Manai Falls threads a 17-meter ribbon of water into Takachiho Gorge, the celebrated chasm of the Gokase River at Mitai in Takachiho Town, Miyazaki Prefecture. The setting explains the fame: pyroclastic flows from Mount Aso's eruptions — roughly 120,000 and 90,000 years ago — cooled rapidly into columnar-jointed rock, which the Gokase River then carved into a V-shaped gorge whose cliffs average 80 meters and reach 100, running east–west for seven kilometers. The gorge was designated a national place of scenic beauty and natural monument in 1934 and folded into the Sobo-Katamuki Quasi-National Park in 1965. Manai is the best known of its waterfalls, alongside Tamadare and Araragi.
Visiting Manai Falls
The falls descend into Takachiho Gorge at Mitai, Takachiho Town, Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture, about 25 km southeast of Mount Aso. A gorge walking path (the Takachiho-kyo promenade) runs above the pyroclastic rock layers, giving views over the chasm.
