A Guide to Miyazaki City and Day Trip Destinations

Discover Miyazaki City

Miyazaki City is a city for any kind of traveler. If you want to tour coastal cities, check out the Aoshima Nichinan itinerary. If you love spending time outdoors in nature, check out the Takachiho Area itinerary. It includes a hike to the famous Takachiho Gorge.

Visitors who can’t get enough of the sun and beach can try their hand at surfing and snorkeling. Explore the culture and history of Miyazaki when you visit old towns and shrines. Taste the city's delicious cuisine, including Miyazaki beef, Chicken Nanban (crispy fried chicken soaked in a sweet and sour sauce and topped with tartar dressing), hiyajiru (seafood such as spiny lobster and bonito poured on top of rice), and more.

Uncover the rich history of Miyazaki Shrine

Miyazaki Shrine sits at the city center, surrounded by a large forest. It is the burial ground of Emperor Jimmu—said to be the first emperor of Japan. Festivals and events are held in his honor in the shrine throughout the year.

Stepping into the shrine feels like stepping into a forest. Beyond the torii gate is a path leading to the shrine's main building. Trees surround it, and branches provide a canopy overhead. The shrine's buildings are made of simple, unpainted cedar and sit in comfortable quietness in the middle of the large forest.

How to get to Miyazaki Shrine

From the airport, take the bus bound for Miyazaki Station and change at Tachibanadori 3-chome bound for Miyazaki Shrine.

• Address: 2-4-1 Jingu, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture 880-0053

Get to know about the city's history at The Miyazaki Prefectural Museum of Nature and History

Near Miyazaki Shrine and located on the same grounds is The Miyazaki Prefectural Museum of Nature and History. It highlights Miyazaki’s rich history and some temporary, special exhibitions. You'll get to see a variety of plants and animals on display and some artifacts, photos, and dioramas. The museum also features the life and industry of Miyazaki through the years.

Behind the museum is Minkaen, a small, open-air museum featuring four historic farmhouses. These were relocated from around the region, and some of them are even more than 200 years old. Each of them comes with thatched roofs and represents different regional styles.

• Address: 2-4-4 Jingu, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture 880-0053
• Hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (closed on Tuesdays though you can visit the farmhouses even when the museum is closed)
• Admission: Free

Where to stay in Miyazaki City

Garden Terrace Miyazaki Hotel & Resort

Close to Miyazaki train station on the island of Kyushu is a fairly new hotel located on a site that was once a factory. The Garden Terrace Miyazaki Hotel & Resort features bamboo-clad walls topped by a large bamboo canopy that marks the entrance and welcomes visitors.

The hotel has several rooms, a small chapel, restaurants, and a banquet hall for events. Big windows provide a view and allow natural light to flow from the central courtyard. Pools of water and bamboo trees both inside and outside give the hotel a calm and peaceful environment.

How to get to Garden Terrace Miyazaki Hotel & Resort

From Miyazaki Airport, take the Miyazakikuko Line to Miyazaki Station. The hotel is a 10-minute walk from the station.

• Address: 247-18 Shimohara-cho, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture 880-0843

Sheraton Grande Ocean Resort

The Sheraton Grande Ocean Resort sits overlooking the glimmering waters of the Pacific Ocean. If you’re looking for a place with stunning panoramic views and different kinds of cuisines, the Sheraton Grande Ocean Resort is for you.

Between tours, visitors can enjoy playing tennis and golf (they also have night golf), horseback riding, or renting bikes to explore the city. The hotel also has a restaurant, fitness center, spa, indoor and outdoor pool, hot tub, and other amenities.

How to get to Sheraton Grande Ocean Resort:

From Miyazaki Airport, take the 965 Bus to Tachibanadori Chome. Get off and ride the 13 Bus to Eda Shrine. From there, the hotel is a 10- to 12-minute walk.

