Miyazaki City, capital of Miyazaki Prefecture, is located on the south eastern coast of Kyushu. With one of the warmest climates on the main islands of Japan combined with attractions such as resorts, beaches and sports facilities, Miyazaki was the top honeymoon spot and a popular destination with domestic travelers until the 1980s.
The city has since seen falling visitor numbers, but is now making a comeback due to the efforts of a former comedian, Higashikokubaru Hideo, the current governor of Miyazaki Prefecture. His celebrity and constant efforts to keep Miyazaki in the public eye, have begun to revive the Miyazaki brand.
Miyazaki City is also near attractions such as Takachiho to the north and Kirishima to the southwest, which are both important sites of Japanese mythology and beautiful places to enjoy nature.
Aoshima Island
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Aoshima Island is a small, beautiful island just off of the coast of the resort beaches south of Miyazaki City. Aoshima is connected to the mainland by a bridge and is ringed by white beaches surrounding a subtropical jungle at the island's center.
It is a 1.5 kilometer walk around Aoshima's beaches with a number of canvas stands selling souvenirs along the way. At the center of the island is Aoshima Jinja, a colorful shrine set back in the jungle that is said to bring luck to married couples.
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Make sure to follow the short path to the right of the shrine's main building through the jungle to a smaller outlying shrine. The scenery and silence along the way can be quite mesmerizing. At the small shrine you can buy clay disks which are thrown at a target for luck.
The shallow water around the island has a geological phenomenon known as Oni no Sentakuita, or devil's washboard. Visible at low tide, these perfectly straight rows of basalt rock look as if they must be the remnants of something manmade. They are natural formations, however, which can be found farther south along the Nichinan Coast as well.
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| how to get there |
Take a local or rapid train on the JR Nichinan Line from Miyazaki Station to Aoshima Station. The trip takes 30 minutes and costs 360 yen (fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass). The island is about a five minute walk from the station.
Alternatively, buses from Miyazaki Station stop at Aoshima on their way to Udo Shrine. The one way trip from Miyazaki to Aoshima takes about 40 minutes and costs 670 yen. There is one bus per hour.
How to get to and around Miyazaki
Heiwadai Park
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Heiwadai Park, or Peace Tower Park, was built in 1940 to celebrate the 2600th anniversary of the ascension of Emperor Jimmu, the mythical first emperor of Japan, on what is believed to be the original site of his capital. Inside the park stands the Peace Tower, or Heiwadainoto, a tower constructed of stones sent from all around Asia and one of Miyazaki's most recognizable landmarks.
The Peace Tower was meant to symbolize a united world. On the front of the tower is the phrase "Hakko Ichiu", which is attributed to Emperor Jimmu and means "United under one roof". While it is somewhat ambiguous what he meant, this was often used as a rallying cry for imperialists who believed that peace would reign once Asia was united under Japanese leadership.
Heiwadai Park also has an interesting acoustic trick. If you face the Peace Tower from the center of the wide lawn at its base and clap, your clap will be magnified and reflected back toward you.
At the far end of the park is the Haniwa Garden, a collection of over 400 replica haniwa (burial statues) depicting animals, warriors, dancers, boats and houses arranged along a walking path through the trees. During the Kofun Period these clay statues were placed around burial mounds in tribute to the deceased.
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| how to get there |
From Miyazaki Station take a bus in the direction of Tachibana Dori and get off at the Depato Mae bus stop (4 minutes, 150 yen). From there you can transfer to a bus bound for Heiwadai Park (12 minutes, 230 yen).
Heiwadai Park can also be reached in a 15 minute walk from Miyazaki Shrine and the Prefectural Museum.
Seagaia Resort
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The Phoenix Seagaia Resort is a massive oceanside resort spanning nearly 10 kilometers of coastline just north of central Miyazaki City. More than just a collection of hotels, Seagaia is a symbol of Miyazaki's resort heritage and offers its guests a wealth of things to do.
Although parts of Seagaia have been closed due to post economic bubble restructuring, there are still many attractions on the grounds including hot springs, beaches with excellent surfing and a zoo. There are also world class tennis and golf facilities where international competitions are routinely held.
Miyazaki was once the most popular honeymoon site for domestic newlyweds until it was surpassed by Okinawa and Hawaii in the 1980s. The Seagaia Resort was built in the early 1990s as state of the art symbol of Miyazaki's resort tourism with the hope of attracting visitors and revitalizing the economy.
By 2001, however, the Seagaia Resort was bankrupt and sold to a foreign investment firm. The group revitalized the resort, streamlining its operations and closing unprofitable attractions. As a result the resort has recently become profitable again.
Unfortunately Seagaia's Ocean Dome, the world's largest indoor water park and a main landmark of the resort, did not survive the downsizing. Ocean Dome was closed in 2007 and today the huge complex stands empty awaiting its future.
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| how to get there |
Buses operate between Miyazaki Station and the resort. The trip takes about 25 minutes and costs 470 yen. Alternatively, a taxi takes around 15 minutes and costs about 2500 yen.
Another bus operates between Miyazaki Airport and the resort. The trip takes about 30 minutes and costs 800 yen. A taxi takes around 20 minutes and costs about 4500 yen.
How to get to and around Miyazaki
Miyazaki Shrine
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Miyazaki Shrine, or Miyazaki Jingu in Japanese, is the oldest and most important shrine in the city. Dedicated to Emperor Jimmu, the mythical first emperor of Japan, it is said to have been established over 2600 years ago.
The shrine's buildings, constructed of simple, unpainted cedar, sit in the center of a large, quiet forest. Festivals and other events such as yabusame (horseback archery competitions) are held during the year on the wide path under the trees.
The Miyazaki Prefectural Museum stands just next to Miyazaki Shrine.
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| how to get there |
Miyazaki Shrine is a 5 to 10 minute walk from Miyazaki Jingu Station (3 minutes, 160 yen from Miyazaki Station). Alternatively, there is a bus which runs from Miyazaki Station to the shrine (10 minutes, 160 yen).
How to get to and around Miyazaki
Miyazaki Prefectural Museum
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The Miyazaki Prefectural Museum of Nature and History is located on the same grounds as Miyazaki Shrine. It is a comprehensive museum with exhibits on both the natural and cultural history of Miyazaki Prefecture. Furthermore, it is the venue of temporary, special exhibitions.
The museum's extensive permanent exhibition displays a variety of plants and animals in reproductions of their natural habitats. Additionally there are many well done displays, several of them life size, of life and industry throughout the history of Miyazaki. Explanations, however, are only provided in Japanese.
Behind the museum building is Minkaen, a small open air museum consisting of four traditional farmhouses. The preserved houses have been relocated from around the region and some are more than 200 years old.
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The Miyazaki Prefectural Museum of Nature and History is a 10 minute walk from Miyazaki Jingu Station and is on the same grounds as the Miyazaki Shrine.
How to get to and around Miyazaki
Miyazaki Science Museum
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Across the street from Miyazaki Station is the Miyazaki Science Center. Also known as Cosmoland, this museum features many interactive exhibits with an emphasis on physics and space.
Inside the museum is an animatronic "Dr. Cosmo" who greets visitors and introduces them to the museum and its exhibits, most of which are hands on and let visitors experiment with various principles of physics.
The main emphasis of the museum is on space, however. Along with interactive exhibits and activities on space travel, the is also a real sized model of the Apollo 11 Moon Lander, a Gemini Spacecraft and a 1/4 scale model of a Japanese H-1 Rocket. In addition, the museum's upper floor houses one of the world's largest planetariums.
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The Miyazaki Science Museum is across the street from Miyazaki Station.
How to get to and around Miyazaki
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