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.

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Enjoy Takachiho beef at Takachihogyu Restaurant Nagomi

7 November 2024

Located in the center of Takachiho town, a few minutes drive away from Takachiho Gorge, Takachihogyu Restaurant Nagomi is a good place to have lunch after enjoying the morning out at the scenic gorge. Takachihogyu Restaurant Nagomi serves Takachiho beef, one of the most famous brands of “wagyu” beef.

Takachiho beef is produced from Japanese black cattle and is a specialty of the region. The cows are raised in a pastoral landscape with the greatest care. In summer, they breathe pure air and eat fresh grass, then return to their farm for the winter. Living in such ideal living conditions without any stress, the animals produce beef of the highest quality, known for its marbling and tenderness. Takachiho beef is strictly defined as Japanese “Wagyu” beef that is A4 range quality or higher from cows born and raised within select districts of the Takachiho area. In comparison, the most highly rated wagyu beef, Kobe beef, is rated 5.

Nagomi Restaurant is located within the Takachiho Gamadase Market. There is free parking at the market square. We arrived at the popular restaurant at 11 am, which was right after they opened. The restaurant is opened for lunch from 11:00 to 14:30 and closed on Wednesday. There are two large statues of black cows in front of the restaurant, so it was easy to find the restaurant.

Outside Nagomi restaurant are two statues of famous Takachiho cattle.Spacious and airy interior.

The service is in Japanese only, but they have English menus. Its lunch menu offers several different options for Takachiho beef steak at affordable prices. We could can choose our favorite cuts of steak and increase the amount in 50 grams increments.

Lunch menu at the Nagomi restaurant.

Both of us chose the 200g loin steak set that came with rice (free refills), small bowl, pickles, salad, miso soup and one drink.

Takachiho beef steak set lunch.

The steak was served rare while still searing on a hot plate. A small hot iron stone was provided and we were to cut and cook the beef to our preferred doneness.

Look at the marbling on the steak!

A tablet PC on the table provides information and instructions in English on how to best enjoy our steak.

    

Grilling the pieces on the hot stone to medium rare.

Three different steak sauces were provided. They are yuzu and pepper sauces, soy sauce based sauce and even a bit of minced wasabi mixed in soy sauce.

  
The high-quality fat of the beef melts in the mouth and was simply delicious. We tried the three sauces and all were good.

It was good that we came early as the restaurant fills up fast.  

After a satisfying lunch, we went to a grocery shop next door to browse at some local produce.  A good souvenir to buy was Takachiho beef curry that is packaged and just required reheating to enjoy with steamed rice.

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Drive from Takachiho to Miyazaki with stops at Cape Hyuga, Umagase and the Sea Cross

7 November 2024

Located on the northern portion of Miyazaki prefecture, Cape Hyuga has a beautiful, jagged coastline and is a part of the Nippo Coast Quasi-National Park. It faces the Pacific Ocean and features some interesting sights such as Umagase, volcanic rocks, and the Sea Cross.

Cape Hyuga’s jagged coastline with interesting sights such as Umagase, volcanic rocks, and the Sea Cross.

In our road trip, we would be making an overnight stay in Miyazaki city after visiting Takachiho Gorge. The drive from Takachiho to the city of Miyazaki is approximately 130 km. We decided to break the journey and stop for some sightseeing at Cape Hyuga which is near the halfway point.

Map showing the location of Cape Hyuga (number 4) and Takachiho Gorge (number 1).

From Takachiho to Cape Hyuga, we followed the route provided by Google Maps. Although it would take slightly longer, we decided to use the country roads (non toll roads) instead of the expressway E10, partly because it would be more scenic and partly because the toll charges in Kyushu is quite high.

The drive through the countryside was indeed pretty scenic and easy, except for a short stretch where we were directed onto some narrow, single track road. The drive along the single track road was about 5 minutes and we were lucky there were no on-coming cars from the opposite direction.

After turning into Prefecture Route 15, we saw a row of tall palm trees lining the sides of the highway. It reminded me so much of driving in sunny California, except that California is on the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean.

Tall palm trees along Prefecture Route 15, heading towards Cape Hyuga and Miyazaki.

Driving along Hososhima area where Cape Hyuga could be seen across the sea.

We parked at a free car park (Google Maps location here) next to a tea house and public toilets. There are picnic benches next to the car park. We saw sea eagles soaring above and views of the bay with Hososhima Port. We could see the road at Hososhima where we came from.

View of Hososhima Bay from the car park.

An information signboard showed us the paths to take to the Umagase and Cape Hyuga Lookout points and also the Hososhima Lighthouse.

