Sawanobori

is a traditional type of mountaineering going up a river, mainly practised in Japan. Some climbers do it, even without any intention of reaching a specific mountain peak. It consists of ascending a specific tributary of the river, along with its typical features, including climbing waterfalls, and passing through the gorges. Shower Climbing of waterfalls in the summer is a highlight. The difficulty of the climb in extreme cases reaches to a level to the extent of rock-climbing, at times using a rope and artificial protections. Many climbers pursue the target tributary until its last drop, or the ideal finish is considered as such. As a rule, the climber goes in one direction opposite to the direction of the waterflow.

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Picture References Links--
Kurobegawa, Japan Alps (in Japanese): http://w1.avis.ne.jp/~ktsukada/genkuroue.htm
Ogawadani, Tanzawa (in Japanese): http://www.synchronix.gr.jp/tokyomatagi01_3rd.html