Tales of deities and demons weave into the history of the small town of Takachiho, and their stories are magnified by the spectacular scenery of the region. Driving from the Mt. Aso region, we took a rental car through the quaint countryside and winding mountain roads to reach this lush paradise, and it ended up being one of my favorite day trips to date.
Takachiho is not a large region by any means, but if there's only one thing you could do here, a visit to Takachiho Gorge is a must. This river gorge was produced by pyroclastic flow from an ancient Mt. Aso eruption. Many come for the opportunity to rent a rowboat and row out to Manai Falls, a tall waterfall that dispenses directly into the canyon below. While I definitely struggled with the rowing (the boats seemed to prioritize stability over maneuverability), at least we avoided getting stuck directly underneath the waterfall. Yet, nature always finds a way and we ended up getting wet anyway from the rain.
After our allotted rowing time was up, we hiked along the well-paved trail that paralleled the Gokase river cutting through the gorge.
Although the walls of the canyon didn't look very natural to my eyes, they were formed through lava flow, which created the columnar basalts. This unique pattern added to the mysterious atmosphere.
The other must-visit location while in Takachino is the Amanoiwato Shrine. Legend has it that Amaterasu, the sun goddess, hid in a cave here and plunged the world into darkness for the first time. While the particular cave that Amaterasu hid in is not accessible, people come to pay a visit to another cave nearby that hosts the smaller Amano Yasukawara shrine. It is in this other cave where deities gathered and successfully formulated a plan to lure Amaterasu out of hiding.
To reach Amano Yasukawara, we just had to take a small trail starting from the Amanoiwato Shrine. Overall, it was a pretty short hike, but as we hiked further into the path, we began noticing small cairns (stacks of rocks) on the side of the trail. It started with one, then two, then more, until finally, after turning the final corner at the end of the trail, we reached the mouth of the cave where we witnessed countless cairns with a large wooden torii standing tall amongst them. Words can't really describe the chill that I got up my spine as we arrived at the mouth of the cave. It felt eerie, but full with spiritual energy, a feeling that I won't forget any time soon.
It was only later that I learned that given the sacred nature of Amano Yasukawara, people visiting the shrine have created this tradition of leaving behind small cairns to have their wishes come true.
Witnessing this awe-inspiring scene definitely recharged my spirit and was the perfect way to cap off our day trip to Takachiho.