Miyazaki Prefecture

A vacation in Miyazaki Prefecture takes you to a coast of palm trees and surf beaches and into mountains where, according to Japanese mythology, the gods descended to earth. In the 1960s, Miyazaki was Japan's most popular honeymoon destination; today, visitors come for the quiet, the mild climate, and the tropical fruit.

Landscape and Location

Miyazaki stretches along the Pacific coast in southeastern Kyūshū. The coastal plain with Miyazaki, Takanabe, Hyūga, and Nobeoka continues south into the Nichinan Coast, where rocky cliffs and coves dominate. The interior is mountainous, with the Kyūshū Mountains in the north and the Kirishima volcanic area near Kobayashi and Miyakonojō in the southwest. The prefecture is among the sunniest in Japan.

Sights in Miyazaki Prefecture

Takachiho Gorge in the north is a narrow canyon of basalt columns, where you can take a rowboat beneath Manai Falls. According to legend, the sun goddess Amaterasu hid here in a cave, which you can visit at Amano Iwato Shrine; in the evening, Takachiho Shrine stages kagura dances that tell this story. The small island of Aoshima, south of Miyazaki, is surrounded by a rock platform known as the "Devil's Washboard" because of its ribbed shape. Udo Jingū sits in a cave on a cliff above the sea; visitors toss lucky stones into a hollow in the rock. In Obi near Nichinan, a small castle town preserves samurai houses and stone walls, and Sun Messe Nichinan has replicas of the Moai statues of Easter Island.

Cities and Coast

Miyazaki City has broad, palm-lined avenues and Heiwadai Park with a tower built of stones from around the world. Hyūga is known for Okuragahama surf beach and the Umagase cliffs, Nobeoka for the Imayama Daishi Festival. Miyakonojō is one of Japan's largest livestock and shōchū regions; one of the country's largest distilleries is based here. In the Ebino Highlands near Kobayashi, hiking trails lead to crater lakes. Saito is home to Saitobaru, one of the largest groups of burial mounds in Japan, covered in spring by a carpet of rapeseed and cherry blossoms, and Takanabe has a castle ruin with cherry trees.

Food and Drink

Miyazaki beef has won the national Wagyu competition several times. Chicken nanban, fried chicken in a sweet-and-sour marinade with tartar sauce, was invented in Nobeoka; jidori, free-range chicken, is grilled black over charcoal. Hiyajiru is a cold soup of miso, fish, and cucumber served over rice. Kanjuku mangoes from Miyazaki, ripened on the tree, are among the most expensive fruits in Japan. Wash it all down with shōchū made from sweet potatoes or barley.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Miyazaki Airport is close to the city center and has connections to Tokyo, Osaka, and Seoul. The Nichirin Express links the city with Ōita and Kokura, and the Kirishima Express runs to Kagoshima. For Takachiho, which lies in the mountains, a rental car or the bus from Kumamoto is recommended. Spring and fall are considered the best times to visit; surfers come year-round, and in summer typhoons bring big waves. The nighttime kagura festivals in the villages around Takachiho take place from November through February.