Travel Guide of Scenic Byway Kyushu

Q-❷ Nippo Seashore Road
Q-2 日豊海岸

Saeki City (Oita Pref.) and Nobeoka City (Miyazaki Pref.) ―Rias-like coastal ge-ography, Japan’s fishery village and fishing experience―
The area along the rias coast between Nobeoka City and Saeki Cityis a scenic region of the Nippo Seashore Road, located on theboundary between Oita and Miyazaki prefectures. the Main routeof this scenic road is National Route 388, which follows the Higashi(East) Kyushu Expressway.
As shown in the map, both roads are parallel to each other, butintersect at some places. Therefore, you can quickly accesslandscape site via the expressway interchange. You can easily planQ-❷ Nippo Seashore Road

different types of short-term trips, such as part of a route orindividual recreation spots in the area.
By the way, the coastline of a scenic area consists of a series ofcomplex terrains of bays and peninsulas. This is due to theformation of geological strata, and the cause can be understood asfollows.
On the Kyushu Island, a geological structure line runs diagonallyfrom Saeki Bay on the east coast to the Yatsushiro Sea on the west
coast, and there is a wedge of the stratum called the north
Shimanto Belt.
That is, when the ocean plate sinks below thecontinental plate, the sediment on the surface of theoceanic plate is scraped off and added to thecontinental plate. This complex is a wedge-shaped
terrain, is not very high in elevation, and has manyvalleys. On the other hand, the complex coastline issandy beaches formed by small estuaries andNyuzu Bay
alluvium deposits.
As a result, a lot of raised areas called "nose" or"cape" were formed on the sea side. Therfore, ifstopping at various observation sites on the hill, youcan enjoy a drive while seeing a panoramic view, while
you can play many beatuful beaches at the sea side.
(Access.). The access points to the Nippo seashore
route are Oita Airport, Miyazaki Airport, and bothstations of Saeki and Nobeoka on the Nippo main lineof JR Kyushu. However, the distance from Oita
Airport to the center of Saeki City is 113 km on theexpressway, and it takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. Onthe other hand, the distance from Miyazaki Airport tothe center of Nobeoka City is about 110 km. As aresult, access to this area from those airports is not
good, but it depends on your discretion and may be
more interesting journey.
If you think the access is far from Oita Airport, werecommend you to stop at a city such as Beppu or Oita.
On the way from Miyazaki Airport, you can enjoy thecenter of Miyazaki City or Nobeoka City. In short, you

OBATYAN (auntie) Viking Buffet

Nippo Coast of Eastern Kyushu

1can make a variety of interesting trips that contrast cities andfishing villages by adding places to visit.
(Scenic Resource). As a local scenic resource, travel in this area has
three perspectives. One is the geographical feature. Peninsula
protruding to the sea and small dented coves appear alternately,
and you can see many beautiful coastal scenery included in Nippo
Kaigan Quasi-National Park. The mountain ridge has manyobservation decks, and the scene from there is a panorama of thebeautiful mountains and the waves calm sea. It is also a quiet
fishing village in harmony with people's lives.
The second is the fishing village itself. Our country is surroundedby the sea and has various fishing villages to see. The fishingvillages in this area are characterized by coastal aquaculture. You
can learn the actual situation of aquaculture by the fishing groundfacility of the raft using a quiet bay. In addition, at the Maritime
Museum, you can learn about the history of the development offishing gear and fishing boats for fishery on Bungo-suido Channel,(1)

and the actual situation of coastal fisheries. In addition, you can goaround to each village through the alley of the fishing village andthe unique structure of the village.
The third is various cultural activities related to the sea.
Although it is not a so-called school, it is called Amabe-Tosei College,and there are many classrooms for learning about practical sea andfish.
"Amabe" is an old Japanese word, but it means as a fisherman
and fissher women. “Tosei” is used mean a way living and working.
There are various learning classes at the Oita Prefectural Marine
Culture Center, and practical classes are held in many places suchas fishery companies and fishing villages.

(2) Museum on Fishery

Park in the sky and the road named as Kuroshio Line.

(2) View of the Kawauti Bay from Mt. Takahira(2) Black Sand Beach of Motosaru Coast and Marine Culture Center(2) Fixed Floating Raft of Marine Company sticking out to Nishiura Bay(2) Dusk of Motosaru Bay where Ocean Sunfish can be seen in Summer.

2

Examples include lobster cooking, pearl core insertion, marine
sports training, sand art, fish cooking class and so on. Held mainly
held from summer to autumn, you can learn while enjoying thetypical fishing villages of Kyushu.
In short, the three key themes of this scenic route are the rias coast,unique fishing villages and culture related to the sea.

