Takachiho Gorge Onsen

Takachiho Gorge Onsen is a hot spring resort destination near the mythologically sacred Takachiho Gorge in the mountainous interior of Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu — one of Japan's most profound sites of Shinto religious heritage, where the 87-meter Manai Falls tumbling into the gorge's basalt columns is associated with the mythological cave of Ama-no-Iwato, where the sun goddess Amaterasu is said to have hidden and plunged the world into darkness. The sulfurous thermal waters of the area draw on the volcanic geology of central Kyushu and are offered in bathing facilities that complement the deeply spiritual and historically resonant character of the Takachiho landscape. The gorge itself — carved by the Gokase River through stratified volcanic basalt columns — is one of Japan's most photographically spectacular natural sites, and the surrounding highlands of Miyazaki, with their ancient shrines, agricultural terraces, and traditional rural culture, create an atmosphere of profound Japanese antiquity. Takachiho Gorge Onsen offers the unique pleasure of hot spring bathing in the heartland of Japanese mythology, where the origin stories of the Japanese people are embedded in every rock, spring, and waterfall of the landscape.