Morning at Takachiho Gorge

7 November 2024

Once I saw photos of Takachiho Gorge (高千穂峡), I knew that I must include this place into my Kyushu road trip itinerary. The gorge has one of the most spectacular waterfalls I have seen and the photographer in me dream of shooting similar photos to those I had seen.

Manai Falls cascading into Takachiho Gorge.

Takachiho Gorge was formed over 100,000 years ago after eruptions from nearby volcano Mount Aso. The sudden cooling of the pyroclastic flow led to dramatic columnar formations and sheer cliffs that rise above the Gokase River. The gorge’s 80 to 100 meter-high basalt cliffs line a chasm that just 3 meters wide at its narrowest point. A 17-meter waterfall cascades into the river at the end of the gorge. Coupled with lush greenery over the emerald green river, the scenery is truly magical and must see to believe. The waterfall named Manai Falls is one of Japan’s top 100 waterfalls.

The best time for photos at the gorge is in the late morning and some of the best views are from a rental boat in the gorge itself. Hence, I booked a stay near the gorge and also pre-booked a boat rental at an online site prior to our trip. The tickets for the boat rental are sold only 14 days in advance so book early to avoid disappointment.

THEY GET SOLD OUT FAST!

The boat rental is for 30 minutes and we had to row the boat ourselves. The cost per rental is not cheap at 5,100 yen per boat that can take up to 3 persons. I figured that this would probably be the once and only opportunity for me to visit this place, so why not?

I managed to book a boat rental for 10.30 AM, which was perfect for my plan. I read that some tickets may be available for sale on the day itself but there would usually be a long queue.

Getting to Takachiho Gorge

We stayed overnight at Hana Iwato Ryokan located in Iwato and not in Takachiho area as the hotels near to the gorge are pricey. It took us only 25 minutes to get to Takachiho from Iwato. On the way, we stopped along the scenic highway 7 to shoot some photos of the Tochimata Rice Terraces. 

Beautiful scenery of rice fields and farms on our way to Takachiho from Iwato.

There are three car parks around the gorge. The Oshioi Parking Lot nearest the boat rental area (location here) is the most expensive at 500 yen/day and they usually get filled first. The next car park, Araragi Parking Lot, is about 30 minutes walk away (location here) and cost 300 yen/day. There is also a free car park, Ohashi Parking Lot, that is up on the top of the gorge (location here) that may be suitable for those who don’t mind a bit of up hill walk back to their car.

We arrived at the gorge at about 9.15 AM and were directed by road marshals to the Oshioi Parking Lot. This parking lot is located at the south end of the gorge, where the boat rental station is located.

We found out that the boat ride had been cancelled for the day due to high water level. Actually we knew a day in advance that this would probably happen from the ryokan’s proprietress but we had some hope that the situation may change.

Sign at the boat rental station dashing all hopes.

Boats idling on the calm waters.

Hopes dashed, we did the next best thing which was to view and photograph the gorge from the paved path that runs along the edge of the gorge.

We went to the bridge where the best view of Manai Falls could be seen from above. Here, Manai Falls forms a nice arch cascading into the blue-green river that cuts through the canyon.

The bridge is narrow and we had to be wary of cars coming through. In fact, we drove over this bridge on our way to the car park.

Manai Falls as viewed from the bridge.

We stopped by the Onokoro Pond that had beautiful koi and also the rare sturgeon. There are a few nice Ogon, Tancho and Showa amongst the grey Chagoi.

Admiring the koi in Onokoro Pond.

Led by a chagoi, the group of Koi swam towards me, hoping for food.

This sturgeon is over a meter in length.

There is also a miniature shrine on a small island in the middle of this crystal clear pond. Once a year in spring for the Takachiho Shrine Festival, an omikoshi (portable shrine) is purified by circling the pond three times.

Signboard explaining the shrine in the middle of the pond.

The small shrine on a small island in the middle of Onokoro Pond.

There is a viewing point along the walkway by the edge of the gorge where we could see the water from the falls cascading straight down to the river.

The little viewing deck on the pathway next to the gorge.

This wooden observation deck is another great place to shoot photos of Manai Falls and interesting rock formations.

Mandatory selfies at Takachiho Gorge.

Shooting photos from the observation deck.

Many photos at Takachiho Gorge featured Manai Falls shot at this angle.

This is the narrow bridge where I took the first few photos at Takachiho Gorge.

Taking many photos along the walkway next to the gorge.

We had a very relaxing walk along the edge of the gorge, snapping many photos. This included the waterfall, river, volcanic rock formations.

Clear blue sky over the gorge.

The morning light was not too harsh, allowing some good landscape photos to be taken.

Columnar basalt rocks form when lava cools and contracts, causing the ground to crack into geometric columns.

I saw an opportunity to shoot three bridges, juxtaposed nicely in a single picture. 

Three bridges in one photo at Takachiho Gorge.

Two bridges with arch support. The stone Shinbashi Bridge vs the metal Takachiho Ohashi Bridge.

We ended our walk at the stone arched Shinbashi Bridge seen above. This narrow bridge is next to the Araragi Parking Lot and we could see cars waiting to cross this bridge to get to the car park.

From this narrow bridge, we could see the river flowing rapidly along the narrow gorge. We had to keep an eye out for cars crossing this bridge while we took photos from the bridge.

View of the rapids at the northern end of the gorge.

If we crossed the bridge and continued along the path, it would lead uphill to the Takachiho Shrine. We had taken about an hour to get to this point, including many stops for photos.

We walked back the way we came from. This provided opportunities to enjoy the gorge again and more photos!

Another photo from the observation deck. This time, the leaves were highlighted in bright colours by the sunlight.

We ended our visit to Takachiho Gorge with lunch at the Nagomi restaurant located in Takachiho town. This restaurant serves the finest Takachiho beef raised in the great outdoors.