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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.
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.