Four nights: stay in the south or spend more time at the northern gorge?
For unhurried Udo and Obi visits, spend one night in Aoshima, two in Nichinan and one in Miyazaki city on the southern coast. To stay two nights around Takachiho Gorge and also see the coast, put one city night before and after. The return day from the north adds a further journey to Aoshima. Before departure, assess whether you can finish sightseeing by sunset; if time is tight, arrange to visit the coast on day one instead. Both itineraries use hire cars, with hire, fuel and parking essential extra costs.
Choose an itinerary for 5 days / 4 nights
Separate stays on the coast and in Obi
This driving trip spends one night in Aoshima, two in Nichinan and one in Miyazaki city. Visit Udo and Obi on different days, then stop for Horikiri's coastal views while returning north. Leave the final day for the city museum and car return.
Separate stays on the coast and in Obi →5 days / 4 nights BTwo landscapes: Aoshima and Takachiho
This driving trip spends one night in Miyazaki city, two in Takachiho and another in the city. Allow a day each for gorge walking and boating. Visit Aoshima after returning to the city only if there is enough time. Before leaving, check whether you can finish the long drive, rest breaks, worship and return to the car park before sunset. If not, arrange to visit Aoshima on day one instead.
Two landscapes: Aoshima and Takachiho →Separate stays on the coast and in Obi
This driving trip spends one night in Aoshima, two in Nichinan and one in Miyazaki city. Visit Udo and Obi on different days, then stop for Horikiri's coastal views while returning north. Leave the final day for the city museum and car return.
Day 1
After reaching your Aoshima accommodation, walk around the shrine and island, then spend your first night by the sea.
- Car hire location → Accommodation in Aoshima
Travel from the car hire location to your Aoshima accommodation, park, then head to the coast.
Aoshima Shrine operatorCar hire time-based rates and inclusionsCar collection procedures
- Accommodation in Aoshima → Shrine and same accommodation
Cross the coastal bridge to explore Aoshima Shrine and the island, then return to the same accommodation for a meal. Check walking time from the property to the coast using your booked address. It differs from the walk starting at the station.
Aoshima Shrine operatorCar hire time-based rates and inclusions
Four nights do not automatically mean a 96-hour hire rate. Fuel and parking at each accommodation are extra.
Day 2
- Accommodation in Aoshima → Udo tourist car park
Leave your Aoshima accommodation and drive to Udo Jingu's tourist car park. Follow the latest official restrictions on the access road to car parks 1 and 2.
- Udo tourist car park → Main sanctuary and return to the car
Follow the guidance for the roughly 20-minute walk from the tourist car park to the sanctuary. Descend the stairs to worship at the cave sanctuary, then return to the same car park. Twenty minutes does not include worship and the return walk.
- Main sanctuary and return to the car → Accommodation in Nichinan
Travel to your accommodation in Obi or Nichinan, walk nearby and have dinner. You can use Obi Castle Tourist Car Park for tomorrow's town visit; it is free for ordinary passenger cars.
Official restriction noticeUdo access and openingStation and driving accessHistory museumAssociation fees and parkingUdo tourism access guidance
General worship at Udo is free. Confirm the tourist car park fee separately with the facility, along with fuel for today's driving and parking at your Nichinan accommodation.
Day 3
- Accommodation in Nichinan → Obi tourist car park
Travel from your Nichinan accommodation to Obi Castle Town and check the official parking guidance.
Station and driving accessHistory museumAssociation fees and parking
- Obi tourist car park → Castle town and optional attractions
Park at Obi Castle Tourist Car Park and walk the lanes around the castle. For indoor attractions such as the history museum or Komura Jutaro memorial museum, compare the JPY 300 single-site and JPY 800 combined tickets. Confirm the attractions covered and that day's opening at the ticket counter. Visit Obi on a separate day from Udo so you have time for its lanes and exhibitions.
Station and driving accessHistory museumAssociation fees and parking
- Castle town and optional attractions → Same accommodation in Nichinan
After walking, optional indoor visits and a meal, return to Obi Castle Tourist Car Park and collect your car. Drive to the same Nichinan accommodation using your booked address. Accommodation parking and fuel for the return journey are extra.
Obi Castle Tourist Car Park is free for ordinary passenger cars. Outdoor walks do not require an admission ticket; choose a separate JPY 300 adult single-site or JPY 800 combined ticket for indoor visits. Fuel for the accommodation round trip and accommodation parking are extra.
Day 4
- Accommodation in Nichinan → Horikiri car park
Leave your Nichinan accommodation, drive north towards Miyazaki and stop at Horikiri Pass.