An information signboard showed us the walking trail to Umagase Lookout (410m away).

Umagase Lookout

From the car park, we took a short walk of 410 meter to the Umagase lookout point.

Taking photos at the Umagase observation deck.

We could see a narrow fjord-like inlet of water with steep cliffs on both sides. What is special is that the cliffs had columnar joint rocks that were created 15 million years ago due to a volcanic eruption. The lava flowed onto the coast, and the vertical cracks formed as the lava was cooling. Because of the unusual columnar joint formation, this cape was chosen as a National Natural Monument in February of 2018.

Some of the vertical rocks are over 70 meters tall.

Some of the flooring on the observation deck is made of transparent glass.

We spent some time to observe a couple of sea eagles soaring in the air above us and also diving into the inlet. 

Can you spot the sea eagle in the inlet? Hint: look near the mouth of the inlet.

One of the sea eagles soaring above us.

Continuing on for about 200 meters, we arrived at the "Cape Hyuga Observation Deck," where a rocky path flanked on both sides by solid fences leads to the end of the cape, surrounded by the sparkling blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. 

Walking to the Cape Hyuga Lookout.

The view of the rocks protruding out into the sea is so photogenic. I loved the sunlight reflecting off the ocean giving the edges of the protruding rocks a silver lining.

The beautiful jagged coastline could be seen looking southwards at the Cape Hyuga Lookout.

This area was also very breezy but surprisingly not chilly in autumn.

Enjoying the sea breeze under the afternoon sun.

We could see more columnar rocks on the cliffs on the northern side of the cape. 

Columnar joint rocks that were created 15 million years ago due to a volcanic eruption.

Looking back from the observation deck, we spotted a white lighthouse, perched high up in the hill. This is the Hososhima Lighthouse. There is a walking path to the lighthouse but we decided to skip it.

Hososhima Lighthouse, about 7 minutes up the hill from Cape Hyuga Observatory . It was built in 1910 to help ships navigate through the Sea of Hyuga.   

 

The Sea Cross

Driving from Cape Hyuga southwards for a few minutes, we arrived at the next attraction known as the Sea Cross. The viewpoint is only a short walk from the car park.

Here, the view of the ocean in between the rocks appears as a cross.

Named the Sea Cross because the rock formations make a literal cross shape in the sea.

There is also a small rocky area next to the cross. From above, the rocks and the cross resemble the Chinese character “叶”, which means to come true or to be fulfilled.

The “Sea Cross Where Wishes Come True” is one of the most popular sights at Cape Hyuga.

There is a legend that visiting this spot will make your wishes come true. A bell tower is located here. My wife rang the bell and made her wish.

At the observatory, you can find the Bell of Cruz that can help you make your wishes come true. 

My wife making her wish at the Sea Cross.

She asked me if I had made a wish too. I said my wish is for her wish to come true.

From Cape Hyuga, we took National Route 10 southwards to Miyazaki city. Once again, we decided to drive on the non-toll road instead of E10 expressway for the more scenic views.

We stopped for coffee break at Stairs of the Sea, a shopping centre with burger, noodles, Tully's coffee, and a food mart located on a cliff overlooking Kanegahama Beach.  We sat at Tully’s coffee with views of the Pacific Ocean.

Accommodation in Miyazaki

Our accommodation in Miyazaki was Dormy Inn Miyazaki Natural Hot Spring. I chose this hotel for its location and also because Dormy Inn is one of my preferred chain of Japanese business hotels when staying in a Japanese city. Although it is slightly costlier than other Japanese hotel chains, the Dormy Inn chain offers really nice and clean facilities and offerings that suit my taste.

The hotel is perfectly situated in the city center, making it easy to access nearby restaurants and shopping malls. Parking in a city is always a problem and most hotels would charge a fee for parking. Dormy Inn Miyazaki provides parking in a garage just next to the hotel and charges a flat fee of 1000 yen per night for parking which I think is reasonable.

All Dormy Inn hotels provide similar features like onsen, free noodles for supper, probiotic drinks, ice pops etc - all free! We also enjoyed the free hot coffee in their lobby before going out to explore the city.

Standard features of Dormy Inn hotels in Japan.

Like most Japanese business hotels, their room is small and with just enough space to open our suitcase next to our bed.

Our Double room at Dormy Inn. Barely enough to open our suitcase.

The best thing I like about Dormy Inn is their fabulous buffet breakfast that includes local dishes.

Buffet breakfast at Dormy Inn Miyazaki included items like the chicken nanban.

