Hyuga

Lore

According to legend, the first Japanese Emperor, Jimmu, came from the Miyazaki area. Ninigi, grandson of the Sun goddess Amaterasu, came to down from the heavens to Takachiho. His grandson, Jimmu, went to what is modern day Miyazaki City and at the age of 15 became the crown prince of the region. At the age of 45, he heard about a very abundant land called Yamato, in modern day Kansai, to the east. Jimmu and his army walked up the eastern coast of Kyushu looking for a decent port, eventually stopping at Mimitsu (southern Hyuga). They lived there for a time and built their warships. He launched his conquest of Yamato from Mimitsu and traveled to the Kansai area. There he fought his way to the Yamato Plain, establishing himself as the first Emperor of Japan and the start of the long line of Emperors.

On his way there, he stopped at an independent island that was at that time unnamed. This small farm covered island was known for academic pursuites. The villagers there told him about a whale that terrorised the village, killing fishermen who left the island. Jimmu decided to help the villagers and killed the whale. The villagers rejoiced and subsequently enshrined the spear (鉾 hoko) he used. After that, the island was known as Hokoshima (Spear Island). Over time, the pronunciation changed and today it is known as Hososhima, despite no longer being an island.

Hyuga also has a huge boulder of naturally fused pebbles near the sea at Omi Shrine. This is supposedly the boulder (さざれいし) mentioned in the Japanese National Anthem.

History

The Hyuga area has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Archeologists have found stone tools and stone mounds dating back as much as 30,000 years ago, placing it in the early Japanese Paleolithic period making it one of the earliest inhabited areas of Japan. There are also active archeological digs uncovering pottery from the Jomon Era which you can see in many of the museums in Hyuga.
Many thousands of years later, Emperor Keiko conquered Kyushu to bring the local tribes into the Japanese Empire. It is said that following a war to subjugate the Kumaso people (an ancient tribe that used to live in the Miyazaki area), Emperor Keiko faced East and said, “I name this country Hinata because it faces the rising sun.” Hinata (日向) literally means "facing the sun" or sunwards. Hinata-no-kuni (日向の国) was later changed to Hyuga (日向) and eventually to Miyazaki during the Meiji Period. Hyuga City (日向市) has adopted the Prefecture's old name.
There used to be castles on the mountain behind Omi Shrine (Hichiya Castle) and in Shiomi (Shiomi Castle), in western Hyuga. Shiomi Castle was totally destroyed and never rebuilt and Hichiya Castle is just ruins that have now been swallowed up by forest.

Geography

Central Hyuga is centered on Hyuga-shi Station. The greater Hyūga area is 336.29 km², much larger than the city limits as a result of mergers with other smaller towns such as Togo and Mimitsu. Hyūga City is a small port city located in Miyazaki Prefecture, just south of Nobeoka. The city sits on flatlands between the Kyushu Mountains and the Hyūga Sea. The area along Cape Hyūga with its exposed hexagonal pillar rocks (columnar joint) and ria (saw tooth) coastline are designated as part of the Nippo-Kaigan Quasi-National Park. A bit south are famous beaches such as Ise-ga-hama, Okura-ga-hama, and Kane-ga-hama, known for their surfing.

Weather

Hyuga has a mild, but humid subtropical climate with no dry season. The climate is comparable to the southern coastal areas of the United States or southern Europe. The average summer daytime temperature is about 30 °C (86 °F) with 80% humidity. The average winter daytime temperature is about 13 °C (56 °F) with 60% humidity. Early summer is marked with the rainy season in June and July. This is followed by an incredibly hot, humid summer and daily sunshine, but is often accompanied by typhoons. Winter is mild with small amounts of rain.
If you are planning on coming to Hyuga during the rainy season, have an umbrella or be ready to buy one. If you are coming during mid summer, be sure the place you are staying has air conditioning.

Money

It is possible to withdraw cash using credit or debit cards issued overseas, but many Japanese ATMs are not compatible with overseas cards. Every post office in Japan has an international ATM, and tend to offer the best exchange rate. Strangely, these ATMs, like human tellers, close at night and either have weekends off or reduced hours.
Aeon mall also has a postal ATM; look for a green sign with "JP BANK ゆうちょ銀行".
There are 24-hour ATMs at most convinience stores, but 7/11s are best for international withdrawls.

