Travel Guide of Scenic Byway Kyushu

Q-❶ Nichinan Sparkling CoastCities of Miyazaki, Nichinan, and Kushi-ma (Miyazaki Pref.) －Unique Coastline, Myth andTropical Plant－
The scenic area of Nichinan’s Sparkling Coast consists of the cities
of Miyazaki, Nichinan and Kushima, and belongs to the Nichinan
Seaside National Park in the southern part of Miyazaki Prefecture,
which is a subtropical region.
(Access). Miyazaki Airport, and Miyazaki Station on the Nippou
Main Line of JR Kyushu are important access points to this scenicarea. Also, in the section of expressway between Shin-Yatsushiro
Station on the Kyushu Shinkansen and Miyazaki City, the highspeed bus system, which is named as “B&S Miyazaki”, is operated.
(Scenic Resources). The Nichinan Sparkling Coast has three main
landscape resources. One of them is the stunning terrain under thetropical sun along the Nichinan coast. If you drive along the coastline from Miyazaki City to Kushima City, it will change greatly
with Aoshima Island as the boundary.

The northern part of Aoshima Island is a flat area with sandy
beaches, and the coast from the Hitotsuba area to Aoshima is partof the sandy Miyazaki Plain. On the other hand, the southern partis a serrated coastline. Going south over Aoshima, a large bedrock
called the Devil's Washboard spreads out, forming a precipitouscliff (see photo (2)).
The second is a subtropical plant colony, where you can enjoy atropical landscape with colorful flowers and trees. As you drive
south along the road with rows of Washington Palms, you will findthe Aoshima Island covered with wild palm trees. After that you
will arrive in Nichinan City, where cycads and cactuses grow, andyou can enjoy flowers such as jacaranda, lantana or hibiscus under
the dazzling sun.
Myths written more than 1300 years ago are the third regional
resource. Japanese mythology is described in the Kojiki, the oldest historical book edited in the 8th century, and it is said that
this landscape road is one of the places corresponding to themythical world.
Niniginomikoto God descended from heaven to Takachihomine Peak, which is on the border of Miyazaki and Kagoshima
prefectures, and reigned over the country. Later, the descendant,Emperor Jimmu, left the Miyazaki to settle the country and establish the Yamato administration. Along the shimmering coastline of Nichinan, there are many places and shrines that convey
this myth.
(Main Route). The access to this scenic spot is covered by two expressways in Miyazaki Prefecture, but the main roads of this scenic route are National Route 220 and National Route 448, asshown in the map. To visit the inland scenic spots, you need to
add prefectural road 28 and national road 222. The JR Kyushu
Nichinan Line is also available as a public transportation, andthe limited express "Umisachi/Yamasachi" is popular.
The distance from Miyazaki City to Kushima City is about 200km, and the main scenic zones are indicated by serial numbers(1) to (6) on the map.

Q-❶ Nichinan Sparkling Coast (NICHINAN)(1) Scenery spots of the urban area in Miyazaki City.

(2) View from Horikiri Pass of Nichinan Coast Road.

Miyazaki is a city of sports. Due to the mild winter climate,various professional teams such as baseball, rugby and soccer
are in camp during the off-season. As a result, you can enjoy
these sports, while enjoying the world of mythology. Bothchildren and adults can have a fun trip together.
There is the Hitotsuba Toll Road in the northeastern part ofMiyazaki City, along which a vast pine forest facing the Hyuga
Sea extends. It is the largest Awakigahara Forest Park inMiyazaki City. You can enjoy walking, golfing, swimming anddriving, as well as a public forest, resort facilities and a naturalzoo.
As shown in photo (1), gods shrined in the Eda Shrine are acouple of the god of Izanagi Mikoto and the goddess of Izanami
Mikoto. According to local myths, the two gods created many1

(1) Awakigahara Forest Park in Miyazaki City(1) Tatibana Main Street in CBD, and Tachibana
Parkway along the Oyodo River.

islands and gods in Japan. It is also said that many gods were born
again when Izanagi cleansed himself in a pond near the shrine
after Izanami died. One of them is Amaterasu Okami, the founderof the imperial family.
Miyazaki Shrine is also located 7 km southwest of Eda Shrine,and enshrines the Emperor Jimmu who is a descendant ofAmaterasu-Omikami. As described in the book of Kojiki, theJapanese believe that he grew up in Miyazaki region and became
the first Emperor in the founding of Japan.
Then, proceeding these shrines for a while, you can encounter thebustling city center and wander through the boulevard (TachibanaMain Street) of Washington's palm trees and large camphor trees.
We also recommend taking a walk along the Tachibana-Parkway
along Oyodo River.

