Spots in Miyazaki

Each spot shows when its facts were last checked against official sources.

By prefecture:

HokkaidoHokkaido (60)

TohokuAomori (30)Iwate (30)Miyagi (40)Akita (30)Yamagata (30)Fukushima (30)

KantoIbaraki (30)Tochigi (30)Gunma (30)Tokyo (30)Kanagawa (30)

ChubuNiigata (30)Ishikawa (30)Yamanashi (30)Nagano (30)Gifu (30)Shizuoka (30)

KansaiMie (30)Kyoto (30)Osaka (30)Hyogo (30)Nara (30)Wakayama (30)

ChugokuHiroshima (30)

ShikokuTokushima (15)Kagawa (30)Ehime (30)Kochi (30)

Kyushu & OkinawaFukuoka (30)Saga (30)Nagasaki (30)Kumamoto (30)Oita (30)Miyazaki (30)Kagoshima (30)Okinawa (30)

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No photo yetTakachiho, MiyazakiAmano YasukawaraA great cave about 10 minutes on foot along the Iwato River from the Nishi Hongu of Amano Iwato Shrine, a setting of Japanese myth: it is said that when the sun goddess Amaterasu hid in the rock cave, the countless gods gathered here to discuss how to bring back the light. Also called "Gyobo-ga-iwaya", countless stones piled by people making prayers heighten its mysterious atmosphere.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetMiyazaki, MiyazakiAoshima IslandA small island about 1.5 km around, rich in nature with many subtropical plants such as Chinese fan palms, giving it a tropical atmosphere. Aoshima Shrine stands in the middle of the island, and the famous rock formation "Oni no Sentakuita" (Devil's Washboard) surrounds it. On the beach you can enjoy sea kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetMiyazaki, MiyazakiAoshima ShrineA shrine in the middle of Aoshima, an island said to be entirely shrine grounds, reached across the Yayoi Bridge. It is a setting of the famous myth of Umisachihiko and Yamasachihiko. Beyond the "Inori no Kodo", a tunnel of votive tablets, stands the Motomiya (original shrine) surrounded by Chinese fan palms, where rituals are said to have been held since around the Yayoi period.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetAya, MiyazakiAya Teruha Suspension BridgeA pedestrian suspension bridge 142 m high and 250 m long over the Ayagawa gorge in Kyushu Chuo Sanchi Quasi-National Park, one of the largest in Japan, giving the thrill of walking in the air with one of Japan's largest evergreen broadleaf forests and a wide sky before you. Aya was registered as a UNESCO Eco Park in 2012 for its community-building in harmony with nature. The Teruha Forest Culture Hall stands before the bridge, and a nature trail of about 2 km runs along the slope on the far side.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetHyuga, MiyazakiCape Hyuga (Umagase)Cape Hyuga, in Nippo Kaigan Quasi-National Park, is a ria coast about 5 km long, lined with the "columnar joints of Cape Hyuga", a national natural monument. "Umagase" is named because the whole cape looks like a horse's back from the sea; the observatory at the end of the path looks over a grand panorama of the Pacific. About 2 minutes away, the viewing space "Skeruccha!" was renewed with glass in 2022, letting you look straight down the sheer cliff beneath your feet.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKushima, MiyazakiCape ToiA cape at the southern end of Nichinan Kaigan Quasi-National Park. From the white Toimisaki Lighthouse, the only lighthouse in Kyushu whose interior can be visited, you look over green hills and the Hyuga Sea. The area is home to "Misaki-uma", a native Japanese horse breed first put out to graze by the Takanabe domain in the Edo period and designated a national natural monument; all 550 ha of the cape are their home, and many foals are born from April to May.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetEbino, MiyazakiEbino Kogen PlateauA plateau at 1,200 m south of Ebino, in the north of Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park on the border of Miyazaki and Kagoshima. Surrounded by mountains such as Mt. Karakuni and Mt. Koshiki, with crater lakes such as Byakushi, Rokkannon Miike and Fudo ponds, it is a popular trekking area. Nokaido (a natural monument) and Miyama-kirishima azaleas bloom from spring to summer; in autumn there are pampas grass and autumn leaves, and in winter you may even see rime ice.