Miyazaki

A sun-drenched southern coast with Aoshima's Devil's Washboard, Udo Shrine and Nichinan Coast drives, famed for surfing, Miyazaki beef and mangoes.

Miyazaki & Aoshima lie in southeastern Kyushu, using Miyazaki City, capital of Miyazaki Prefecture, as a base and covering the Nichinan Kaigan Quasi-National Park to the south and the Saito, Aya and Hyuga areas to the north. Facing the Pacific and warmed by the Kuroshio Current, it enjoys mild winters and some of the longest sunshine hours in Japan. With streets lined with phoenix palms and coconut trees, it is known as "tropical Miyazaki". It is also the setting of Japanese myths such as the descent of the heavenly grandson Ninigi and the starting point of Emperor Jimmu's eastern expedition, and is dotted with shrines.

The highlight is a drive south along Route 220 down the Nichinan Coast. About 15 km south of the city, the island of Aoshima is ringed by the wave-like rock formations of the "Devil's Washboard", and Aoshima Shrine on the island is a popular spot to pray for love. Further south are the Horikiri Pass lookout, the officially authorised Easter Island moai replicas at Sun Messe Nichinan, and Udo Shrine, built inside a sea cave; inland lies the castle town of Obi, known as the "Little Kyoto of Kyushu", and at the southern tip is Cape Toi, home to wild horses. In the city itself are Miyazaki Jingu and Heiwadai Park; to the north are the Saitobaru Burial Mounds (where cherry blossoms and rapeseed flowers bloom together in late March) and the Teruha Suspension Bridge in Aya, and about an hour further north are the Umagase cliffs in Hyuga. Kisakihama and the Aoshima area are well-known surf spots in Japan.

Seasons: winters are warm and dry, and Mar–Apr is the most pleasant time; summer is good for surfing and swimming, but typhoons are frequent Jul–Sep and June is the rainy season. Local food includes Miyazaki beef, chicken nanban, charcoal-grilled local chicken, hiyajiru (chilled miso soup) and fully ripened "Taiyo no Tamago" (Egg of the Sun) mangoes (Apr–Jul). Getting there: Miyazaki Airport is about 15 minutes from the city centre and about 20 minutes by car from Aoshima; from Fukuoka, a JR limited express or highway bus takes about 4–5 hours. The JR Nichinan Line serves Aoshima and Obi, but trains are infrequent, so a rental car is strongly recommended for the Nichinan Coast and Cape Toi. Allow 2–3 days.

Top sights

• Aoshima Island & Aoshima Shrine – A subtropical island about 1.5 km around. Aoshima Shrine, set among palm forest on the island, is a sacred site for prayers for good marria…
• Udo Jingu Shrine – A vermilion main shrine built inside a sea cave beneath a cliff. Throwing 'lucky jewels' at the turtle rock while making a wish is the sign…
• Devil's Washboard – Wave-shaped rock platforms eroded by the sea from alternating layers of sandstone and mudstone, like giant washboards stretching along the…
• Horikiri Pass & Michi-no-Eki Phoenix – The first lookout on the Nichinan Coast, where phoenix palms line the road above the Devil's Washboard and the Pacific.
• Sun Messe Nichinan – A hillside garden overlooking the Pacific, home to seven moai replicas, the only officially authorised copies, approved by Easter Island's…
• Obi Castle Town – The 'Little Kyoto of Kyushu', ruled by the Itō clan for 280 years, with moss-covered stone walls and the cedar-built Ōte gate preserved.
• Miyazaki Jingu – An ancient shrine dedicated to Emperor Jimmu, set in dense primeval greenery and the city's most beloved shrine.
• Heiwadai Park – A hilltop park centred on the 37-metre Tower of Peace, with a haniwa garden containing around 400 replica clay figures.
• Kisakihama Beach – A surf spot beside Miyazaki Airport with consistently good waves, which has hosted national surfing championships and other major events.
• Cape Toi – The southernmost headland of the Nichinan Coast, a grassy cape where about a hundred semi-wild Misaki horses, a national natural monument…
• Saitobaru Burial Mounds – Over 300 tumuli from the 3rd to 7th centuries scattered across the plateau; in spring around 2,000 cherry trees and 300,000 rapeseed plants…
• Aya Teruha Suspension Bridge – A 250-metre pedestrian suspension bridge about 142 metres above the valley floor, spanning one of Japan's largest laurel forests.
• Umagase Cliffs – Columnar-jointed cliffs rising up to 70 metres at Hyūga Cape, where seawater surges into a narrow fissure about 200 metres long, among Japa…
• Koshima Island – An uninhabited islet off the southern Nichinan Coast, home to wild macaques that wash sweet potatoes in seawater, a sacred site for primate…

Where to eat

• Ogura Honten – One of the birthplaces of Chicken Nanban, this historic Western-style restaurant in a Miyazaki alley is famous for its…
• Maruman Yakitori Honten – Established in 1954 in Nishitachibana, this historic eatery is known as the pioneer of charcoal-grilled chicken thighs…
• Furusato Ryori Suginoko – Founded in 1970, this Miyazaki local cuisine restaurant offers Hiyajiru and Chicken Nanban sets in private dining rooms.

Itineraries

• Kyushu Rail Grand Loop (No Car) – A car-free loop around Kyushu: Nagasaki on the west, Aso in the center, Beppu and Miyazaki on the east, ending in Kagos…
• Southern Kyushu Volcanic Coast Road Trip – Starting and ending at Kagoshima Airport, looping through Kirishima, the Nichinan Coast, Cape Toi, Sakurajima, and Ibus…