(1) Eda Shrine (upper) and Misogi Pond (lower)
The strange rock-shaped devil’s washboard and phoenix harmonize with the blue sea and blue sky. In addition, colorful tropicalflowers such as Hibiscus and Jacaranda welcome all travelers.

(3) Areas of UdoJingu Shrine in Nichinan City

(2) Aoshima Island and Horikiri Pass inMiyazaki City.
Proceeding 16 kilometers south National Route220 from the center of Miyazaki City, you can reach
Aoshima Island. While a large scale of lamination bysandstone and mudstone can be seen in the areaaround the island、the nature of island remains untouched and is entirely covered with wild palm trees.
Aoshima Shrine is located in the center of the islandand is dedicated to the god Hikohohodemino-Mikoto,
the grandfather of the first Emperor Jinmu. He wasskilled at hunting in the mountains, so he is also
called Yamasachi-Hiko and is the god of mountainfoods.
Paying attention to the branch point on the way
and further going south along the seashore road (Prefectural Road 377), you’ll arrive at Horikiri Pass (80mabove sea level) immediately. You can see a symbolic
view of the route, as shown in Photo (2) on page 1.

(2) Aoshima Island surrounded with the Wavelike Rocks (Upper).
Aoshima Shrine and Botanic Garden Aoshima (Lower)

2GroundHeavenIf you follow the prefecturalTable. Shrines related to the myth in the Miyazaki area, and its principal gods.
road while watching the theEvent in myth
Pedi gree of GOD
R el a t ed S hri ne
Lo c atio nstrange rocks, you will enter
Creation of Japan landIz a na gi & Iz a na m i
M i s ogi Pond
( 1) Awakigahara-cho, Miyazaki City
National Route 220, and if you
Eda S hri ne( 1) Awakigahara-cho, Miyazaki CityAncestor that isgo further Prefectural RoadSun Godess
Amanoiwato Shrine Takachiho Town in Miyazaki Pref.
worshiped as the god(A m a t era s u Om i ka m i )Ise Shrine
Ise City, Mie Pref.
of the imperial
443, you will reach Udo Jingu
familyShrine.
Kirishima Shrine Kirishima City, Kagoshima Pref.
Ninigino-Mikoto*
Advent to Takachiho
The shrine building is locatedPeak of Hyuga(Grandson of Amaterasu Omikami)
in a cliff cave facing the Hyuga
Sea. Many shrines are
Good fisher in the sea
Umisachihiko (Older bro.)
Ushiodake Shrine ( 4) Kitagou-machi, Nitinan City
Good hunter in the Ya m a s a chi hi ko* (Younger Bro.) A os hi m a S hri ne ( 2) Aoshima, Miyazki City
generally on the stairs due tomountainthe legend that God came down
U ga ya fuki a ez u-N o-M i kot o*
U do S hri ne( 3) Miyaura, Nitinan Cityfrom heaven. This shrine, on
Establish of Yamato
the other hand, is located on theGovernment
Fi rs t Em peror J i nm u
M i ya z a ki S hri ne ( 1) Jingu, Miyazaki Citybottom of the stairs and is a
* : Hyuga's three Gods
( 1) ~ ( 4) :Scenic point in this route.
very rare case (see photo (3)).
The main god of Udo Shrine is "HikonagisatakeUgayafukiaezuno-Mikoto", and its name is long anddifficult. For this reason, although not well known inJapan, he is famous as the father of Emperor Jimmu
and the son of Yamasachihiko.
In short, the gods of the shrines of (1) to (3) in theMiyazaki region are described in Japan’s oldest
histrical record, "Kojiki". It is related to the creation ofthe earth and the descent of Amaterasu’s grandson tothe earth. Arranged according to the flow of myth, theresults are as shown in the table. In paticular,(3) Udo Jingu Shrine (Nitinan City)"NiniginoMikoto","Yamasachi-Hiko"
and"Ugayafukiaezuno-Mikoto" are said to be Hyuga's
Gods of three generations.
Hyuga is the old name of the Miyazaki region
including the eastern part of Kagoshima Prefecture. Ifinteresteing the Japanese roots and hoping tounderstand the spirit of the Japanese people, werecommend you to visit shrines shown in the table.