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKobayashi, MiyazakiIkoma Kogen PlateauA plateau of about 90,000 m² against the Kirishima mountains, about 20 minutes by car from JR Kobayashi Station on the way to Ebino Kogen, looking down on the farmland of the Nishimoro basin. From mid-April about 150,000 California and Iceland poppies bloom, hydrangeas in June, red-tinted kochia from mid-September and about 1 million cosmos from early October; there is a café and a dog run.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetEbino, MiyazakiJin-no-ike PondA spring-fed pond at the foot of the hills in the Tashiro district of Iino, northeast Ebino, said to be named after the Ito clan pitching camp here in their battle with the Shimazu. There are two ponds, large and small, so clear you can see the bottom; the light through the trees changes with the time of day, and on sunny days the emerald-green surface makes it a photo spot. In spring cherry blossoms are reflected in the water.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKushima, MiyazakiKoshima IslandA small uninhabited island about 3.5 km around, about 200 m off the Ishinami coast in southern Miyazaki, designated a national natural monument as the "Koshima monkey habitat" and reached by ferry in 5 minutes. About 90 Japanese macaques live on the wooded island, studied by Kyoto University's Wildlife Research Center. Around 1953 a monkey began washing sweet potatoes in seawater, and the behaviour was passed on, making them world-famous as "monkeys with culture"; the island is known as the birthplace of Japanese primatology.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetTakachiho, MiyazakiKunimigaokaA viewpoint about 513 m high with the best view in the Takachiho Basin: the Aso Five Peaks to the west, the Sobo mountains to the north, and the basin and the Gokase River below to the east. On early mornings from late September to early December, when conditions are right, a sea of clouds can be seen; clear, windless, cold mornings give the best chance. Its view has a star in the Michelin Green Guide Japan.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetHyuga, MiyazakiKurusu no Umi (Cross-shaped Sea)A huge reef split by wave erosion over about 200 m east-west and 220 m north-south, which looks like a cross ("kurusu") from above. When the waves are calm the cross can be seen clearly, with the deep blue Pacific beyond. A bell stands at the viewpoint, and it is about 3 minutes by car from Umagase.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNichinan, MiyazakiMarine Viewer Nichinan (Underwater Sightseeing Boat)An underwater sightseeing boat from Tonoura Port. The cruise passes scenery of rocky shores and islets such as Ude-jima, Kuroshima and the Misagobae reef; off Eimatsu the engine stops and you go down to the viewing room in the hull, where red coral and colourful fish such as pennant coralfish and blue damselfish can be seen through the glass. Kites swooping down for food are another highlight, and on the 2nd floor is "Gyokyo Shokudo Tonoura", run directly by the Tonoura fishing co-op.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNobeoka, MiyazakiMichi-no-Eki KitauraA roadside station on Route 388 in Nippo Kaigan Quasi-National Park, inside the "Shimoaso Beach Resort Hamayu-mura" with cabins, an auto campsite, an athletic course and salt fields. Shimoaso Beach in front was the only beach in Kyushu chosen as a special selection of Japan's 100 best beaches. The shop sells seafood from the fishing town of Kitaura, such as oysters, turban shells, sardines and sea bream, and "Tsuki no Shio" salt made in the salt fields; the restaurant overlooks the coast.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetMiyazaki, MiyazakiMichi-no-Eki PhoenixA roadside station in the Horikiri Pass area of Nichinan Kaigan Quasi-National Park, just south of the Horikiri Pass viewpoint. From the observation deck you look down on the blue sea and the rock formations called "Oni no Sentakuita" (Devil's Washboard). About 20 phoenix palms, jacarandas and bougainvilleas give a tropical feel, and the shop's soft-serve ice cream comes in local flavours such as Miyazaki mango and premium hyuganatsu.