- Horikiri car park → Coastal viewpoint and return to the car park
Check the official free parking guidance, walk around the open coastal viewing area and return to the same car park. Walking time from parking to the viewpoint has not been confirmed. Skip the stop during closures or bad weather.
- Coastal viewpoint and return to the car park → Accommodation in Miyazaki city
Collect your car and travel to your booked accommodation in Miyazaki city. Confirm its parking location and spend your final night in the city.
On day four's return from Nichinan to the city, allow rest breaks between driving and Horikiri sightseeing.
Horikiri parking is free. Fuel for Nichinan–Miyazaki city and parking at your final city accommodation are extra.
Day 5
- Accommodation in Miyazaki city → Prefectural museum car park
Leave your city accommodation and drive to the prefectural museum.
Prefectural museum permanent exhibition feesPrefectural museum opening calendarPrefectural museum public transport guidancePrefectural museum driving access and parking guidance
- Prefectural museum car park → Museum permanent exhibitions
Check the west gate and car park 1 in front of the main building in the driving guidance. Park, then walk to the main building. Visit the permanent exhibitions after opening at 09:00. Walking time from parking to the building and parking fees have not been confirmed.
Prefectural museum driving access and parking guidancePrefectural museum permanent exhibition feesPrefectural museum opening calendar
- Museum permanent exhibitions → Refuel and return the car
After sightseeing, return to the same car park and collect your car. Refuel, then travel to your contracted return branch and complete the staff inspection and payment.
Car return proceduresCar return and fuel settlementPrefectural museum driving access and parking guidance
- Car return branch → Train or flight departure point
Allow separate travel time from the branch to your actual departure point. If the museum is closed on the final day, check whether you can reach it before last admission after returning to the city on day four. Move the visit only if this is feasible. Otherwise, skip final-day sightseeing and allow time for car return and departure.
To move the museum visit to day four because of closure, recheck whether you can actually arrive before last admission at 16:30 and closing at 17:00. Change days only if enough time remains after the coastal viewpoint.
Today's permanent exhibition admission is free; confirm museum parking fees with the operator. Budget fuel until car return and check refuelling or your contract's fuel settlement conditions. Transport from the return branch to your booked train or flight is extra.
Included: General worship at Aoshima and Udo, and museum permanent exhibitions, are free. Ordinary-car parking in Obi and parking at Horikiri are free.
Extra costs and conditions: Essential costs are car hire from day 1 collection to day 5 return, fuel, and accommodation, Aoshima, Udo and museum parking. Optional Obi indoor tickets at JPY 300 or JPY 800, accommodation, meals and departure transport are extra. Add tolls if using toll roads.
Get an official car quote using collection and return dates and times, vehicle, cover and options. Add fuel and parking fees except at places explicitly listed as free. If choosing indoor visits in Obi, add an adult single-site ticket at JPY 300 or combined ticket at JPY 800. Without a car, consider three-night itinerary A for separate JR day trips to Aoshima and Obi from Miyazaki Station. Its nights and attractions differ, and Udo is not included. To add Udo, separately confirm return buses and the route from the stop to the sanctuary after access restrictions. Add tolls if using toll roads.
Aoshima Shrine official visitor guideUdo worship fees and visitor guidePrefectural museum permanent exhibition feesCar hire time-based rates and inclusionsCar return and fuel settlementStation and driving accessAssociation fees and parkingHorikiri Pass official visitor guide
Two landscapes: Aoshima and Takachiho
This driving trip spends one night in Miyazaki city, two in Takachiho and another in the city. Allow a day each for gorge walking and boating. Visit Aoshima after returning to the city only if there is enough time. Before leaving, check whether you can finish the long drive, rest breaks, worship and return to the car park before sunset. If not, arrange to visit Aoshima on day one instead.
Day 1
Collect your car and visit the city shrine, then stay in the city before tomorrow's drive to Takachiho.
- Car hire location → Shrine car park
Travel from your Miyazaki car hire location to the shrine and confirm the official parking location.
Miyazaki Jingu official visitor guideCar hire time-based rates and inclusionsCar collection procedures
- Shrine car park → Shrine visit and city accommodation
Explore the grounds, return to the car park and collect your car, then eat and stay at your city accommodation. Advance boat bookings for day three close at 09:00 two days before use, so check availability before departure. Follow your date's guidance on on-the-day sales, reservation-only operation, sold-out dates and suspensions.
Takachiho boat calendar and booking rulesCar hire time-based rates and inclusionsMiyazaki Jingu official visitor guide
Four nights do not automatically mean a 96-hour hire rate. Fuel and parking at each accommodation are extra.
