single white column into a pool surrounded by dense cedar forest, and the sound fills the gorge with a constant, meditative roar. Seen from the Nachi Taisha shrine above, with the vermillion Seiganto-ji pagoda in the foreground, it's one of the most photographed scenes in all of Japan. Up close at the base, the mist on your face and the sheer power of the water are genuinely humbling.