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetMiyazaki, MiyazakiMiyazaki-jingu ShrineA shrine enshrining Emperor Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan, said to have been founded by his grandson Takeiwatatsu-no-Mikoto; his parents are enshrined here as well. The approach lit by lanterns has a mysterious atmosphere. The present buildings, built in 1907 (Meiji 40), use Sano cedar, a fine timber of Hyuga, which is rare in Japan. The shrine festival known as "Jimmu-sama" is known for its sacred procession, and events such as horseback archery are held through the year.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNichinan, MiyazakiNamikiri ShrineA torii and a small shrine sit in a cave right by the sea, with a mysterious atmosphere under the low rock ceiling. It is within the grounds of Udo-jingu: through the shrine gate and up the steps to Udo Inari Shrine, a path of about 20 minutes leads here; the footing is poor like a mountain trail, so few people come and it is quiet. Beside it Fudo Myoo is enshrined, and the sea of the Nichinan coast spreads right before you.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetMiyazaki, MiyazakiNichinan CoastA coastline of about 100 km from southern Miyazaki City to Cape Toi at the southern tip of the prefecture, across Miyazaki, Nichinan and Kushima, symbolising tropical Miyazaki with blue sea and sky, phoenix palms and southern flowers. The varied coast has "hajo-iwa" rocks, Chinese fan palms and jacaranda blossoms, making it an ideal driving road, with sights such as Horikiri Pass, Aoshima and Udo-jingu. There are also rocky reef areas where corals grow and tropical fish swim, and it is one of Japan's leading surf spots.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNichinan, MiyazakiObi Castle TownObi in Nichinan prospered for about 280 years from 1588 as the castle town of the Ito clan (51,000 koku). Its townscape of stone walls and samurai houses built with Obi stone and Obi cedar, called "the little Kyoto of Kyushu", was in 1977 the first in Kyushu to be selected as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. Around the Obi Castle main gate are the Yoshokan, the former domain school Shintokudo and the Obi Castle Historical Museum; the old main-enclosure site, lined with 140-year-old Obi cedars over a carpet of moss, is called "the forest of healing".Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetHyuga, MiyazakiOmi ShrineAn old shrine to Amaterasu standing on columnar rocks overlooking the ocean, next to Isegahama at the base of Cape Hyuga, called "the Ise of Hyuga". In its grounds is one of Japan's largest groups of "sazare-ishi" stones sung of in the national anthem "Kimigayo", and in a cave at the east end sits Udo Shrine (Ryugu). The shrine's own "Amakakeri Shishi" lion dance is performed at the autumn eve festival and at New Year.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetMiyazaki, MiyazakiPhoenix Zoo (Miyazaki City)A zoo opened in March 1971 (city-run since September 2001) on a pine-covered hill by the Hitotsuba coast facing the Pacific, next to the Phoenix Seagaia Resort. About 1,200 animals of about 100 species are kept on about 140,000 m² of hillside, with an Asian elephant enclosure, an African area, a chimpanzee forest and a children's animal village. Events include the flamingo show with about 70 birds and the elephants' walk, and there is also an amusement park and a lazy-river pool (in summer).Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetSaito, MiyazakiSaitobaru Burial MoundsOne of Japan's largest groups of burial mounds, recognised as Japan Heritage, with over 300 mounds scattered across a plateau about 2.6 km east-west and 4.2 km north-south. The area is a park, coloured by cherry blossoms and rape blossoms in spring, sunflowers in summer and cosmos in autumn. "Oni no Iwaya" is the only mound in the group with an open corridor-style stone chamber that can be entered, and the Saitobaru Archaeological Museum treats the whole site as a field museum.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetMiyakonojo, MiyazakiSekinoo FallsA waterfall on the Shonai River, a tributary of the Oyodo, in Kirishima Geopark and one of Japan's 100 best waterfalls. The great fall, about 40 m wide and 18 m high, roars with spray, seen close up from a suspension bridge; there are also the man-made Odaki and Medaki falls cut into the rock in the Meiji era. Upstream, a field of potholes about 600 m long and 80 m wide, all in one continuous bedrock, is a national natural monument valued for its scale and number unmatched in the world.