Major districts

• Shinmachi

Shinmachi (新町) is Hyuga's downtown area. Hyuga City has been engaged in large scale urban renewal, slowly widening roads, creating new businesses, beautifying, and modernizing the city center. As such, Shinmachi is probably the most modern and tidy downtown areas in Miyazaki Prefecture. This region is centered around Hyūgashi Station.

• Hososhima

Hososhima is Hyuga's waterfront. This district is bisected by a mountain, giving each side a very different feel.
The southern part of Hososhima is centered around Hyuga's commercial fishing port between Komenoyama and Makishimayama. It looks and feels like a fishing village from the late Edo or early Meiji period. Many of the buildings are actually from the Edo period, but may be poorly maintained. Despite this, the area has a nice atmosphere, like an old fishing village with some Edo Period buildings still in good shape. This is good if you want to see more traditional Japan without the drive to Mimitsu.
The northern part of Hososhima is centered around Hyuga's Industrial Port. It is mainly large factories and trade storage, but doubles as the cruise ship terminal. As the largest port in northern Miyazaki, it serves as the main international trade port in the area handling materials and goods import and export in the region.

• Mimitsu area

Mimitsu was a port town to the south of Hyūga which merged with Hyuga in 1955. It is famous for washi paper and fishing. It is also supposedly the port from which the first Japanese Emperor, Jimmu, launched his military expedition to conquer Yamato and establish it as the center of power.

In the 19th century, it was a prosperous commercial port that was a hub for trade with the cities of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe, with so many houses belonging to merchants and shipping agents crowded together that people used to refer to the thousand houses of Mimitsu (Mimitsu-sengen). It disappeared from the map with the advent of railroads. In 1986, it was designated as a national important preservation district for groups of historic buildings, and much of the 19th-century atmosphere, including traditional buildings, earthen walls, and stone pavements, remains. It is about 30 minutes from Central Hyuga, so you will need to drive or take a taxi or bus.

• Togo

Togo is a small mountain town. It is famous for Udon. It is also the birthplace of Wakayama Bokusui, a famous Tanka writer. The Udon here is to die for, the exhibits on Bokusui are interesting if you like traditional Japanese poetry, and the scenery is beautiful, but there is little else to do here.

By plane

The nearest airport is in Miyazaki City, though Kagoshima Airport typically offers cheaper flights. From Miyazaki Airport, you can drive or take the Nippo Main Line (60 minutes by express train).

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. Hyuga-shi Station is the main station in Hyuga, but be careful, there are several other stations along the Nippo Line with "Hyuga" in their name. These have no connection with Hyuga City.
You can easily get there from transport hubs and major stations such as Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Oita Station, and Kagoshima Chuo Station. Fees will vary but will usually cost from ¥4000-6000 one way depending on your location.
Within Miyazaki Prefecture, travel by the local train costs far less, but takes more time. From Miyazaki City, a local train costs ¥1290 one way (75 minutes) and the express train costs ¥2110 (45min).

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. A round trip from Fukuoka will cost only ¥7,000, however as this line is mainly a way for people from Miyazaki to get to Fukuoka, buses from Hakata station only leave in the evening (buses from Hyuga to Fukuoka will leave early in the morning). The website is in Japanese only, but it has embedded Google Translate, making it usable if clunky.
While bus services directly to Hyuga are limited, Miyazaki City has several express bus routes that link it to every other part of Kyushu. One could easily take these buses and then transfer using local or express train lines.

By car

If you can drive in Japan, cars are far more convinient. 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. It takes 2 hours from Miyazaki City.
The Eastern Kyushu Expressway is a tollroad, but it is much faster than route 10, taking only 1 hour from Miyazaki City and almost 2 hours from Oita City. From either destination, expect to pay just over ¥2,000.

The Hyuga Regional Information Center Tomitaka, just outside of Hyuga-shi station, and the information booth at the cruise ship terminal (if there is a cruise ship), will have plenty of flyers in multiple languages and typically an English speaker present. These will help you find your way around.

By bus

Bus services and public transportation access to tourist spots in Hyuga is limited, typically about 1 bus every hour. It is probably better to avoid this unless you are confident about timing and use of buses in Japan. As a whole, locals avoid using the buses.

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. There are two rental stores also listed in the Hyuga Walking Map.