• Address: Hamayama, Yamasaki-cho, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture 880-8545

Phoenix Seagaia Resort

Phoenix Seagaia Resort is one of Miyazaki's largest resorts with a golf course. Visitors can enjoy various amenities, including horseback riding, surfing, making ceramics, and many others. There is a wide range of restaurants with various cuisines for you to taste such as Japanese sushi and Italian dishes.

During the Christmas and the summer holiday season, visitors can enjoy the fireworks display put on by the hotel. The resort hotel also caters to various events including meetings, banquets, and weddings.

Seagaia's extensive resort boasts 43 floors above the ground, two floors below the ground, and 736 guest rooms.

How to get to Phoenix Segaia Resort:

From the airport, take the train or bus to Miyazaki Station. From the station, get on a bus headed to Shiromoto. The hotel is a 12-minute walk from the station.

• Address: Hamayama, Yamasaki-cho, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture 880-8545

Other excursions near Miyazaki City

See charming views on the Umisachi Yamasachi JR Train

The Umisachi Yamasachi train is Nichinan Line’s resort express that takes you on a sightseeing tour through Miyazaki’s coast and mountains.

While it travels around, you can enjoy different views from the train's windows. The train is made of local obisugi (cedar) wood, recreating the warm ambiance of a resort. Reserve the reclining seats where you can sit back and enjoy the views of the southern countryside. You can also relax on the sofa seats and enjoy a bigger space while traveling.

JR Kyushu's train, Umisachi Yamasachi, is a cute resort train that looks like it's popping out of a toy box. From the large windows, you can enjoy the rich nature of Miyazaki's sea and mountains. There is also a unique in-car service where the crew members introduce the myth of Umisachi Yamasachi in a picture-story show.

JR Kyushu also sells great tickets. JR KYUSHU RAIL PASS is a pass that allows you to get on and off freely. It covers not only local and rapid trains operated by JR Kyushu, but also popular limited express trains, tourist trains, and even the Shinkansen!

This pass is available to customers who have a passport issued by a country other than Japan.

Please check the JR Kyushu Railway Company website for information on how to get on the JR Kyushu's "Umisachi Yamasachi" and how to purchase tickets.

Experience dizzying heights when you walk across the Ayanoteruhaotsuri Suspension Bridge

The Ayanoteruhaotsuri Suspension Bridge extends over the forest area of Kyushu-chu Sanchi Quasi-National Park. It is one of the largest in the world at 142 meters high and 250 meters long. You can find it in Ayakawa Valley upstream of the Ayaminamigawa River.

The surrounding forest contains oak, chinquapin, and Japanese beech trees and is Japan’s largest evergreen forest zone. Beyond the bridge is a 2-kilometer trail that features a beautiful view and welcomes visitors to a peaceful walk through the forest.

Ayakawa Valley or Aya Valley was registered as a UNESCO Eco Park in 2012. This biosphere reserve has one of the largest laurel forests in Japan, and Aya Town, located in the forest, has worked hard to create a community where nature and human society can coexist together in a symbiotic relationship.

Aya Town also promotes forest therapy through its Forest Therapy Bases, drawing in travelers who desire to embrace ecotourism. A forest therapy base is a specific area that allows travelers to participate in a form of social activity while being surrounded by a natural environment. Travelers go on slow treks and hikes while taking in the energy of the forest and opening their senses to the various sights, sounds, and smells. Aya Town's forest therapy bases are just a few of the many different forest therapy bases scattered around the different forests in Japan.

How to get to Ayanoteruhaotsuri Suspension Bridge

From Miyazaki Airport, take the Sonic-Nichirin train to Miyazaki Station. When you get off, walk to the bus stop and get on the 304 bus to Aya. From there, take a taxi straight to the bridge.

• Address: 5691-1 Oaza Minamimata, Aya Town Miyazaki Prefecture 880-1303

• Admission: Entrance fee of JPY 350

Satisfy your tastebuds at the Kuramoto Aya Shusen No Mori

Kuramoto Aya Shusen No Mori is run by a local brewery located on the outskirts of Miyazaki City in southern Kyushu. This spot is a popular destination among domestic tourists. You can enjoy a variety of local cuisines and onsen in a traditional setting.

