Miyazaki Prefecture is known for its mild winters and year-round sunny weather. There are daily ferry services from Kobe Port to Miyazaki Port.
Here we introduce a 100km cycling tour along the southern coast of Miyazaki Prefecture, where you can enjoy the blue sky and sea, nature and gourmet food, using a ferry and a rented bicycle for an overnight stay in the area.

Miyazaki Car Ferry from Kobe Port to Miyazaki Port

Miyazaki Car Ferry makes one return trip daily between Miyazaki Port and Kobe Port (Kobe Sannomiya Ferry Terminal).
The ferry departs from Kobe Port at 19:10 (18:00 on Sundays only), so if you finish work in Osaka City at 17:00 and head to Sannomiya, you can make it in plenty of time. It connects with the 17:50 departure from in front of Sannomiya Station (bus stop Mint Kobe No. 6).

The new ferries Ferry Takachiho and Ferry Rokko entered service in 2022. Each has a coordinated interior inspired by the cities of Miyazaki and Kobe. Ferry Takachiho has a bright interior reminiscent of a tropical island.
The interior of the vessel has a hotel-like atmosphere. There are several types of cabin, and the first twin we used also has a toilet and washbasin. Amenities are also provided in the First and Premium types.

The night view from the sea side of beautiful Kobe, which you can see as soon as you set sail, is very luxurious.
Afterwards, enjoy a popular buffet meal in the restaurant. On the ferry Takachiho there are also gourmet Miyazaki specialities.

The ship has a bath and salon area, so you can enjoy a relaxing boat trip after dinner.

When you wake up in the morning, it gradually gets brighter outside. If you go out on the deck where you saw the night view, you can also see the beautiful sunrise.


After the buffet breakfast, get ready in your room and you are already at Miyazaki Port. At 8:40, arriving at Miyazaki Port Ferry Terminal.

E-bike rental at Giant Store Miyazaki

From Miyazaki Port, drive to Miyazaki City and visit Giant Store Miyazaki.
Giant Store Miyazaki not only sells bicycles, but also offers bike rental services.

Helmets are also available for hire.
You can also rent a bike and ask to pick it up where you arrive after riding along the coast, so you can discuss your cycling plans.

The two-day cycling is about 100km,  renting an e-bike as the second-day course is quite hilly and uphill. Start cycling with a local rider.

Aoshima Beach and Aoshima Shrine

From the city centre, the cycling path passes near Miyazaki Airport and from Hinata Miyazaki Comprehensive Sports Park.


Across Tropical Bridge is the beautiful sandy beach of Aoshima Beach.

AOSHIMA BEACH PARK, where Aoshima Island is just in front of you after a 2km ride between the sea and palm trees, with a yellow postbox as a photo spot.

Aoshima has a circumference of 860m. Aoshima is connected to Aoshima coast by Yayoi Bridge. Aoshima Shrine is located on the island, and the entire island is within its precincts.

The island is surrounded by Oni no Sentakuita (Demon’s wash board rocks), which are regularly overlapping strata that have been eroded into a staircase-like formation and look like giant washboards. At low tide you can see Oni no Semtakuita, but at high tide the atmosphere is only slightly visible.


Take a break at Miyako Botanic Garden Aoshima near Aoshima Beach.

Sun Messe Nichinan

4km south of Aoshima is Horikiri Pass. Once up the hill, the Pacific Ocean spreads out before your eyes. The tropical mood of the rows of phoenix trees, blue sea and blue sky is the very image of Miyazaki.



A further 17km along the coast is Sun Messe Nichinan.

The seven moai statues lined up on a hill overlooking the spectacular Nichinan coast are the symbol of Sun Messe Nichinan. They are the first moai statues in the world to be officially authorised by Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Elders’ Association to be fully restored.

Udo Jingu Shrine

About 5km from Sun Messe Nichinan is Udo Jingu Shrine.
The shrine, with its colourful vermilion-lacquered main hall, is located in a cave at the tip of Cape Udozaki, which juts out into the Pacific Ocean.

The magnificent Sea of Hyuga stretches out in front of the approach to the shrine, overlooking the strange rock formations that stand in a row.

Stay overnight in Nichinan City

After riding 14km from Udo Shrine, we arrived at Natural Hot Spring Hinata no Yado in Nichinan City, where we will stay overnight. End of day 1 cycling.

