Miyazaki
Miyazaki (宮崎; ) is the prefectural capital of Miyazaki prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan.
Understand
Miyazaki is a tourism and resort area in southern Kyushu. It is not to be confused with the legendary Japanese animator and filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki.
Get in
By plane
Miyazaki has its own airport. JAL, ANA and the discount carrier Solaseed (formerly Skynet) have regular flights from Tokyo Haneda Airport, Osaka Itami Airport and other locations throughout Japan. There are flights to Seoul and Taipei through Asiana and EVA respectively. Airline pricing is highly variable, but the cheapest option to Miyazaki is usually the Solaseed ¥10,000 "Visit Japan" fare for travelers with a “Temporary Visitor” visa (the same requirement as the JR Pass) which is good for just about any single flight on the airline. This is essentially a standby ticket though, so you may have trouble during peak demand periods. Peak demand in Japan is around New Years, Golden Week (end of April/start of May), and Obon in August, and of course, Friday and Sunday evenings are always more busy than weekdays.
Buses connect the airport to the main Miyazaki station in 25 minutes (¥400), while the JR Miyazaki Airport Line runs 1-2 trains per hour to Minami-Miyazaki station (¥340). If you are under 21, you can get cheaper tickets.
By train
Most people will take the Kirishima limited express which makes multiple daily runs from Kagoshima (2-2.5 hours, ¥4100).
If you connect to the Shinkansen in Kagoshima, it is another 2 hours for Hakata to Kagoshima (2.5 hours from Kukura). You can take a single Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka to Kagoshima in 4.5-5 hours.
Another option, the more scenic route, from Kokura station in Kitakyushu, the first stop in Kyushu on the San'yo Shinkansen, is to take the Sonic limited express to Oita or Beppu and transfer to the Nichirin limited express (¥8300). A few Nichirin trains run from Kokura or Hakata in Fukuoka directly to Miyazaki, with no change of trains necessary, but most people that take this route like to stop to see Beppu. The route is about 5 hours which is about the same as the Shinkansen route from Kokura.
Note that there was also an overnight service, the Dream Nichirin, which ran over the same route, however this train service was discontinued on March 11, 2011 (in conjunction with the opening of the completed the Kyushu Shinkansen).
There is no charge for the above services with a Japan Rail Pass, and there is a JR All Kyushu Pass that covers all routes as well, aside from the reference to the Shinkansen in Kokura and beyond. The Kyushu Shinkansen stops at Hakata; Hakata to Shin-Osaka (including Kokura) is owned by JR West, so you would need a JR West Pass for that section.
Starting on March 12, 2011, a highway bus operated by JR Kyushu began to Miyazaki from the Shin-Yatsushiro bullet train station. The "B&S Miyazaki" (B&S for Bus and Shinkansen) will operate once per hour, timed with the arrival of the bullet trains from Fukuoka. The bus trip takes just over 2 hours from Shin-Yatsushiro at a cost of ¥4,150 each way. The overall journey from Fukuoka to Miyazaki will be shortened to just over 3 hours using this train/bus combination. The bus is not valid with the Japan Rail Pass, but bus tickets can be purchased at any JR Midori-no-Madoguchi seat reservation counter.
By bus
Hourly buses run from Fukuoka to Miyazaki in about 4½ hours at a cost of ¥6000.
Get around
See
- 🌍 Aoshima (青島) (short walk from Aoshima Station on the JR Kyushu Nichinan Line, 30 minutes by car from Miyazaki station, 15 minutes by car from Miyazaki Airport). This is perhaps the main attraction. It is popular mostly because it is centrally located in the main beach resort area. That said, this small island is definitely worth seeing in its own right. It has some rather unique geology with rock layers pointing up from the sea in a very dramatic way. There is also temple that is said to be helpful for finding a spouse.
- Kizakihama Beach, Aoshima Beach, and Shirahama Beach. Popular surfing spots in Miyazaki city.
- Miyazaki Prefectural Office.
- 🌍 Miyazaki-jingū (宮崎神宮). A shrine in the city's center, sacred to Japan's first emperor, Jinmu.