Taste some of Miyazaki's best alcoholic beverages and local specialties. You can also tour the sake brewery and shochu distillery to see how they make the alcohol. Get free samples of shochu—a local alcoholic beverage made from sweet potato, black sugar, or grain, and similar to vodka. You can also try their different drinks, including sake, wine, and beer. Various foods and other specialties are available for purchase in the area.

How to get to Kuramoto Aya Shusen No Mori

From Miyazaki Airport, take the Sonic-Nichirin train to Miyazaki Station. When you get off, walk to the bus stop and get on the 304 bus to Aya. From there, take a taxi to Kuramoto Aya Shusen No Mori.

• Address: 1800-19 Oaza Minamimata, Aya-cho, Higashimorokata-gun, Miyazaki Prefecture 880-1303

Pamper yourself in some wellness destinations that are a day trip away

Relax at Yunomoto Onsen and Gokuraku Onsen

Cure your fatigue in the sparkling waters of Yunomoto Onsen

Yunomoto Onsen is a famous onsen in the neighboring village of Takaharu. It is one of the few sparkling onsens in Japan. When you enter the bath, fizzy bubbles will appear on your skin and the whole body. It is said that this sparkling water is a good cure for fatigue.

If you want to spend the night, they have a few comfortable rooms that have air conditioning where you can relax. Their overnight stays include dinner and breakfast.

How to get to Yunomoto Onsen

From Miyazaki Airport, take the 600 bus to Miyakonojo Station, then ride the Kitto Line until Takaharu Station. From there, take a taxi to Yunomoto Onsen. 

• Address: 7535 Kamamuta, Takaharu, Nishimorokata District, Miyazaki Prefecture 889-4414

Relieve muscle pain at Gokuraku Onsen

Gokuraku Onsen is a charming onsen ryokan in Takaharu-cho. With amenities like a minibar, a refrigerator, and air conditioning, it’s a nice option for travelers looking for a place to stay and relax.

This carbonated iron spring helps relieve sore muscles, joint pains, stiff shoulders, bruises, fatigue, cuts, burns, and more. When drunk, the water helps to improve digestive diseases, chronic constipation, and anemia.

How to get to Gokuraku Onsen

From Miyazaki Airport, take the express bus to Takahara IC and then ride a taxi to the onsen.

From Kagoshima Airport, take the express bus to Takahara IC. From the station, ride a taxi to the onsen.

• Address: 7449 Oaza Kamamuta, Nishimorokata District, Miyazaki Prefecture 889-4414

• Hours: 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM on weekdays except for Wednesdays; 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM on weekends and holidays

Take a selfie with a life-size Totoro

In Yunomoto Onsen town is a bus stop that some people might recognize, especially fans of Mr. Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli movie “My Neighbor is Totoro.” Standing in front of a lush green field in Takaharu is the Tonari no Totoro Bus Stop with an adorable life-size Totoro sculpture.

This Totoro statue has a touching background story. It is a symbol of love from a pair of Japanese grandparents who built with their bare hands for their grandchildren using concrete and bricks. Today, the statue serves as a bus stop against a beautiful backdrop of fields and mountains.

How to get to the Tonari no Totoro

From Miyazaki Airport, take the 600 bus to Miyakonojo Station, then ride the Kitto Line until Takaharu Station. From there, take a taxi to Tonari no Totoro.

• Address: 7538-6 Kamamuta, Takaharu Town, Nishimorokata District, Miyazaki Prefecture 889-4414

Visit the ancient, mysterious Saitobaru Burial Mounds

On the outskirts of Miyazaki City lie the Saitobaru Burials mounds. With over 300 tombs of different sizes scattered across a 70-meter-high plateau, this burial site has been designated a National Historical Site in 1952. Nevertheless, the identities of the bodies buried in the tombs remain a mystery. The tombs are above the ground and are assumed to be the final resting place of warriors and clan leaders. You can see key-shaped mounds and round mounds surrounded by earthworks.

