Chicken nanbanチキン南蛮
Fried chicken dipped in sweet vinegar and topped with tartare sauce, born in Miyazaki.
Kyushu
Miyazaki Travel Guide
Local tips, regional food and places off the tourist trail
Kyushu’s warm, relaxed southeast coast. Highlights are Takachiho Gorge and its myths in the north, and the Nichinan coast with Aoshima Shrine and Udo Jingu in the south.
Open Miyazaki on the map38 places on the map · 10 local favourites
Local tips
- TipTakachiho is far from Miyazaki city and closer to Aso; plan it with Kumamoto or via Nobeoka, ideally by car.
- DoWatch the evening yokagura performance at Takachiho Shrine, a short version of the area’s sacred night dances.
- Heads upTyphoons often hit in late summer and early autumn; Takachiho Gorge boats stop after heavy rain.
- TipThe Nichinan coast road south from Aoshima is a scenic drive past the rock shelf called the Devil’s Washboard.
- TipThe Obi castle town in Nichinan is a quiet, lesser-visited stop with stone walls and samurai streets.
What to eat
Jidori sumibiyaki地鶏の炭火焼
Free-range chicken charred over a hot charcoal fire, smoky and chewy, often eaten with drinks.
Hiyajiru冷や汁
A chilled miso soup with fish, sesame, tofu and cucumber poured over rice, a summer favourite.
Local favourites
Places mostly visited by people who live here — quieter, and often the highlight of a trip.
Idenoyama Spring
出の山湧水 Nature & SceneryCrystal-clear spring pond in Kobayashi surrounded by greenery, with a nearby restaurant serving carp and locally farmed sturgeon.
● Mostly localsKyomachi Onsen
京町温泉 Hot SpringsQuiet old hot-spring town in Ebino at the foot of the Kirishima mountains, with small, inexpensive public baths used by locals.
● Mostly localsMimitsu Historic District
美々津 Sights & HistoryQuiet port town of wooden merchant houses said to be where Emperor Jimmu set sail east.
● Mostly localsKirishimahigashi Shrine
霧島東神社 Temples & GoshuinchoMountain shrine on the slopes of Mount Takachiho-no-mine with views over the Kirishima range.
● Mostly localsAya Handmade Honmono Center
綾手づくりほんものセンター ShoppingLocal FoodFarmers' market and craft shop in Aya, a town known for organic farming.
● Mostly localsTsurutomi Yashiki, Shiiba
鶴富屋敷 Sights & HistoryOld thatched house in remote Shiiba village linked to a legend of a Heike princess.
● Mostly localsWakakusa-dori Shopping Street
若草通商店街 ShoppingCovered arcade in central Miyazaki with local shops, cafés and small boutiques.
● Mostly localsNobeoka Castle Ruins
延岡城跡 Sights & HistoryHilltop castle ruins in Nobeoka, famed for the towering 'Senningoroshi' stone wall said to be rigged to crush a thousand attackers if one stone was pulled.
● Mostly localsSekinoo Falls
関之尾滝 Nature & SceneryWide waterfall near Miyakonojo with rare potholes worn into the riverbed.
● Mostly localsNaochan, Nobeoka
直ちゃん Local FoodNobeoka restaurant considered the origin of chicken nanban, serving a simpler style without tartare sauce.
● Mostly localsThe famous sights
The places most visitors come for. Worth it — just go early.
Takachiho Gorge
高千穂峡 Nature & SceneryExperiencesBasalt gorge with the Manai Falls; rent a rowing boat to go under the waterfall.
Aoshima Shrine
青島神社 Temples & GoshuinchoNature & SceneryShrine on a tiny tropical island ringed by the 'Devil's Washboard' ridged rocks, reached by a short causeway.
Udo Jingu
鵜戸神宮 Temples & GoshuinchoNature & SceneryA shrine built inside a sea cave on the Nichinan coast. Throw clay 'undama' balls at the turtle-shaped rock below for luck.
Devil's Washboard, Aoshima
鬼の洗濯板 Nature & SceneryStriking ridged rock formations around Aoshima island, best seen at low tide.