Miyazaki city, Miyakonojo, Nichinan Travel Guides

The Miyazaki City, Miyakonojo, and Nichinan areas offer tourist attractions such as Phoenix, Oshima, and Atago Shrine; sightseeing events such as the Aoshima Pacific Marathon, Dunlop Phoenix Tournament, and LPGA Tour Championship Ricoh Cup; and local delicacies such as chicken nanban, meat rolled rice balls, and kamaage udon noodles. The city also offers local delicacies such as chicken nanban, rolled meat balls and kamaage udon noodles.

Miyazaki has a beautiful straight coastline facing the Sea of Hyuga, which can be seen from airplanes. The streets are planted with phoenixes and palms, creating a tropical mood. The Miyazaki Prefectural Museum provides easy-to-understand explanations of nature, history, and culture using dioramas and other exhibits. Behind the museum is the Minka-en (private house garden), where old private houses have been relocated to give visitors a sense of going back in time.

There is a legend that the former capital of the Yamato Imperial Court was located in this area, and the Miyazaki Shrine, which was built when Emperor Jinmu died, is also located in the area.

After your stroll, enjoy dishes richly prepared with lobsters and other seafood from the Sea of Hyuga, Miyazaki beef, and local chicken. For dessert, try "Nanjakora Daifuku," a famous local confectionary with strawberries, sweet chestnuts, and cream cheese inside a Daifuku (bean-stuffed rice cake).

National Routes 220 and 448, which run from the city center along the Nichinan coast, are famous driving spots and have been selected as one of the "100 Best Roads in Japan. There are many sightseeing spots along the route, including Aoshima Island, famous for its 30 varieties of subtropical plants and the oddly shaped rock called "Oni-no-Washboard," and Udo Shrine, with its vermilion-lacquered main shrine built in a cave facing the sea.

At "Sun Messe Nichinan," where the official moai statues of Easter Island, which are unique in the world, stand side by side, visitors can interact with animals and enjoy a meal at a restaurant. Visitors can also interact with animals and have a meal at a restaurant.

The drive ends at Miyazaki's southernmost point, Cape Toimisaki. More than 100 wild horses, called "Misaki-uma," which are a protected species, live here, and you can observe their lives on a monitor at the Cape Tsuimisaki Visitor Center's Umanokan. You can watch them grazing leisurely on the spacious grasslands of the cape, which is a soothing sight.

The Cape Toimisaki Lighthouse at the tip of the cape is open for tours, and the view from the top is sure to relieve the stress of daily life. In addition to freshly caught seafood from the Hyuga Sea, you can also enjoy ayu (sweetfish) cuisine around Golden Week. Local delicacies such as meat-rolled rice balls and "obiten," deep-fried fish cakes, are also recommended.

As for Miyakonojo, one of the most famous scenic spots in Miyakonojo is Sekinoo Falls, which has been selected as one of the "100 Best Waterfalls in Japan. It is a famous waterfall consisting of Otaki Falls, Otoko Falls, and Onna Falls. In addition, there are many other popular tourist spots for families, such as Hayamizu Park, which has a pond filled with spring water said to have been used by Emperor Nintoku's wife, Mochioka Park, which is also famous for its cherry blossoms, and Takachiho Farm, where visitors can interact with small animals.

At Manyo Botanical Garden, visitors can see more than 165 kinds of plants, flowers, and trees, each of which is accompanied by a sign that tells what kind of waka poem it is composed of. The summit of Mt. Kaneomidake, from which the Kirishima mountain range and the Kirishima Basin can be seen in the early morning, is also a great place for bird watching, as the migratory flight of the crested serpent eagle can be observed in late October.