Autumn colour
Red maples.
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Kankakei, «cold mist valley», is a mountain gorge on the island of Shōdoshima in Kagawa Prefecture, about 11 km in a straight line north-east of Tonoshō port. It is part of Setonaikai National Park, rises to 812 m, and is a nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty. The gorge is celebrated for its Japanese maples. Volunteers formed a preservation society in 1898, and when an attempt was made to take over the area in 1912, a soy sauce magnate from the island stepped in to protect it. In 1927 it was chosen as one of the 100 Landscapes of Japan. Spires and cliffs of grey volcanic rock rise above forested slopes, and in autumn the trees turn into a sea of red, orange and gold. A ropeway glides over the gorge between the peaks, viewpoints at the top look out over the Seto Inland Sea and its islands, and the best-known rocks here carry traditional names. Walking in the gorge is free, and the ropeway is paid. Autumn colour usually peaks in late November, when it is very busy, and Shōdoshima is reached by ferry from Takamatsu or Okayama.
Red maples.
Volcanic rock.
Over the gorge.
Shōdoshima, Kagawa, Japan
Late November for autumn colour.
By ferry from Takamatsu or Okayama.