Miyazaki Prefecture

Domestic flight from Tokyo Haneda to Miyazaki Airport (90 min, 30-min bus to city). From Hakata: 6-hour JR Limited Express journey via Kagoshima. From Kagoshima: 2.5 hours by JR Limited Express.

Yes — small rowboats rent for ¥4,100 per 30 minutes. Reservations not always required, but the queue can be 1-2 hours long during peak season (April-May, October). The boats glide right under the Manai Falls.

Yes — about 100 wild Misaki horses live freely on the cape. Best chance of spotting groups is morning or late afternoon when they graze in the open grass cliffs. Stay 5+ metres away (they are wild and will kick).

Takachiho Gorge and the creation-myth shrines, the surfing coast at Okuragahama, mangoes (the prefecture grows Japan's biggest), Cape Toi's wild horses, and the Yokagura sacred dance.

One day for Miyazaki City and Aoshima Island. Two days adds Takachiho (you'll need to overnight to see Yokagura). Three days lets you reach Cape Toi or Kirishima.

The Saitobaru burial-mound park (311 ancient kofun in one site), the all-night Yokagura sacred dance performances November-February, and the Okuragahama surf-championship coast at Hyuga.

Beyond the obvious draws, Udo Jingu Shrine, Obi Castle Town, Ama-no-Iwato Shrine, Ebino Plateau, Nobeoka, Kobayashi reward travelers willing to step off the main route — local pace, fewer crowds, and a closer feel for the everyday rhythms of the region.