The Kagawa tourism association gives the peak here as early to late November. For an island in the Inland Sea that is not late, and the altitude accounts for it — the gorge turns before the flat ground around the coast.

Kankakei was formed by volcanic activity around thirteen million years ago and shaped over the two million years since. What remains is a cut through the middle of Shodoshima, walled with eroded rock. The usual way across it is the ropeway: 917 metres of cable climbing 317 metres, with rock and leaf passing the window at the same time. You end up looking down into the gorge from a height you could not otherwise reach. The ride takes five minutes.

There is also a walking route, about an hour each way, which passes the named rock formations at close quarters and takes you through the plants that have seeded themselves in the crevices. It is the better option if you want the place rather than the view of it.

The structure of a visit here is two-stage: a crossing by sea, then a climb. That is worth planning around, because the ferry timetable rather than the ropeway is what limits the day. From the upper station the Inland Sea opens out beyond the ridges, which is the part most people remember afterwards.