Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Tourist Spot: Akebono azalea On Mt. Futagami, which sits on the border between Gokasecho and Takachiho, you can see Akebono azalea from around mid-April each year. Mt. Futagami has two peaks, Otodake and Onnadake, and the Akebono azalea that is relatively easy to see grows on Onnadake.

Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Tourist Spot: Shimonohara Terraced Rice Fields The Shimonohara terraced rice fields are among the largest in Gokase, and such an extensive set of rice terraces carved into a mountain valley is rare. The embankments form graceful curves that create a magnificent terraced landscape. In the Uchino-kuchi district of Shimonohara, a siphon—an important irrigation structure—exists in three places, and the first siphon was built in the Taisho era. Although only the bridge piers remain today, a siphon erected near the entrance commemorates the Shimonohara terraces and the great achievements of those who came before.

Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Tourist Spot: Torinusu Rice Terrace Torinusu Rice Terrace features rice terraces that spread in two directions, offering a panoramic view over the village to the east and west that is well worth seeing. There is a bust of Togoro Goto, a pioneer who opened three irrigation channels at Josenji Temple, and information indicates that Torinusu Rice Terrace is located nearby. A branch irrigation channel from Torinusu Rice Terrace receives drainage from the mountainside, helping to protect farmland, roads (National Route 503) and other public facilities downstream. The terraces also collect water, contributing to flood prevention.

Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Sightseeing Spot: Hikage Rice Terraces The water for the Hikage rice terraces comes from the spring water of Myoken Shrine in Kuraoka. The spring at Myoken Shrine is so popular that people come from other prefectures to collect it, and it is famous as a local tourist attraction. Behind the Hikage rice terraces stands Gion-yama, said to be the birthplace of Kyushu, creating a scenic harmony with the village and the mountain. The area also hosts events such as Gokase Highland Ski Resort activities, the Gion Shrine Festival, and the Myoken Shrine Grand Festival, and the community is working to revitalize the village by making the most of its landscape.

Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Sightseeing Spot: Shirataki Shirataki is a 60-meter waterfall located at an elevation of 900 meters. As its name suggests, the waterfall’s striking beauty comes from a sheer cliff over which a white sheet of water seems to hang. The contrast with autumn foliage is particularly stunning, drawing many photographers and visitors.

Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Tourist Spot: Unoko Falls Unoko Falls features a 20-meter drop and a plunge pool covering 5,000 square meters. Surrounded by dramatic columnar jointing rock formations, the magnificent falls overwhelm any onlooker. A riverside trail from the Mitsukawa Iwagami area brings visitors close enough to feel the waterfall’s power, and a viewpoint on the opposite bank offers a full view of the falls and plunge pool, revealing different moods through the seasons.

Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Tourist Spot: Sankasho Shrine Sankasho Shrine was established when a small shrine (hokora) from Mt. Futagami, said to be the site of the descent of the heavenly grandson, was brought down and built at the mountain’s foot. Founded around the late 900s CE, its nagare-zukuri-style structure is entirely made of cypress, and its architectural design and carvings are regarded as masterpieces of the early modern period. This main hall is designated as a tangible cultural property of Miyazaki Prefecture. The site also houses the stone-carved Gate Guardian Deity statues (two faces), which are designated as a prefectural tangible cultural property. At the autumn grand festival, Aradance, an ancient performance tradition from the Sakamoto district designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan, is offered. On November 30, 2022, 41 fūryū-odori (stylish folk dances) across Japan, including Gokase’s Aradance, were inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. On the shrine grounds and in the surrounding garden, you can find Tsukushi rhododendrons and western rhododendrons, along with weeping cherry trees and camellias. They typically reach peak bloom from mid-April through mid-May, offering flower viewing during that period. The Sankasho Shrine Spring Festival is held in April. Deities enshrined: Izanagi no Mikoto, Izanami no Mikoto, Sarutahiko no Mikoto, and Fujiwara no Michizane (enshrined together).

Miyazaki Prefecture Gokasecho Tourist Spot: Saeizan Josenji Sa eizan Josenji is a Jodo Shinshu Honganji temple founded about 400 years ago. Renowned as a cherry-blossom viewing site, its grounds feature a roughly 300-year-old weeping cherry tree, designated a prefectural natural monument, which bursts into spectacular bloom each spring. According to tradition, this weeping cherry was planted during the Edo period by the ninth head priest, who brought a sapling back from Gion in Kyoto on his return from a pilgrimage to Honganji. A variant of the Edo higan cherry sometimes called ito-zakura, it is designated a natural monument of Miyazaki Prefecture.

