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Takachiho
Takachiho is a mountain town in the north of Miyazaki Prefecture, in the Kyushu region, known for the basalt cliffs of Takachiho Gorge and as the setting of some of the oldest myths of Japan.
Manai Falls, Takachiho Gorge
- Prefecture
- Miyazaki
- Region
- Kyushu
- Journeys
- The Custom Tour of Japan
overview
A green gorge of volcanic rock, and a town where the gods of Japan are still danced each night.
The Takachiho Gorge was cut by the Gokase River through columns of volcanic rock that came from Aso some 90,000 to 120,000 years ago and filled the valleys far to the east, cooling and cracking as it set. The river has worn them into sheer walls up to a hundred metres high, about seven kilometres long, their columns as regular as organ pipes, with the Manai Falls dropping seventeen metres into the green pool below. It is a Place of Scenic Beauty and a Natural Monument of Japan.
Takachiho is also the land of the Kojiki, the eighth-century chronicle of the gods. Its shrines tell the story of the sun goddess Amaterasu, who hid in a cave and plunged the world into darkness until the other gods lured her out with a dance, and it is one of two places in Kyushu that claim to be where her grandson Ninigi descended from heaven to rule the earth.
That dance survives as Takachiho no Kagura, sacred dance performed in thirty-three parts, an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. In the winter months the villages perform it through the night in private homes, and every evening of the year four of its dances are performed at Takachiho Shrine, the best introduction a visitor could have.
Our tours stay overnightOur tours visit for the dayOn a Custom Tour of Japan
see and do
What to see in Takachiho
Takachiho Gorge
The narrow canyon of rock columns and green water, with the Manai Falls at its centre. A promenade of about a kilometre follows the gorge along the cliff top, with views down to the river and the falls at every turn.
Manai Falls
A white ribbon of water seventeen metres high, falling from the forest into the gorge, said in the myths to have sprung from water the gods brought down from heaven.
Takachiho Shrine
The main shrine of the eighty-eight villages of Takachiho, in a grove of great cedars, its main hall of 1778 an Important Cultural Property. The pair of joined cedars in its grounds, the Meoto-sugi, is visited by couples.
Takachiho Yokagura
An hour of kagura performed in the hall of Takachiho Shrine every evening at eight, four dances from the cycle of thirty-three, among them the dance of the god who pulled open the door of Amaterasu's cave.
Amano Iwato Shrine
A shrine on the Iwato River facing the cave where Amaterasu is said to have hidden. The cave itself is sacred and is seen across the river from a viewing place behind the worship hall, in the company of a priest.
Amano Yasukawara
A broad cave on the river a short walk from Amano Iwato Shrine, where the gods are said to have met to plan how to bring the sun goddess out. Visitors have stacked thousands of small stone cairns on its floor.
Kunimigaoka
A hill above the town with a view over the basin of Takachiho and the mountains of Aso and Sobo, where a sea of cloud can fill the valleys below.
The three bridges
Near the start of the promenade, three bridges cross the gorge one above another, from an old stone arch near the water to a modern road bridge high above it.
experiences
The best of Takachiho
The gorge from above
A slow walk along the promenade above the river, with a guide who can tell the story of the rock and the myths of each rock and pool, pausing at the viewpoints over the Manai Falls.
An evening of kagura
Dinner, then the night kagura at Takachiho Shrine, explained beforehand so that every mask and movement of the dance means something.
The myths, told in place
A day at Amano Iwato Shrine, Amano Yasukawara and Takachiho Shrine with a guide steeped in the Kojiki, the landscape and the stories read together.
Takachiho at the table
Miyazaki wagyu, river fish, and kappo-zake, sake warmed in a fresh length of green bamboo over the fire, a speciality of the mountains.
plan your visit
Takachiho on a journey through Japan
- How long to stay
- One night in Takachiho allows the gorge in the day and the kagura in the evening; it can also be seen in a long day from Aso or Kurokawa Onsen.
- Getting there
- By car from Kumamoto Airport in about an hour and a half, from Aso in a little over an hour, and from Kumamoto city in about two hours. From Fukuoka it is about three hours by car.
- Pairs well with
- Takachiho is an easy drive from Aso and Kurokawa Onsen and fits between them and Kumamoto, with Beppu to the northeast and Kirishima to the south for a longer journey.AsoKurokawa OnsenKumamotoBeppuKirishima
journeys
Takachiho on a private journey
We bring guests to Takachiho on the Custom Tour of Japan, created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director.
questions
Takachiho: questions answered
How do you see Takachiho Gorge?
From the promenade along the cliff top, about a kilometre long, which looks down over the walls of rock, the river and the Manai Falls. It is a gentle walk of about forty minutes with many places to stop.
How do you get to Takachiho?
By car, about an hour and a half from Kumamoto Airport, a little over an hour from Aso, and about two hours from Kumamoto city. There is no railway to the town.
What is the Takachiho night kagura?
An hour of sacred dance performed at Takachiho Shrine every evening at eight: four of the thirty-three dances of Takachiho no Kagura, which tell the myth of the sun goddess Amaterasu.
Is Takachiho worth visiting?
Yes. The gorge is one of the most beautiful in Japan, and the shrines and kagura make it one of the few places where the old myths are still part of daily life.
What is the legend of Takachiho?
Takachiho is where the sun goddess Amaterasu is said to have hidden in a cave until the gods drew her out with a dance, the origin of kagura, and one of two places in Kyushu said to be where her grandson Ninigi came down from heaven.
Can Takachiho be visited as a day trip?
Yes, from Aso or Kurokawa Onsen, both about an hour or so away; staying one night allows the evening kagura at Takachiho Shrine.
Can Takachiho be part of a private tour of Japan?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director, and it can go anywhere in the country, Takachiho included. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.
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Takachiho, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and what draws you to Takachiho, and we will answer with a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone, or, if you would rather travel independently, an Expert Japan Itinerary that plans every day for you.