Throughout the whole year, the mounds keep their lush green color. Depending on the season, you can see different kinds of flowers, which is why Saitobaru remains one of the best flower viewing spots in Japan. During cherry blossom season, you can see an abundance of cherry blossoms and rapeseed blossoms blooming together and painting the world in beautiful pastels pink and yellow. When summer comes, sunflowers dot the little hills. In the latter months of the year, you will find extensive beds of pinks, purples, and reds because of the cosmos flowers on display.

One of the best ways to explore the area is by renting the free bicycles available in the area. Explore the park at your own pace, admire the flowers, and take several photographs to remember your time there. The trails are easy to bike on, and you will enjoy the sights all around. There is also a museum in the grounds where you can learn more about the history of the place.

How to get to the Saitobaru Burial Mounds

Drive north of Miyazaki City, heading towards Nobeoka. When you see signs to UMK Country Club, get on Route 219 and take that all the way to the burial mounds.

• Address: Miyake, Saito City, Miyazaki Prefecture 881-0005

Explore Ebino Town with its stunning mountain views

Ebino sits on the southwest edge of Miyazaki Prefecture where it shares borders with Kagoshima Prefecture. It is a small town with tall mountains, beautiful landscapes, and stunning views. Visitors can go on the popular hiking trails and spend the night in the town’s hotels or campgrounds.

Stay at Hotel Pico Lanai Ebino, located near Kirishima Onsen and Ebino Highland. It stands high up at an altitude of about 1,200 meters at the foot of Mt. Karakuni. You can enjoy exquisite dishes and the beautiful scenery from the windows. Another popular onsen in Ebino is Yoshida Onsen, the oldest hot spring in Miyazaki.

How to get to Ebino City

From Miyazaki Airport, take the 600 bus to Miyakonojo Station. Transfer to the Kitto Line and get off at Kyomachi Onsen Station. Walk for about five minutes to the Kyoumachimachiaijo and take the train headed for Ebino Interchange.

Admire the colorful flowers on Ikoma Plateau

Developed at the foot of the Kirishima Mountains, Ikoma Plateau is best known for its beautiful sea of flowers. You can see thousands of Iceland poppies in the spring and cosmos flowers in autumn. There are also myrtles and salvias in the summer.

Hike the picturesque trails on Ebino Plateau

Close to Ikoma Plateau is Ebino Plateau with Kirishima Yaku National Park. Surrounded by the Kirishima Mountains, it has several hiking trails and beautiful lakes. In the summer, it’s the ideal retreat to escape the intense heat. In the winter, it’s a good place for winter activities. Its name, Ebino Kogen (meaning "shrimp highlands"), is due to the pampas grass covering the plateau turning into a pinkish hue in the late summer.

Climb Mt. Karakuni and peer into the mouth of the volcano

With a height of 1,700 meters, Mt. Karakuni is the highest peak in the Kirishima Mountain Range, located on Ebino Kogen. It is a relatively short hike from the visitor center but can be steep in some places. From the summit, you can see the “Ring of Fire"—the mountain’s volcanic crater.

Visit Kyōmachi Onsen Town—the largest in Miyazaki

Kyōmachi Onsen is the largest hot spring town in Miyazaki Prefecture. Currently, there are about 20 hot spring facilities, including four free foot hot spring facilities and about ten hot spring hotels.

The Kyomachi Kankou Hotel is a perfect place to stay if you are traveling with your family. They have an open-air bath in the garden, extensive inner baths scented with local trees, and private baths for families. You can also stay at Kyomachi Onsen Jyubei no Yado, a ryokan strategically positioned near public facilities. It is next to Jyubei Udon restaurant where you can experience a foot bath outside the restaurant.

Explore and experience Miyazaki City

There is a lot to explore and experience in Miyazaki City, the capital of Miyazaki Prefecture. Known for beaches (it has one of the top-rated waters in Japan), delicious dishes, and scenic spots, this island in the south of Japan is one worth visiting.

Miyazaki is easily accessible from Tokyo or Osaka through a short domestic flight. Have the vacation of your dreams with the help of the JAL Japan Explorer Pass.