Shosenkyo

Before you go

• The path down to Senga Falls has 180 steps, so the walk back is a climb. Apart from the stairs, the paths are mostly gentle slopes. A family with a 4-month-old could not take a stroller down the long stairs from the ropeway side. Another visitor called a baby carrier essential. Even to ride the ropeway, one family left the stroller in the car and carried their child, because the approach to the boarding area has many stairs. Starting at the prefectural parking lot lower in the gorge, one family pushed a stroller to the falls, lifting it up two sets of stairs. The stretch just before the falls was bumpy.
• By bus, board at stop 4 of Kofu Station's south-exit terminal and ride to the last stop, Shosenkyo Takinoue, the area at the top of the falls by the ropeway. The tourism association's page lists 60 minutes and 1,090 yen to Takinoue (other guides say 45 to 50 minutes). Buses are infrequent, and one guide says one leaves every one to two hours, so check the timetable first. In winter (December 1 to March 31) buses end at Shosenkyo-guchi, the gorge entrance, about 5 to 6 km from Senga Falls, so the association strongly recommends driving. Taxis at Shosenkyo must be phoned in, though they are easy to catch at Kofu Station. If you drive, do not type just "Shosenkyo" into the car navigation, which very often leads to a closed road; the association advises entering "Shosenkyo Takinoue", "Shosenkyo Tenjinmori" or "Shosenkyo Ropeway" instead.
• The tourism association says autumn color usually peaks in the first or second week of November. Its FAQ gives the best viewing as late October to late November, while its sights page says late October to mid-November. Summer holidays and the color season bring crowds and parking jams. November weekends and holidays are very crowded, so drivers should arrive early to secure parking, since the free lots are often full. A color-season Sunday-evening bus back to Shinjuku was quoted at up to four hours, and the limited express was sold out. Buy your return ticket ahead of time. For the color season, a 2026 city tourism guide says an extra express bus runs on weekends and holidays from the third Saturday of October to November 30, while another listing gives Saturdays and holidays from mid-September to November, so check the dates.
• The operator's fare page lists the ropeway at 1,500 yen round trip for adults (junior high and up) and 750 yen for ages 4 through elementary school. Ages 3 and under are free there. Cars leave every 20 minutes, with extra cars every 5 to 10 minutes when busy, but peak times still bring waits. Each car holds only 45 people, and on one hot day after Golden Week it filled so fast that a family with a 1-year-old boy, who had not joined the line, missed the first car. They went with only a hip seat and a carrier, and though the father found carrying hard, they enjoyed it a lot. Between April 1 and November 30 the last ride up is at 17:10 and the last down at 17:30. Between December 1 and March 31 they are 16:10 and 16:30. Strong wind or snow can halt it, and it closes one day a year for maintenance, so call 055-287-2111 to check. At the summit, the rocky trails are slippery, so wear sneakers, not sandals.
• Restaurants and gift shops around the ropeway and falls close very early, some in the early evening. Shops on the way to the falls were already shut after midday on one August afternoon, so plan lunch early. Daylight also fades early in autumn: it began to get dark at 4 p.m. on one visit.
• For diaper changes, there is a changing table at the ropeway station, and one mother also used the restroom of the shop beside the boarding area, Wine Kingdom. The restaurant Hashimotoya had none. Toilets stand at the two free parking lots, at Tenkorin on the path and near Takinoue, but the one by the rock peak is broken from rockfall. A mother nursed in her car with a nursing cover.
• There are no coin lockers, so you carry everything. Mobile signal may drop, so take the free paper map handed out at parking lots and information centers. A visitor on the lower path saw signs warning of bear sightings, and the association posted bear information in November 2025.