Through the sacred shrine of Ama-no-iwato, literally, Stone gate of the heaven, runs Iwato river named after it.

As we walked on the footpath that snakes on the shady cliff we could spot yamame trout, of very decent size, rising in the middle of the sacred river.
We drove a short distance to Ubuyama river, one of the all too many streams, fed by the rich spring waters of Mt. Aso.

15 minutes easy drive from the hotel took us to a bridge over the upper reach of the river. Looking down, hey, wait, see what I see? That must be rise rings of Yamame trout!?
The myth has it that the Takachiho heights is the very place where Mikado, the divine ancestor of the emperor descended from the higher world.
In Kyusyu, they call Yamame trout ' Enoha', a name with very elegant sound to the ears of us Japanese speakers.

And they are very agile fish too. Arguably even more so than Amego trout, regular in our home rivers in Hiroshima.
Indeed they were. And they were feeding on adult mosquitoes, making tell tale splashes here and there. Yet they were clever fish too, refusing flies with even a slight unnatural drift. Really engaging stuff!
The next day dawned in a nicely chilled, crisp highland air. With a short spell of shower during the night, the condition for fishing could never be better.
The countless mountains of Takachiho.

In the ancient days when there was only hazy border between the god and the man, these mountains must have stood here just as they do today. Grand!



to Kyusyu in May - 3



The scenic Takachiho gorge.
Fishy Trips
Kyusu in May '07 - 2
Leaving the streams of Mt. Aso behind, we crossed over the backbone of Kyusyu range to the east, to pay a visit to Takachiho, a village whose myths and history date back to time immemorial.
Even an unpretentious roadside carving sure has a story to tell.
Walking up the river 5minutes, you come to a gigantic cave curved out by floods and erosion. As old tale has it, this is the place where gods and goddesses convened to discuss, when the most divine sun god, Ama-terasu retreated behind the stone gate, leaving the secular world in darkness.
Short distance downstream, the river gained more of a natural touch in the rush green vegetations.

This was another area patronized by local flyfishers. It's very generous of them offering such great fishery to us the visitors for free. We as guests of course abided by all local rules, not to mention strict Catch & Release.