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.
Hyuga City runs a Tourist Taxi service which can get you to the tourist destinations for 2/3 the price of standard taxis. These are available through the Hyuga City Tourism Incorporated Association in the Information Center at Hyuga-shi Station.
When you reserve these taxis, they will ask you which route you want. These recommended courses include:

• 1-Hour Course (¥2200): Hyuga-shi Station, Umagase, Kurusu no Umi, Hyuga-shi Station
• 2-Hour Course (¥4400): Hyuga Cape, Hyuga-shi Station, Umi no Eki Hososhima, Umagase, Kurusu no Umi, Omi Shrine, Hyuga-shi Station
• 3-Hour Course (¥6600): Hyuga-shi Station, Omi Shrine, Kurusu no Umi, Umagase, Mimitsu or Togo (Bokusui’s Home and Bokusui Wakayama Memorial Museum), Hyuga-shi Station

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. This is recommended for travel within city, not for traveling to Mimitsu, Togo, or Umagase. Rentals are ￥100 for the first hour and an additional ￥50 for each additional 30 minutes.

Hyuga is most famous for its coastal areas and historical district, but there is more to see than just beaches.
Because it is the product of various mergers, Hyuga is quite spread out, with three main regions: Central Hyuga, Togo in the mountains, and Mimitsu in the south.

Central Hyuga

• MihokogauraA 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.

• IsegahamaIsegahama 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.

• OkuragahamaOkuragahama 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.

• KanegahamaKanegahama is another very popular surfing beach among locals.

• Nippo Coast Quasi National ParkNippo 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.

• UmagaseThis 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.

• Mt. Komenoyama OverlookThe 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.

• Omi Shrine

  address: 1 Hichiya
  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.

• Kurusu no UmiKurusu 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.

• Hososhima Port Museum

  address: 803-1 Hososhima
  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.

Togo

• Bokusui Park

  phone: +81 982 69-7720
  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.

• Bokusui Wakayama Memorial Museum of Literature

  phone: +81 982 68-9511
  address: 271 Togocho Tsuboya
  A museum all about Bokusui Wakayama, a famous tanka poet who was active during the start of the 20th century.

Mimitsu

• Mimitsu Historic DistrictMimitsu 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.

• Hyuga Historical and Folk Museum

  address: 3244 Mimitsumachi
  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.

• Tobishima Maru

  phone: +81 982-52-4825
  address: 5491-2　Hichiya
  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.

Festivals

• Hyottoko Summer FestivalFirst 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.

• Hyuga Jyugoya FestivalSeptember 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.

• Hososhima Port FestivalThird 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.

Central

• Aeon Town Hyuga

  phone: +81 982 55-8200
  address: 61-1 Oaza Hichiya Furuta-cho
  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.

• Trial

  phone: +81 982 50-1377
  address: 10754-11 Miyakomachi
  Low-priced superstore. If you're familiar with the U.S. Walmart chain, this is similar.

• Machi no Eki Tomitaka

  address: 1-19 Uemachi
  This is a gift store, local product shop, and small cafe.

• Affranchir

  phone: +81 982-53-3859
  address: 1 Chome-116 Kamezakihigashi
  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.

Togo

• Togo Roadside Station

  phone: +81 982-68-3072
  address: 244-1 Togocho Yamageshin
  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.

Mimitsu

• Hyuga Road Side Station

  phone: +81 982-56-3809
  address: 241-7 Oaza Saiwaki
  Part rest stop, part souvenir and local product shop. This is a good place to find local products.

Famous products

• Go Stones Hyuga is known for its production of Go stones, the highest quality of which are made from clam shell.
• Hebesu Hebesu is a type of small green citrus fruit only grown in the Hyuga area. It has thin skin and few seeds, making it very easy to use in cooking or juice. Hebesu juice is tart, but much milder than a lemon or lime. During Hebesu season, locals will add this to a lot of their food and drinks, especially meat and alcohol. Try hebesu if you come in the summer or early fall.
• Kumquat Hyuga kumquat are said to be larger and slightly sweeter than normal kumquat. They are a winter fruit, so try them if you come in mid to late winter or early spring.

Hyuga has a lot of agriculture and an abundance of fresh specialty food. Some of these are available around Miyazaki.

• Hyuga natsu — A yellow citrus fruit. The white part of the skin is sweet, so locals often cut the outer skin and eat the rest.
• Hebesu or Hebezu — A small green citrus fruit often eaten in other food or juiced.
• Jidori — Charcoal grilled chicken
• Chicken Nanban — Fried chicken with tartar sauce.
• Chicken Sashimi — Miyazaki is one of the only places in the world where you can eat raw chicken and know you won't get sick. Oddly enough, it doesn't taste like chicken.
• Sushi — Hososhima port is a commercial fishing port, so the fish is very fresh.

