Southern Miyazaki, a land rich in tropical charm

The rich tropical mood of the Nichinan Seacoast is popular as a driving route. There are almost too many spots that you’ll want to stop by and see, such as Cape Toi with its wild horses, Udo Jingu famous for blessings on marriage and matchmaking, and the quaint historic atmosphere of Obi Castle Town.

Udo Jingu, a power spot known for “Undamanage”(Nichinan City)

This is one of the leading power spots in south Kyushu, located on the cliffs facing the Hyuga-Nada Sea along the Pacific Ocean. A bright red shrine building sits inside a cave on the cape jutting out into the sea, surrounded in an air of mysticism. Here, worshippers make a wish and then throw the “undama”, or luck ball, in a way that it lands inside the indentation in a rock. Men use their left hand, while women their right. If your aim is true, it is said that your wish will come true.

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The Devil’s Washboard (Udo Senjojiki Kigan) spreading across the south of Udosaki (Nichinan City)

This waved rock formation appears much like a massive washboard when the tide is low. The alternating layers of sandstone and mudstone deposited here over time took on their present form after eons of erosion due to intense waves, wind, and rain. The place is widely known as the Devil’s Washboard.

A tour of shrines in southern Miyazaki, the land of myth

Obi Castle Town, a castle town known as the little Kyoto of Kyushu, featuring beautiful stone walls (Nichinan City)

Obi, part of Nichinan City, prospered as the castle town of the Ito Clan for approximately 280 years beginning in the year 1588. It is known as the little Kyoto of Kyushu because of the quaint historic townscape that features buildings surviving from an earlier time, including stone walls and samurai residences made of Obi stone and cedar. This historic town was the first place in Kyushu to be selected as a Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 1977.

Cape Toi, a paradise for horses with a view of the wide open Hyuga-Nada Sea(Kushima City)

Cape Toi juts out into the Pacific Ocean at the southern tip of the Nichinan Kaigan Quasi-National Park. The white lighthouse that stands at the edge of the cape offers amazing views of the rich green mountains and the Hyuga-nada Sea. The 550 hectares of the cape serve as the home of the Misaki horse, a native Japanese horse that is designated as a national natural treasure, and visitors can experience the endearing but resilient qualities of these horses up close in their natural habitat.

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Misaki Shrine, a shrine that sits on a cliff (Kushima City)

Misaki Shrine is located partway up a cliff located on a part of Cape Toi jutting six kilometers to the south. Here, you can enjoy the beautiful tapestry woven by the marine blue and white-tipped waves of the Pacific Ocean right before your eyes.

Kojima Island, home of the potato washing monkeys (Kushima City)

Kojima Island is a small uninhabited island floating about 200 meters off the Ishinami coastline, and can be reached in just five minutes by boat. The island is currently home to about 90 Japanese macaques, and has been designated as the Kojima Monkey Habitat, a national natural monument. The island is known as a place where the monkeys have developed the behavior of washing potatoes in seawater before eating them.

Shibushi Bay Daikoku Dolphin Land, an interactive theme park
(Kushima City)

Iruka Land, or “dolphin land”, is a leisure facility where you can experience the enjoyment and healing of playing with dolphins and other creatures, swimming together, touching, and interacting.　 Visitors here will find numerous activities for both parents and children to enjoy, including not only a dynamic and impressive dolphins show, but a chance to feed rabbits and sea turtles too. Every day at 2:00 PM, penguins walk through the park for humorous effect, bringing smiles to the faces of children and adults alike.