Pinaisara Falls

Nice view here Highly recommended

Everything we saw on the internet before leaving for Iriomote said that we would need a guide to get to the Falls. However, we were able to hike to the top by ourselves (a group of seven). The view was absolutely incredible. If you're interested, here are a few tips: 1) Do NOT attempt to hike this alone. It is a very hard trail and there are points at which you have to cross streams, use ropes to climb up, etc. Do not try this if you are inexperienced or don't have at least some stamina/athletic ability. Also wouldn't recommend trying this on a rainy day or in the late afternoon (get out of here before the sun sets or you won't be able to see anything!!!!!) 2) Our hike started at the end of the road that is shown on Google Maps nearest to the Falls. There is a parking lot there, as well as a kind of dock for kayaks. The trail to the Falls is relatively well marked with pink ribbons and red ground markers. Look out for these and make sure you don't stray away from them. 3) To cross the streams, we rented felt water shoes from our accommodation. These were definitely a must-have for this hike. I wouldn't recommend crossing these streams barefoot. Even with shoes, one of our group members got bitten by a leech. Check your body for leeches, ticks, and other unwanted insects every so often. 4) We called the Yaeyama Police Department (in Japanese) to notify them that we were planning on hiking without a guide. We called them again after we got back out to let them know we were safe. This is probably a good idea in case you get lost, as there is ZERO phone service/connection inside the forest/jungle. Funnily enough, we did get service at the top of the Falls... Stay safe and have fun!

You can only access with kayak

We did a day tour kayaking and then hiking to the bottom and top of the falls. The experience of the river and jungle hike were really memorable despite the amount of tourists. Fully recommended, including going to the top of the falls, the view of the jungle, the beach, and the ocean is unforgettable.

Awesome waterfall that's worth a quick tour. Pinaisara means "old man beard" in Japanese, apparently. It's named as such because, from a distance, the falls look like the beard of an old man. I recommend hiking to the bottom of the falls to swim first before making the 20 minute hike to the top of the falls to take in the view.