- 🌍 Heiwadai Park (平和台公園). A park said to be the site where the capital of legendary Emperor Jimmu used to stand. The park is known for Heiwadai Tower (平和の塔) or Peace Tower (also known as the Hakkō ichiu monument) built as a symbol of world peace. It's also home to the famous Haniwa Garden with hundreds of haniwa, which were once placed around ancient burial mounds, scattered around.
- 🌍 Aoshima Subtropical Botanical Garden.
- 🌍 Sadowara Castle (佐土原城跡), ☎ +81 98-574-1518. 9AM-4:30PM. It is not known when or who built the original castle, but it was expanded by Yoshisuke Ito and used as his residence. One of the palace buildings has been rebuilt as the Sadowara History and Folk Museum (also free). The rest of the former castle can be seen via walking trails on and around the hill. Free.
- 🌍 Amaga Castle (天ケ城), ☎ +81 98-582-2950. 9AM-4:30PM. The keep has been rebuilt and there is also a museum around the site about the castle and local history.
- 🌍 Miyazaki Prefectural Art Museum (宮崎県立美術館), ☎ +81 98-524-2071. 10AM-6PM. Has a permanent collection but is best visited for its special exhibitions, so its best to check what will be featured during your visit.
Do
Miyazaki is one of the most famous places for surfing in Japan. Lots of foreigners visit it during the summer. There are good waves and the sunset is beautiful.
- 🌍 Miyazaki-city Phonenix Zoo (フェニックス自然動物園).
- Tom Watson Golf Course. Created by Tom Watson, an American professional golfer. This has become a famous golfing destination for Japanese golfers, and there are a lot of promonent Golf events here. It is somewhat analogous to Pebble Beach golf course in America in that, while the course is very good, it is more famous for the beautiful location than the course itself.
Buy
Eat
- Heike no Sato (平家の郷), Inside JR Miyazaki station. 11:00-21:30. Serves smooth Miyazaki beef (宮崎牛). Other branches around Miyazaki city, as well as in Tokyo and Saitama.
Drink
"Kurokirishima" is a famous Miyazaki's shochu. Miyazaki produces lots kind of shochu, so people who like Japanese shochu, Miyazaki is a good place to visit. However, some of them are expensive, so you can not buy them so easily.
In the town of Aya, which is around 20 km from Miyazaki City proper, there is a complex called the Aya Shusen-no-mori. There is a winery, beer brewery and shochu distillery all on site. The beer made here is German-style, and of a high standard. The Shusen-no-mori brewery makes a Bock, a Koelsch, an Altbier and a blueberry-flavoured lager. The beer is far superior to the macro-brewed Japanese lagers such as Asahi Super Dry or Kirin Lager. The wine from the Shusen-no-mori winery, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired.
- The Bar (ザ・バー) (5 minutes walk west of Miyazaki station), ☎ +81 985-71-0423. Fun bar with locals and expats. Has a pool table. Expect to meet some Japanese surfers.
Sleep
The best hotels in Miyazaki City are the Kanko Hotel, in the city centre by the river, and the Sheraton, in the Seagaia complex surrounded by a golf course around 8 km North-East of the city centre. The prices of these luxury hotels are comparable to those of five-star hotel chains in any large Western country.
A cheap place to sleep, on the other hand, is a manga coffee shop and internet cafe. Manga Kissa is beside the 7-Eleven near the Miyazaki train station. There is also a "Cybac" internet cafe in Miyazaki which is slightly better than the Manga Kissa - it is difficult to find, so get a taxi from the train station. It should cost around ¥1000.
Go next
- Nichinan
- Miyakonojo
- Kiyotake
- Kunitomi
- Saito
- Nojiri
- Aya
- Shintomi
- Takachiho
| Routes through Miyazaki |
| Oita ← Saiki ← | N  |
→ Kirishima → Kagoshima |
| Oita ← Saiki ← | N  |
→ END |
| Ebino ← Miyakonojo ← | N  |
→ END |