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City in Kyushu, Japan
Photo: ja:User:Sanjo, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Hyuga (日向) is a small, but prominent port city in northern Miyazaki prefecture. It is a small city with a population of just over 60,000 with a long and varied history.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
御鉾ヶ浦海水浴場
A beautiful bay which leads into Hososhima Commercial Port. This small beach is the only beach in Hyuga that is not constantly hammered by waves, making it the best place for swimming. Just across the road from the beach is a tiered park on the side of the hill that offers great views of the bay and some BBQ facilities.
伊勢ヶ浜
Isegahama was selected by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment as one of the top 100 swimming beaches in Japan. It is, however open to the ocean, thus gets both waves and riptides. There is a lifeguard stationed here during the summer.
お倉ヶ浜
Okuragahama is also among Japan's 100 top beaches according to the Ministry of the Environment. It is almost 4 km (2.4 miles), long. It is a beautiful white sand beach and the home of several surfing competitions every year. Okuragahama is the only place in Japan that has Suwabute Clams, used to make Hyuga's famous Go stones.
金ヶ浜
Kanegahama is another very popular surfing beach among locals.
日豊海岸国定公園
Nippo Coast Quasi National Park is a Quasi National Park characterized by ria (sawtooth) coastline interspersed with occasional sandy beaches. Cape Hyuga is a perfect example of this dramatic coastline.
馬ヶ背
This is the entrance to the walking path that leads to Umagase, the horse's back. This is the best place to see the coast and the beauty of the Nippo Quasi National Park. The path is paved and easy to access until you get toward the end, at which point it turns into uneven stone with railing.
米ノ山展望台
The parking lot offers a great view of Hyuga and the surrounding area. Then, for a view of Cape Hyuga, follow the path to the 2-story concrete building and climb to the top. The building has seen better days, but the view it offers is fantastic.
大御神社
A small but spectacular shrine perched on some rocks right at the edge of the ocean. The design is very similar to the Great Shrine of Ise, earning Omi Shrine the nickname, the Ise of Miyazaki. This shrine is just next to Isegahama, an easy walk. Omi Shrine is most noted for the saza-ishi (a huge boulder made of naturally fused stones), a dragon egg (huge round stone), and the nearby which contains a smaller shrine. Locals say if you stand in the right spot and look at the slit of the cave entrance, you can see a dragon. The stairs leading down to the cave are really steep. Heels and skirts are not recommended.
クルスの海
Kurusu no Umi, or the sea cross, is a place in which the ocean wore the stone away perpendicularly forming a natural cross shape. This overlook offers a great view of the cross and more of the coastline. The rocks aparently split in a way that resembles the character 叶, "come true." The locals say that wishes made here come true, which is why some signs call this place "Sea-Cross – have ones wish granted". It is especially popular for dates, so you may be surrounded by couples.
細島みなと資料館旧高鍋屋
It was built as a residence of the Takanabe feudal lord, and transformed into a traditional hotel until 1982. This building has a lot of history. The old lady who gives tours at this museum is nice, spunky, and very knowledgeable, but does not speak English. The tour is very interesting and tells you a lot of the history of the area, but you will not get as much out of it if you don't understand Japanese.
牧水公園
Bokusui Park is a well-equipped park good for camping, hiking, bbqs, and trying local crafts, but it is out of the way and can be tedious to access. One whole hill is covered in flowers during the spring and summer.
若山牧水記念文学館
A museum all about Bokusui Wakayama, a famous tanka poet who was active during the start of the 20th century.
美々津伝統的建造物群保存地区
Mimitsu was a major trade port until partway through the Meiji Period. Many of these Edo and Meiji era buildings are still standing and have been restored. It is designated as an "important preservation district for groups of historic buildings" by the Japanese Government. The traditional atmosphere and cute shops make this a wonderful side trip.
日向市歴史民俗資料館
This museum used to be the home of a wealthy merchant during the Edo Period. It does a good job showing life in the Edo Period, but has little in the way of English explainations.
飛島丸
The Tobishima Maru offers boat tours of the Hyuga Coastline. These tours are typically about 30 minutes aboard a converted fishing boat. The route takes you along the cliffs of the Nippo Kaigan Quasi-National Park. Please note, parties must be 3 or more people and there is a slight discount for parties over 10 people.
ひょっとこ夏祭り
First Friday and Saturday of August. The Hyottoko Festival is the biggest festival in Hyuga with over 2,000 dancers wearing bright red happi and masks. There are three main characters associated with this dance, hyottoko (the fool), Okame (the beautiful woman), and Kitsune (the mischievous fox). This is an interesting festival with a funny dance (yes, those pelvic thrusts are part of the dance), but hotels are usually booked solid for that weekend, so plan ahead.