After sweating it out in the clear, colourless, chloride spring water, drive for Sanku, a charcoal grill.

Start with the chicken tataki, which is hidden under a large amount of spring onions.
Then, the fresh Jitokko chicken is grilled at once over homemade bamboo charcoal. This charcoal-grilled dish is superb! The dishes continue one after another, including local vegetables and juicy chicken sausages.

Located in the mountains, this restaurant is ‘out of range’ of mobile phone signals. Forget about emails and work and enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere of an old house and delicious food to the fullest. (Reservations are required for the restaurant.)

Oyster farming visit from Minato no Mori Park

On the second day, travel 15km south from the inn to Minato no Mori Park in Nango Town, Nichinan City.



From here, you will be taken on a boat to visit an oyster farm.
We go to the oyster farm with a view of the calm, beautiful sea. We enjoyed the boat trip while listening to the local people talk about the oyster farming methods, the difficulties they face because of the clean sea, and the current state of fishing in the area.

Roadside Station Nango

Return to Minato no Mori Park and go to Roadside Station Nango, which you can see from the boat.
A single door and a small chair with three legs are placed overlooking the beautiful sea.


This was based on the motif of the ‘door’ that appeared in the film “Suzume no Tojimari” (Suzume), released in 2022. As the film is said to have started in Miyazaki, it was produced jointly by the Nichinan Branch of the Prefectural Architects’ Association and the Nichinan High School Art Club.

Shiawase 448 Happy Road

From Roadside Station Nango to Cape Toi, you can cycle along the Shiawase 448 Happy Road, taking in the beautiful sea.



The road is named ‘Shiawase 448 Happy Road’ because of the series of auspicious names along it. From the north, the names are ‘Husband and Wife Ura’, ‘Chikushima’, ‘Sachijima’ and ‘Koigaura’.
If you read the names from the south, it can mean ‘a couple who fall in love and build happiness.’


448 is the number of National Highway 448, which is even more auspicious as 4+4=8 (8 across is infinity).

Cape Toi

Climb up the hill on Shiawase 448 Happy Road and turn onto Prefectural Road 38 to the final destination, Cape Toi.

Cape Toi is known for its wild horses. These wild horses were first grazed by the Takanabe clan in the Edo period for the purpose of raising horses for military use, and later became semi-wild. There are around 100 of them.
As they are wild, it is hard to know where you will encounter them, but the horses standing on the cape overlooking the sea is a unique and wonderful sight.

The cycling ends at PAKALAPAKA, Cape Toi Tourist Exchange Centre. You can have  your rental bicycle pick-up here.


From here, take the community bus Yoka Bus to JR Kushima Station and then take JR Nichinan Line back to Miyazaki.

Miyazaki Station has many souvenir shops and restaurants, so you can enjoy the time until the ferry. The Miyazaki Prefecture Tourist Association is also close by, so be sure to stop by to gather information for your next trip to Miyazaki.

Miyazaki Port to Kobe Port

Departs Miyazaki Port Ferry Terminal at 19:10 on the return journey. Ferry Rokko has a slightly stylish and chic interior inspired by Kobe. After a relaxing journey, the ferry arrives at Kobe Port at 7:30am the following morning.


From Kobe, it is time to go straight to work and return to the everyday world.

Video report

Course Introduction

Distance: 100km  Altitude gained: 1706m.

Miyazaki Car Ferry
Giant Store Miyazaki
Miyazaki Kanko Navi (Miyazaki Prefecture’s official tourism website)

Summary

Miyazaki Prefecture offers dazzling sunshine and enjoyable cycling even in winter. The course along the sea is full of beautiful scenery that you will never get tired of.
The terrain makes it difficult to take a circular course, so you will have to take the same road on the way back, but if you rent a bicycle, you can be picked up and transported by public transport, which is very comfortable.
The round trip from Kobe is a comfortable boat trip, so from the Kansai region you can finish work on Friday, enjoy Miyazaki on Saturday and Sunday and return to work on Monday morning.
Even in the off-season, winter, it is comfortable, so you can enjoy cycling in Miyazaki any time of the year.
Incidentally, the Aoshima coast and Cape Toi are such a colourful landscape in summer.

Cooperation: Miyazaki Prefecture Tourism Association, Miyazaki Car Ferry, Giant Store Miyazaki, Hitoshio Co.
Writer: Yasushi Hanada