Day 2
- Accommodation in Miyazaki city → Accommodation in Takachiho
Leave your city accommodation and drive to Takachiho. Add rest breaks and congestion to the official reference of about 2 hours 15 minutes.
- Accommodation in Takachiho → Gorge car park and open walking paths
After arriving in Takachiho, drive to a gorge car park. Park where staff direct you, then walk from that car park to an open path to explore the gorge. The boat reception and walking-path entrance may differ, so check the route from your car park to an open path.
Takachiho Gorge official visitor guideTakachiho boat calendar and booking rules
- Gorge car park and open walking paths → Same accommodation in Takachiho
After sightseeing, return to the car park you used, collect your car and return to the same accommodation. Reduce your visit or return to the property if paths are closed or the weather is poor.
Takachiho Gorge official visitor guideTakachiho boat calendar and booking rules
Gorge parking costs JPY 1,000 each for car parks 1 and 2, JPY 800 for 3, or JPY 500 for 4. Confirm whether the free car park 5 is available on your date. Today's driving fuel and Takachiho accommodation parking are extra. Do not treat a free rate as proof of an available alternative; recheck opening on your date.
Day 3
- Accommodation in Takachiho → Gorge car park
Travel from your Takachiho accommodation to the gorge. There is no dedicated or reservable boat parking; a boat reservation does not guarantee space at car park 1, Oshioi.
- Gorge car park → Boat reception in car park 1
Park as staff direct, then walk to reception inside car park 1. Official walking guidance to the boats is about 15 minutes or 700 m from car park 2, 20 minutes or 1 km from 3, and 25 minutes or 1.5 km from 4.
- Boat reception in car park 1 → Boat and open walking paths
Allow time before your booking for parking queues, walking, reception and reaching the boarding point. Explore the gorge on a 30-minute boat hire. Those 30 minutes do not cover the entire visit from parking to returning to the car. If high water or maintenance stops boats, check which walking paths are open before deciding what to visit.
- Boat boarding point and walking paths → Car park used and Takachiho accommodation
After boating and sightseeing, return to the car park you used and collect your car. Allow time for the uphill walk and rest breaks, then return to the same Takachiho accommodation for a meal.
Online boat bookings open at 09:00 fourteen days before use and close at 09:00 two days before. Check date-specific prices, advance and on-the-day ticket conditions, and maintenance closures on the official calendar. Thirty minutes is the hire time for one boat; parking, walking, reception and returning are separate. Add parking according to use: JPY 1,000 each for car parks 1 and 2, JPY 800 for 3, or JPY 500 for 4. Confirm car park 5's opening that day.
Day 4
Return from Takachiho to Miyazaki city today. Visit Aoshima only if you can leave the island before sunset after the long drive and rest breaks.
- Accommodation in Takachiho → Miyazaki city and Aoshima coastal car park
Leave your Takachiho accommodation and drive towards Miyazaki. Check your actual route, breaks and congestion, and allow separate travel to your city accommodation and the Aoshima tourist car park. If there is too little time for worship and returning to the car park before sunset, skip Aoshima today and return to the city to rest. Decide before your trip if Aoshima should move to day one. Do not apply the official northbound reference of 2 hours 15 minutes as a confirmed time for this return drive.
Takachiho Gorge official visitor guideAoshima Shrine official visitor guide
- Aoshima coast → Aoshima island
Walk from the coast across Yayoi Bridge onto Aoshima island. Check the route from your car park to the shrine. It differs from the roughly 10-minute, 800 m walk from the station.
- Aoshima island → Aoshima Shrine
Worship in the shrine grounds. General worship is free, with access listed from 06:00 until sunset. Leave time to get off the island before dusk.
Aoshima Shrine official visitor guideMiyazaki Jingu official visitor guideTakachiho Gorge official visitor guide
- Aoshima Shrine → Car park and city accommodation
Leave the shrine before sunset, cross Yayoi Bridge and return to the coastal car park you used. Collect your car and return to your Miyazaki city accommodation. The shrine has no car park of its own, so use local tourist parking or a location confirmed by your accommodation. Check its fee and walking route separately.
When driving to the shrine, confirm parking location and fees for your date, and the walk from parking to the coastal bridge. Allow rest after the long drive.
About 2 hours 15 minutes is the official driving reference from Miyazaki city to Takachiho. Check the return day's driving time separately using the actual route and traffic. If you decide before departure that Aoshima is impractical on the return day, visit it instead of the shrine on day one, and adjust the return-day shrine visit for seasonal closing. If that day's drive takes longer than expected, skip sightseeing and return to your city accommodation. Confirm your car return branch and accommodation address before finalising this change.