Central

• Comfort Cafe & Bar Buckayro

  phone: +81 982-54-3067
  address: 10749-8 Miyakomachi
  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.

• Shanghai Garden

  phone: +81 982-52-2419
  address: 1-15 Miyakomachi
  A standard Chinese restaurant. They offer private rooms for larger parties and all you can drink options as well.

• Dosanko Ramen

  phone: +81 982-52-6014
  address: 2-11-23 Tsurumachi
  A ramen restaurant near the station. Their specialties are butter ramen and chashuman ramen.

• Seaside Station Hososhima Restaurant

  phone: +81 982-52-0771
  address: 769-4 Hososhima
  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.

• Uotami

  phone: +81 982-52-9288
  address: Uemachi, 3−21
  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.

Togo

Mimitsu

• Min Cafe and Shop

  phone: +81 982 58-0425
  address: 3417 Mimitsu-cho
  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.

Hyuga City has no shortage of places to drink. Most of these are located generally around the izakaya, Hachiman.
There are many bars, snack clubs (スナック), and Izakaya. To avoid surprises, it can be important to know the difference when you are looking for a place to go drinking.

• Bars are good places to meet people, just like anywhere in the world, but many in Hyuga include karaoke and darts. Many of the bars in Hyuga have English names and clearly mark themselves as bars.
• Snack clubs are halfway between a hostess club and a bar, with all female staff who serve drinks and flirt with guests. Snack clubs have limited drink selection, but include karaoke. Snack clubs will have スナック written somewhere on the sign and are always in buildings with other snack clubs.
• An Izakaya is like a Japanese pub, featuring a variety of small plates of food and drinks. Izakaya are best for groups, and include some degree of privacy, with curtains or private rooms. You can usually tell an Izakaya because it has a more traditional look and its own building.

• Hachiman

  phone: +81 982-52-4815
  address: 5-3 Uemachi
  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 Peek a boo

  phone: +81 982-53-0323
  address: 14-1 Uemachi, Sunplaza II 2nd Floor
  A casual American themed bar that usually attacts 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.

• Hyuga Dai-Ichi Hotel

  phone: +81 982 52-8151
  address: 11-5 Honmachi
  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).

• Hotel Verfort Hyuga

  phone: +81 982-52-0001
  address: 7-3 Uemachi
  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.

• Rumieru Hyuga

  phone: +81 982-55-1222
  address: 11-1 Honmachi
  A business hotel an 8-minute walk from Hyuga-shi Station.

• Guesthouse Pumping Surf

  phone: +81 982-60-3864
  address: 10876−15 Hiraiwa
  This is a guest house that is good for surfers, as it is a 5-minute walk from Okuragahama.

• Hotel Melissa

  phone: +81 982-55-8181
  address: Uemachi 17-7
  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.

Like much of Japan, Hyuga is somewhat lacking in terms of public Wi-Fi, so don't have very high expectations. The tourist information center in Hyuga-shi Station and most convenience stores have free public Wi-Fi.
Most free Wi-Fi in Japan still require registering your email and a user name. This can get annoying if you have to keep registering over and over, so there are some Japan free wifi apps to help you search to locations and connect with the push of a button. If you install the app, be sure to register it in a place that you still have internet access, because you will need to open a confirmation email.
The city is also slowly installing free Wi-Fi hotspots for tourists. The hyuga_free_wifi hotspots are available at city hall, Togo Roadside Station, Seaside Station Hososhima, and in front of Omi Shrine. To access this Wi-Fi, you need to imput the password (0982522111), your email, and our own password. You can do this without internet access, but you can only access this Wi-Fi for one hour at a time up to 4 times per day.
If you want to use a computer, you can often use one in your hotel or go to an internet cafe (which can be a bit sketchy).

• Net Jaws

  phone: +81 982-50-1478
  address: 1 - 59 Kitamachi
  An internet and manga cafe with food and darts. You may need a membership card, but that is simple enough to get.

• Saito: The site of over 300 kofun, burial mounds, built over 1,500 years ago.
• Takachiho: Home to a massive gorge and the site where the gods descended to earth.
• Miyazaki: The biggest city in Miyazaki prefecture.
• Oita: Shopping, onsen, and connections to other major attractions.