(4) Aburatsu Port and Horikawa Canal in
Nichinan City.
Returning to National Route 220 from Udo Jingu
Shrine and heading south, you will find Aburatsu(4) Horikawa Canal and Ukiyoe of Aburatsu Port (by Utagawa Hiroshige.)Port.
Aburatsu Port played an important role in the trade with theTang Dynasty in ancient China. In 17th to 19th century (Edo period), it prospered as a shipping port of timbers, and in the presentage, fishing of tuna and bonito is prosperous, and fishing boats
come in and out of the country. At the same time, cruise ships from
Asia enter the port several times a year recently.
Through these activities at the port, canals, stone bridges, andrelated buildings around the port have been built, any of which
remain as historical heritage. While watching them, you can eat
delicious fish dishes at a reasonable prices in a restaurant.
There are also Arahiratsu Shrine and Ushiodake Shrine related
to Hyuga myth. The former is near Aburatsu Port and is dedicatedto the empress of Emperor Jinmu. The latter is located about 17km
inland along Prefectural Road No.27, and the main deity is
Umisachihiko God.
(3) Cycads growing naturally in the rocky area of Nichinan Coast.
According to myth, Umisachihiko was the older brother of(5) Obi Castle and its castle town (Nichinan City)
Yamasatihiko and was good at sea fishing. But, their brothers
quarreled and he was defeated. It is said that he moved to Ushio
Obi Castle is located 9 km west from Aburatsu Port alongShrine, after that, and became the founder of the Hayato people inNational
Route 222.
southern Kyushu.

3(5) Main Gate of Obi Castle (Nichinan City)(6) Misaki Horses of Cape Toi (Kushi-ma City)(5) Obi Castle Town (Nichinan City)(6) Narrow Approach Path to Misaki Shrine

For about 100 years from the 15th century to the 16th century,the battle over the territory of the Obi clan continued between Ito
in Hinata and Shimadzu in Satsuma. For this reason, theterritory management was swiched between the Ito and Shimadzu
families many times. In other words, this historic events in Obi
teritory are similar to English-French Centennial War in French
territory.
Finally, the territory of the obi has been under the rule of Mr. Itosince the Edo period, and the castle town had been maintained. In
the castle town of the Edo period, many historical heritages of Ito
Clan such as stone stairways, moats, samurai residences are left,and the main gate of the castle was rebuilt, too. The areasurrounding the castle is registered as an important conservation
district of the historic Building Group.
After passing beyond the castle town, you can see the terraced
rice fields in Sakamoto area, as shown in Photo (5). In general,terraced fields meander along the terrain. However, this rice field
is a beautiful landscape, with the stone walls linearly shaped to use
the horses. It has been selected as one of the top 100 rice terracesin Japan.

Cape Toi is at the south end of
National Route 448 and is locatedon the cliffs of sandstone and mudstone. If you follow the narrow andsteep path, you will see the sheer
cliffs and Misaki (Cape) Shrine.
Subtropical plants can also be seen,
making it a natural botanical garden.
On the other hand, when you
climb up the cliff (240 m above sea
level), you will reach a white large
lighthouse (important tangible culture property, 1929). From there
you can see the beautiful panorama at the southernmost tip of
the Nichinan Coast National Parkin the Pacific Ocean.
The Cape is known as a habitatfor semi-wild horses that havebeen grazed for more than 300years, and was designated as a
special natural monument as
Misaki-uma Horse and its
breeding ground. While looking atthe lighthouse, a friendly horse
may come to there. It will be alsointeresting to play with horses.
Driving long distances along the seaside of tropical Miyazaki,
will you enjoy the world of myth, the castle town of Obi and the raretropical nature.

(5) Rice Terrace in Sakata District(6) Ishinami-Kaigan Coast and Cape Toi in Kushi-maCity, Miyazaki.
Going further south on National Route 488, you find theIshinami-Kaigan coast and Kojima Island in Kushima City at thesouth end of Miyazaki Prefecture. As shown in Photo (6), thearched long coast is a beautiful white beach and has been selected
as one of 100 beaches in Japan. Over 250 types of subtropical plants
fill the coast and are a natural treasure of the country.
Under the dazzling scenery of the south, there is a more important place called Kojima Island. Many monkeys live on the island, and a sandy beach (tombolo) appears at the low tide. You canacross over the island but you need to use ferry to protect wild monkeys.
This island became famous for the phenomenon of the 100thmonkey. A study at Kyoto University revealed the monkey's cultureof washing and eating sweet potatoes.

(6) Ishinami Coast and Kojima Island.

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