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Miyazaki Beef and Ise lobster at Teppanyaki Miyachiku Restaurant

7 November 2024

We cannot come to Miyazaki and not eat the locally produced Miyazaki beef. Miyazaki is one of the largest producers of wagyu, the meat from the Japanese Black cattle. Of all the beef produced in Miyazaki, only the best beef can be called Miyazaki Beef and the quality grade of the meat must be at least a level 4.

I had made online reservation for dinner at the popular Miyachiku restaurant. This is a specialty teppanyaki (iron-plate grilled dishes) and yakiniku (Japanese-style BBQ) restaurant serving exclusively Miyazaki beef. There are a few branches in the city. We went to the one located at Tachibanadori, just a few minutes walk from our hotel (Dormy Inn Miyazaki).

Teppanyaki is a traditional Japanese cuisine that involves cooking a range of ingredients on an iron griddle. Upon arrival, we were shown to our seats on the teppanyaki table. There were already another group on our right but there is a barrier in between us so we had some privacy.

Our chef with his iron griddle all hot and ready for us.

My original plan was to enjoy the high grade Miyazaki beef. Since we visited in November, the Ise lobsters (Japanese spiny lobster) were in season (October to January). We ordered the Ise Lobster and Miyazaki beef steak pair course at 19,800 yen for 2 people. The set include an Ise lobster, 80g of “special loin” and 80g of “special round” beef plus hors d’oeurve, miso soup, roast vegetables, fried rice dessert and coffee/tea. We opted to upgrade our miso soup to Ise lobster miso soup for additional 500 yen. There are other options that feature more expensive cuts of beef like the normal tenderloin and “special tenderloin”.

The appetisers were served first. The main protein in the appetisers is Miyazaki branded pork. This set the stage for more delicious food to come.

Sauteed pork tongue with grilled eggplant and leek miso. Pork cartilage with local coconut curry sauce.

We were shown the raw Ise lobster before cooking. The lobster looks alive but is probably just killed since it had a metal skewer up its tail. The chef indicated that we should take photos of the creature before he starts to cut it up.

The lobster is not very big. The length of its tail is about 30 cm.

The Ise lobster staring at me with its little beady eyes.

It was fun to watch and video the Teppanyaki chef at work, turning raw ingredients into delicious food that were nicely plated.

Teppanyaki chef preparing the Ise lobster at Miyachiku restaurant in Miyazaki

Ise lobster grilled with butter. Just 4 pieces of sweet, juicy and aromatic lobster meat to savour per person.

After the lobster course, the staff brought the raw beef to the table. The Miyazaki beef came with little piece of paper showing the certification numbers and source of the prized beef.

The superb marbling of the fat in the flesh is the most important characteristics of the Miyazaki beef.

Cooking the Miyazaki beef and vegetables for the main course.

The steak, with its high fat content, must not be overcooked. The chef just brown the outside, locking in the fats in the meat.

Just when the steak was about ready to be served, it is lit on fire with brandy. Besides a dramatic presentation, the short lived fire imparts a smoky flavor to the food.

Flamed or Flambé beef on the griddle.

The chef served the sliced pieces of beef on top of bread to soak up the dripping fat. He recommended that we eat the beef with slices of crispy garlic and wasabi. We could also eat it as-is or with a little salt and pepper.      

Freshly grilled medium-rare Miyazaki beef. Best way to eat wagyu beef with that “melts in your mouth” texture.

With a slice of crispy garlic and wasabi.

We were served the salad, miso soup and garlic fried rice with the beef.Fresh salad with hebezu dressing. Hebezu is a small green Japanese lime.

Lobster miso soup. 

Garlic rice with minced Miyazaki beef.  Lotus root and grated yam with myoga (Japanese ginger).

After we finished the beef, the two pieces of bread soaked with beef fat were used to prepare crispy toast to be used as an element in our dessert.

Bread that soaked up the fat from the grilled steak was used to make the crispy toast for our dessert.

Turning the bread into crispy toast on the griddle.

The dessert consists of crispy butter toast with the flavour of beef and muscat cream cheese mousse with caramelised fig. In addition, there is a glass of parfait with marinated fruits and sauce.

Chef preparing the parfait which was an element in our dessert.

Parfait with marinated pears, Campbell’s Arry Rose Joule in the glass. Crispy butter toast with the flavour of beef, muscat cream cheese mousse with caramelised fig were served in the plate.

Overall, our dinner took about 1.5 hours. Although it did not come cheap, we enjoyed the dining experience and the delicious food that was expertly cooked in front of us.

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