日向十五夜祭
September or October, in accordance with the harvest moon. This festival revolves around teams doing traditional folk dancing through streets which are lined with the ever present festival food stalls. It is a nice festival, but much smaller scale than the Hyottoko festival.
細島港祭り
Third Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of July. The Hososhima Port Festival is a small, but high energy local festival. It celebrates the unification of the rival districts (merchants and fishermen). The main attraction of this festival is on Sunday, when the two hand-carried two-ton floats clash on the final day.
Depending on what time you go, this is either a cafe, restaurant, or bar. They specialize in pasta, sandwiches, and sweets. The bread used for the sandwiches can break your teeth, but is totally worth it.
上海花園
A standard Chinese restaurant. They offer private rooms for larger parties and all you can drink options as well.
道産子
A ramen restaurant near the station. Their specialties are butter ramen and chashuman ramen.
海の駅 ほそしま
This restaurant serves sushi right from the fishing boat. The flagship dishes are the tuna bowl and kaisendon (mixed sashimi bowl). Only go here if you can eat raw fish.
魚民
An izakaya (a Japanese-style pub) which carries all varieties of Japanese food and drinks. Private rooms are available, as are timed all-you-can-drink services.
民 雑貨＆カフェ
Located in a repurposed Edo-era house, this two floor cafe and shop sells all sorts of goodies. The cafe has food, drinks, and housemade desserts. The store side is two floors and sells all sorts of fancy but random items from cutlery to clothes to furniture. They also have a rotating selection that changes once a month. This rotating section has local crafts such as pottery, washi (Japanese paper), and more. Definitely worth a look if visiting Mimitsu. The owner used to be an English teacher, and therefore speaks decent English.
八幡
Hachiman is one of the main izakaya in Hyuga, dominating two traditional looking buildings in the center of the drinking district. Hachiman features large private rooms and a wide variety of Japanese dishes and drinks. It also has an "all you can drink" option.
Bar ピーカーブ―
A casual American themed bar that usually attracts a younger crowd. This is one of the higher energy bars in town. The owner does not speak much English, but he still tries to crack jokes. It is pretty easy to find, look for a building with an excessive amount of unrelated signs and Christmas lights outside.
日向第一ホテル
A simple, clean hotel in the center of Hyuga. It is probably one of the nicer hotels in Hyuga City, but remember that it is a business hotel, so don't expect anything too special. Breakfast is included in the 2nd floor restaurant (you can choose Japanese or Western style).
ベルフォート日向
About a 5-minute walk from the station, this is the fanciest hotel in Hyuga. It is a bit old, but well maintained with rooms from singles to suites.
ルミエール日向
A business hotel an 8-minute walk from Hyuga-shi Station.
This is a guest house that is good for surfers, as it is a 5-minute walk from Okuragahama.
ホテルメリッサ日向
A well-maintained business hotel just across the street from Hyuga-shi Station. Hotel Melissa has free breakfast of bread and coffee, and a beer garden on the roof.
イオン日向
Aeon is a chain of shopping malls around Japan. You can find a bit of anything here for a decent price. The first floor is miscellaneous goods and a super market. The second floor is clothes.
Low-priced superstore. If you're familiar with the U.S. Walmart chain, this is similar.
まちの駅「とみたか」
This is a gift store, local product shop, and small cafe.
アフランシール
Affranchir (pronounced "af-ran-seal" with soft 'a' as in apparel) is one of the more upscale and trendy stores in Hyuga, aimed at younger customers. It is sells a bit of everything, including food, clothing, household goods, and natural personal care products. It is more expensive than many stores in Hyuga, but still reasonably priced.
道の駅東郷
This is the Togo area's information center, gift shop, and farmer's market all in one place. Practically everything sold here is locally produced.
道の駅日向
Part rest stop, part souvenir and local product shop. This is a good place to find local products.
By train
The Nippo Main Line, which runs along eastern Kyushu, has several stops in Hyuga City including Mimitsu, Minami-Hyuga, Zaikoji, and Hyuga-shi stations.
By bus
Hakko Liner (高速バス ハッコーライナー) is an express bus service serving Hyuga, northern Miyazaki and Fukuoka.
By car
If you can drive in Japan, cars are far more convenient. Route 10 is a highway that connects all the major cities in eastern Kyushu. Driving along Route 10 is slow and does not offer much of a view.
By bus
Bus services and public transportation access to tourist spots in Hyuga is limited, typically about 1 bus every hour.
By car
Car rental is available near the station. The Hyuga City Tourism Incorporated Association, located in the Information Center can help you find the nearest one.
By taxi
Taxi is fastest and most convenient if you can not drive in Japan, but as in the rest of Japan, fares do add up, so be careful.
By bicycle
Bike rentals are available between 09:00 and 17:30 from the Tourist Information Center at Hyuga Station. They are labor-intensive but very enjoyable.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Miyazaki · International · KMI
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