Today's long drive back, Aoshima round-trip fuel, and city accommodation and Aoshima parking are extra. If switching to the shrine, its free general parking guidance applies there; it does not make Aoshima parking free.
Day 5
- Accommodation in Miyazaki city → Prefectural museum car park
Leave your city accommodation and drive to the prefectural museum. Check Yanosaki intersection and the west gate in the driving guidance. Continue through the west gate to car park 1 in front of the main building.
Prefectural museum permanent exhibition feesPrefectural museum opening calendarPrefectural museum public transport guidancePrefectural museum driving access and parking guidance
- Prefectural museum car park → Permanent exhibitions and car return
Park in the official location, visit the natural history, history and folklore permanent exhibitions, then use the same car to refuel and travel to your contracted return branch.
Prefectural museum permanent exhibition feesPrefectural museum opening calendarPrefectural museum public transport guidancePrefectural museum driving access and parking guidance
- Car return branch → Departure point
Allow time to reach your booked train or flight departure point. If the museum is closed, check before leaving whether its visit can move to day one. If Aoshima also needs to move to day one, compare last admission, sunset and car collection time to choose your visits. If the timing does not work, skip final-day sightseeing and allow time for car return and departure.
Prefectural museum permanent exhibition feesPrefectural museum opening calendarPrefectural museum public transport guidancePrefectural museum driving access and parking guidanceCar return and fuel settlementCar return procedures
Today's permanent exhibition admission is free; confirm museum parking fees with the operator. Budget fuel until car return and check refuelling or contractual fuel settlement conditions. Transport from the return branch to your booked train or flight is extra.
Included: General worship at the shrine and Aoshima, and museum permanent exhibitions, are free. General shrine parking is free.
Extra costs and conditions: Essential costs are car hire over five days, fuel, parking and one boat's fee on day 3. Accommodation, meals and departure transport are extra. Add tolls if using toll roads.
Add day three's date-specific 30-minute boat fee and parking. Boat rates vary by date, so check your actual date on the official booking calendar. Add the fee for the gorge car park used: JPY 1,000 each for car parks 1 and 2, JPY 800 for 3, or JPY 500 for 4. Car and boat prices are per vehicle and per boat, rather than per-adult admission. Get an official car quote using collection and return dates and times, vehicle, cover and options; add fuel, accommodation, Aoshima and museum parking separately. Without a car, consider three-night itinerary A for separate JR visits to the city and southern coast. Its nights and attractions differ, and Takachiho is not included. For Takachiho, separately arrange local buses via Nobeoka or the direct service from Miyazaki, and transport from the bus centre to the gorge. Add tolls if choosing toll roads. Boat hire beyond 30 minutes adds JPY 1,000 per 10 minutes. Check maintenance closures on your date's booking calendar and confirm car park 5 is open on your date.
Miyazaki Jingu official visitor guideAoshima Shrine official visitor guidePrefectural museum permanent exhibition feesTakachiho boat calendar and booking rulesCar hire time-based rates and inclusionsCar return and fuel settlement
Frequently asked questions
Can a three-day Southern Kyushu Pass cover a four-night, five-day trip?
No. The Southern Kyushu Pass is valid for three consecutive days, not all five. The All Kyushu Pass offers three, five or seven days, but neither pass covers the car hire, fuel, parking or boats in the two driving itineraries. If using JR to other cities before or after this trip, compare ordinary fares for the actual journeys within pass validity with the pass price.
JR Kyushu Pass coverage, consecutive validity and eligibility
Sources and dates checked
- Aoshima Shrine official visitor guide ·
- Official restriction notice ·
- Udo worship fees and visitor guide ·
- Association fees and parking ·
- Station and driving access ·
- Miyazaki Jingu official visitor guide ·
- Takachiho Gorge official visitor guide ·
- Horikiri Pass official visitor guide ·
- Prefectural museum permanent exhibition fees ·
- Prefectural museum opening calendar ·
- Prefectural museum public transport guidance ·
- History museum ·
- Udo access and opening ·
- Takachiho boat calendar and booking rules ·
- Aoshima Shrine operator ·
- Udo tourism access guidance ·
- Prefectural museum driving access and parking guidance ·
- Car hire time-based rates and inclusions ·
- Car return and fuel settlement ·
- Car collection procedures ·
- Car return procedures ·
- JR Kyushu Pass coverage, consecutive validity and eligibility ·