Forest of the Shimanto River Source

The Shimanto River is celebrated as 'Japan's Last Clear Stream' and is a beautiful river whose source lies at Irazu Mountain, located at the border between Ehime and Kochi prefectures. On the trekking course from Kihoku Town to the source forest, you walk through moss-covered primordial woodland and eventually encounter the mystical sight of water droplets gathering to form the beginning of a river. This experience of feeling the cycles of nature firsthand offers a distinct charm different from the lower reaches of the Shimanto River and provides a precious opportunity to understand how the river is formed.