Precious Memories: Rainy Day in Miyazaki (Port of Aburatsu)

2023 Spring Asia Cruises II - 9-Day Kyushu Spring Flowers Cruise, Roundtrip Yokohama, Japan

March 21, 2023 (Tuesday) - Nagasaki, Japan 7:00~5:00

We have never been to this part of Japan before and I have spent much time researching about this port before the trip. The problem that I had was not sure if we were to dock at Miyazaki port in the north, or Aburatsu Port in the south. The original itinerary from Princess was under Miyazaki. My research ended up with places that hopefully we can get to in between these two cities. There are a few places that caught my attention and I really looked forward to visit these amazing destination.

We finally received notice that we will dock at Aburatsu port in the south, not long before the starting of our cruise. Now, at least we know where we will be on this day.

This is what I do to show the taxi drivers so they know exactly where we want to be. A screen shot of the Google map of the destination. This one shows the distance between Aburatsu and Udo-jingu Shrine, the first place we will get to.

I can't stress enough of the importance of having this with us when we are in port.

When I checked the port information, I realized that the closest bus stop to Aburatsu port is a good distance away. Most of the scenic places are located along the highway 220 which is served by one bus line #965 with limited schedules. One can get a one-day pass for Y1800 per person. Even with that information, I doubted that we will be able to utilize the bus since there are long walks to the places. Some in our group have mobility issues and decided it's not a good idea to get off the ship on a rainy day like this. Still, we need to find a way to get to the places we wanted to be and not waste a port day in this part of the country. They did provide a paid shuttle service to somewhere in town nearby but for a hefty price. When we got off the ship we found this at the taxi rank, with specific rates posted to hire taxis in port.

After talking to the very helpful staff there, we decided we will hire a van that would fit all of us for the day, maybe 4 to 5 hours of sightseeing. Fortunately, there was a van available and we counted our blessings as this really made our day of traveling so much easier!

We told our driver where we wanted to go and he decided on the route we should take. He was a very flexible gentleman and even though he spoke very little English, he tried very hard to help us understand. There was an American young man who was working there and he helped us with some translation so our driver knows exactly where we wanted to go. Worked out brilliantly!

Udo-Jingu Shrine

When I was doing my research, I learned that this shrine is the 'prettiest shrine' in Japan. It was built inside a cave by the shore making it a very special and scenic place. This was the one that would have a very long walk from the bus station nearby. Our driver easily dropped us off at the parking lot out front of the main entrance. Sometimes, you just have to bite the bullet when it is absolutely necessary.

Entering the ground of the shrine. It was definitely beautiful!

We were early, and there was hardly anyone there. By the time we were leaving, the tour buses arrived.

Office of the shrine.

Just love these structures!

People posted their prayers on this rack.

Shrine on one side and the ocean on the other side.

Walking down to the shrine in the cave.

Shrine in the cave.

Looking out from the cave.

Stairway leading down to the shrine.

Turtle rock where people try to throw their coins inside the rope circle for good luck.

Yes, it was wet and slippery.

This shrine is definitely very impressive and beautiful! I have seen photos and videos of how crowded this place can be and I felt fortunate that we came on a quiet morning even though it was raining while we were there. I guess you just can't have everything you wanted. We were glad that we made it here though.

Aoshima

This is another amazing site that is different from your regular destination. Aoshima is on the northern part of this area, closer to Miyazaki actually. Aoshima is famous for their Deveil's Washboard, a geological wonderland.

Our driver dropped us off at a parking lot at the Miyako Botanic Garden and we walked from there to the Aoshima Beach Park, then to the Devil's Washboard. The botanic garden was very pretty but we did not really spend too much time there. Our goal was the washboard.

Walking towards the Devil's Washboard on the island.

Asoshima Beach Park

Crossing the Yayoi Bridge

almost to the shrine

Here, the Devil's Washboard!

near the torii of the shrine

The power of nature!

The way to Aoshima Shrine right next to the torii.

Aoshima Shrine

a tropical garden behind the shrine

Aoshima Shrine Motomiya

Before leaving the area, we did get some snacks from the vendors at the beach which were quite interesting and delicious. Then we went inside the greenhouse of the botanic garden before going back to the van that was waiting for us.

Sun Messe Nichinan

The last site we planned on visit is the Sun Messe. This is more like a man-made attraction that was built imitating Easter Island. Sun Messe situated between Udo-Jingu Shrine and Aoshima, so we are backtracking southward along the highway. Actually, we came by earlier but had to turn around because they were not opened yet.

Driving through a tunnel on our way back.

It was raining quite heavily when we got there but we already paid for the admission, so we just had to complete our visits there. These statues just duplicated the ones on Easter Island.

It should be nice if it was not raining. I did not take many pictures but the video shows more of our time here. We were soaking wet by the end of this visit and couldn't wait to get back to the van.

Obi

I wanted to see the city of Obi originally, which is an old city near the port. I did not think that we would have time to get there and I did not want to ask the driver to take us there since it is kind of out of the way. It was a pleasant surprise that at the end of the tour, he told us that we still have time, and he would take us for a drive through of Obi. I would love to see the Obi Castle and Chekkeon Park in the city but with the lack of time, I would be happy just to see anything there.

Our driver showed us the ditch (channel) where koi fish were swimming, I believe they called it the Carp Swimming Pool.

Apparently this is one of the interesting site in town.

Then we drove to the nearby Obi Castle Ruin. Too bad that we couldn't get inside because of the rain.

After our quite drive-through of Obi, we were taken back to the cruise port. There were tents set up by shipside and snacks were provided but we were cold and wet so going back to the ship sound really nice.