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNichinan, MiyazakiSun Messe NichinanOn a hill overlooking the Nichinan coast stand seven Moai statues (Ahu Akivi), the world's first complete replicas made with official permission from the elders' council of Rapa Nui (Easter Island); you can stand between them and touch them. The 20 ha park looks out over the Pacific, with an insect museum showing butterflies and insects from around the world, 43 World Heritage panels approved by UNESCO headquarters and a butterfly geoglyph. Carts can be rented with an ordinary driving licence.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetTakachiho, MiyazakiTakachiho Amaterasu RailwayA trip of about 30 minutes on an open-top "super cart" through Takachiho, using the facilities of the former Takachiho Railway, closed after typhoon damage in 2005: about 5 km there and back from Takachiho to the Takachiho iron bridge. Parts of the floor are reinforced glass so you can see the track below. The highlight is the view from the bridge, about 105 m high, over the great gorge and the mountains, and the two tunnels on the way are lit with illuminations.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetMiyakonojo, MiyazakiTakachiho FarmA tourist farm at the foot of the Kirishima mountains where you can meet animals and try dairy farming: play with sheep, visit the cowshed, ride horses, try milking cows and make your own ice cream and butter. There are restaurants with grilled meat and Genghis Khan (lamb barbecue), soft-serve ice cream, and a shop for dairy products and baked goods.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetTakachiho, MiyazakiTakachiho GorgeA gorge where cliffs about 80-100 m high continue for about 7 km, carved by the Gokase River out of pyroclastic flows from Aso's volcanic activity. The highlight is around Manai Falls, one of Japan's 100 best waterfalls: touring the emerald-green water by boat between distinctive columnar joints, you look up at the falls dropping about 17 m. The boat landing is near Mihashi Bridge and long queues can form on holidays, so booking ahead is recommended. It is a national place of scenic beauty and natural monument.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetTakachiho, MiyazakiTakachiho ShrineThe head shrine of the 88 shrines of Takachiho, said to date back about 1,900 years to the reign of Emperor Suinin. The main hall, carved with scenes from local legends, is a highly valued building full of local character, and together with the shrine's pair of iron guardian dogs it is a national Important Cultural Property. In the kagura hall, "Takachiho Kagura" is performed every evening all year from 20:00 for one hour, showing four representative dances such as the dance of Tajikarao and the dance of Uzume.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetTsuno, MiyazakiTsuno ShrineA shrine of high standing, ranked as the "Ichinomiya" (first shrine) of Hyuga Province, with a solemn atmosphere in its large grounds surrounded by a sacred forest. It is said to have been founded six years before Emperor Jimmu's enthronement, when he enshrined the deity here on his journey east. Once the greatest shrine in Hyuga, it was burned in the wars of the Shimazu and Otomo, restored in 1692 by Akizuki Tanemasa, lord of the Akizuki domain; the present buildings date from 2007.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNichinan, MiyazakiUdo-jingu ShrineA leading shrine of southern Kyushu facing the Hyuga Sea, affectionately called "Udo-san" by locals. Its vivid vermilion main hall sits inside a cave on a cape jutting into the sea. From the approach the Hyuga Sea spreads out before you, lined with striking rock formations, and in 2017 the whole area including the shrine was designated a national place of scenic beauty under the name "Udo". Early risers can see the sunrise over the horizon, and many visitors come for the first sunrise of the year.Official check: 26 Sept 2026