Takachiho Gorge

Takachiho Gorge was cut by the Gokase River through layers of ash welded solid by eruptions from Aso, and the rock cooled into vertical columns that now stand like organ pipes above the water. The channel narrows to a few metres in places, and Manai Falls drops seventeen metres straight into it. A walkway about a kilometre long runs along the top of one side, which is free and gives the standard view down. The other option is a small rowing boat hired by the half hour and taken up under the falls, which is the photograph everyone has seen and the reason for the queue.

What you actually see

• Manai Falls - a seventeen-metre drop straight into the narrowest part of the gorge.
• The columnar walls - vertical joints in welded ash rising from the water on both sides.
• The rim walkway - a level path of about a kilometre with views down into the channel.
• Evening kagura - a shortened version of the local sacred dance performed at night.

When to go

April to November is the working season for boats. Early morning is the only reliable way to avoid a long wait, since numbered tickets can run out by mid morning in autumn. November colour is the peak. Boats stop after heavy rain or when the river runs high, sometimes for days, so keep the plan flexible.

Honest expectations

Boat waits of two or three hours are common in season, and the rental is charged by the half hour whether or not you can steer, which most first-timers cannot; collisions under the falls are routine. The walkway is short. Takachiho has no train, so buses over the mountains take hours, and the town is quiet once the day trippers leave.

Nearby

The Aso caldera to the north, and the Miyazaki coast a few hours east.