(1) Kuroshio Line Road and Sky Park.
Enjoy the view of the sea here. Going south on National Route388 from the central district of Saeki City, and turning left at the Tintersection on the way, you will find the wide-area agriculturalroad. If going along it, there is the Oura tunnel (1230m), and theroad runs through the ridge of the peninsula sandwiched by Yonozu
Bay and Nyuzu Bay.
The road is 250m above sea level and is called the "Bungo-Kuroshio Line". There is a sky park and an observatory deck on the way,
and you can enjoy the magnificent scenery. If you go further, youreach Yonozu Bay.
Meanwhile, looking down the south, the peninsula protrudes into
Nyuzu Bay, and the surrounding sea is a calm and lively fishingground.
After returning to National Route 388, you will arrive at Ebuto
Coast, and you can find a flock of Hamayu (crinum) around Ebuto
Shrine where white flowers of more than 10,000 pieces bloom insummer.

(2) Coral Reef in Fukashima Island(2) Kamae District of the Fishery Industry.
When heading south on National Route 388, you reach Kawauchi Bay in the Kamae area. The coast has seven bays along the national route. The sea is rich in plankton and is a treasure trove offish. The first place to encounter in this area is the Maritime Museum. This rare wooden building with no windows displays the fishing gear and boats once used by fishermen.
Entering the prefecture road 687 while watching the uniquescenery, you may reach Senzaki Park, where azaleas are popular.
In the Senzaki Park, many azaleas bloom in the middle of every
April, and the azalea festival is held.
Then, there are the following contents along the route of thisscenery road. Retuning to National Route 388 and heading south,
you will arrive at Motosaru Bay, which is a beautiful arched beachof black sand, as shown Photo (2) on page 2. Next is Oita Prefectural
Marine Cultural Center. It is a unique architectural building withan arched roof. There is a salt water pool, a planetarium, an aquarium, etc. Although not necessarily every year, sunfish captured by
the fixed net will be see from March to May.
A panorama of the bay and fishing village can be seen from theobservation deck in Takahirayama Park behind the Cultural Center. The park also has a panorama of 1 million wild chrysanthemums, with lots of white and yellow flowers blooming from October
to November (see photo (2) on page 4).
On the other hand, when diving or fishing、you can see coral reefs
along the coastal area from Kamae Port to Fukashima Island. Thisseabed is the northern limit where corals can be found in Japan, so
please drop in if you have time. It takes about 30 minutes by boatfrom Kamae Port.

(4) Shimo-Aso Beach and Museum on Salt

Aomatsu" with its beautiful white-blue contrast. The sea is shallow
and the waves are quiet. A safe and comfortable beach is a great
resort spot for visitors who know it.
In addition, there is a natural rock gate "Uzaki Dōmon" createdby the action of the tide at the cape on the prefectural border. Unfortunately, it cannot access from the land, so please approach bycharter boat.
After crossing the prefecture border along Prefectural Road 122,
you can reach the central part (Furue District) of the Kitaura areain Nobeoka City. The coastal area has a tourist information center,a restaurant serving fresh fish dishes, and a roadside shop selling
local specialties, where you can take a break.

(3) Hatotsu Beach in the Prefecture Border.
Hatotsu Beach is located in the southernmost part of Oita Prefecture, more than 20 km away from Kamae area. It was selected
as one of the "100 Best Japanese Landscapes of White Sand and3

(2) Oita Prefecture Marine Culture Center and Ocean Sunfish (mola mola)(3) Hatotsu Beach(2) Chrysanthemum in Takahira Park

(4) “Shima-no-Urashima” Island is at the Front of Shimo-Aso Beach

Furthermore, Shimaura-Shima Island is right in front of thesecoasts, and you can reach it by boat in 10 to 20 minutes fromUrashiro Port. It was selected as one of the "100 selections of islands
in Japan" as a way to understand the activities and lifestyles of theislands and pass it on to the next generation. As you enjoy diving inthe sea of the island, you will encounter beautiful coral reefs andenjoy the spectacular views of Kyushu floating in the waves of the
Pacific Ocean.

(4) Umi-Urara Resort Park in Nobeoka Region.
“Umi-urara Resort Park” is a coastal park that extends along thecoast from the Kitaura area to the Urashiro area, and has thetheme of ocean resorts and recreation. Umi-urara in Japanesemeans “slowly enjoying the quiet and warm sea”. The basic
equipment is the natural beach itself. From the north, Shimo-Asobeach, Kumano coast and Suminoe beach are lined up, and they
are the beautiful sandy beaches.
In particular, Shimo-Aso Beach has high transparency and isregarded as the cleanest beach in Kyushu. In addition to the beach,
there are a salt museum and a roadside station store. In addition,Suminoe Beach has a family-friendly aquarium and travel village.
You can enjoy the sea while camping with your family.

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