Wednesday, July 3 This time I’m sharing a refreshing “Gion set” featuring Gion Shrine and the great Hinoki cypress of Gion🌱✨ First, I watched people pass through the chinowa (a ring of miscanthus) at Gion Shrine⛩👀 As a symbol of the Nagoshi no Harae purification rite, walking through the ring is meant to ward off epidemics and pray for health and safety🙏✨ The shrine grounds were filled with the chorus of cicadas, and dragonflies were already darting over the nearby rice fields, giving the place a full summer feel🌞 With the rainy season suddenly over, the strong sun and humidity are exhausting, but summer scenes like these are lovely in their own way😊💕 Next, I went to see the great Hinoki cypress of Gion🌳✨ Around the cypress, birdsong and dappled sunlight made a pleasant soundtrack, and the climate still felt like summer was just beginning😌🌿 The great cypress stood tall and quiet, radiating a mystical air✨ While photographing, I noticed a bulging shadow around the tree’s waist… from a distance I panicked thinking it was a beehive, but it seems to be a burl that has formed😓 I was relieved it wasn’t a beehive, yet I do feel a bit concerned about the tree’s condition💦 Putting that aside, I wanted to convey the cypress’s mystery and presence, so I did my best to shoot from ground level, even pressing my face close to the earth… but with an ordinary lens and my current skills, I hit my limits😂 I’ll keep improving… Everyone is busy and summer fatigue and heatstroke are real concerns, but every so often why not relax in nature, cool off, and recharge your energy😌✨

【🌸Gokasecho Cherry Blossom Viewing 2024🌸】 Thank you for entering the Instagram campaign "Gokasecho Cherry Blossom Viewing 2024"! We will decide the winners by votes from our followers✨ Followers, please choose one work from the 12 entries and comment its number in the comments of this post✍ Voting is limited to one vote per account. [Voting period: until July 5] The posted images are screenshots of the applicants' photos, so the image quality is poor. We apologize for that. Please also view the entrants' original posts on Instagram before voting😃 1. @__torippy.__ 2. @yasuyochan.192 3. @yuichi_5101 4. @amiamibz 5. @niidome2110 6. @inoshima0124 7. @akihiko.shinchi 8. @sakai_0808 9. @mgm_1228 10. @aiaiaiaiaiaiai77 11. @gokase_pan 12. @goto0619 We will hold a lottery and give Gokasecho specialty products to 10 randomly selected voters🎁 We look forward to your votes✨

Aoshima Shrine in Miyazaki Prefecture. It has a history of about 1200 years. In ancient times, the entire island was considered a sacred area, and the general public could not enter the island until the middle of the Edo period. It is a beautiful place with both the sky and the sea.

Sunrise on the Nata Coast The sun seemed to be smiling in the Torii shrine gate.

Black hair buried Torii shrine gate 2019.04.30 The massive explosion of Sakurajima on January 12, 1914, 1914 Taisho 3 filled the Kurogami area with volcanic ash and pumice. The Torii shrine gate gate of the Beli Gosha Shrine Kurokami Shrine, which was 3 meters high, was so terrible that it was buried, leaving only Kasagi. The Torii shrine gate gate has become less than the height of a person, but the mayor of Higashi-Sakurajima Village at the time stopped digging it up to convey the threat of Eruption to future generations, so it remains in its original form to the present day. The Torii shrine gate gate of the buried Kurokami Shrine and the gatepost of the Nagano clan house were designated as natural monuments of the prefecture on April 28, 1958 Showa 33. Next door, an old Akou tree that miraculously survived stands quietly.

Hello! I'm posting from Ichiki Kushikino City, which is located on the west coast of Kagoshima Prefecture. The city is Famous as the "City of Tuna". Thank you, everyone!

At the Fukuoka Castle Sakura Festival. This year, a virtual Fukuoka Castle tower was built and lit up ✨🏯✨ I was able to take pictures of beautiful night cherry blossoms and cool Japanese scenery!

In the past, I often saw astragalus fields dyed pink, but recently I have seen them less and less. At that time, I found a place where the astragalus and the yellow flowers blooming in the field were blooming together, and I took a picture. I hope that this kind of scenery will remain forever as a spring landscape in Japan.

During spring break, I went with my busy father to see the illuminated cherry blossoms in Yusui Town, Aira District, Kagoshima Prefecture! Unlike the cherry blossoms you see during the day, I felt something like the aura of cherry blossoms that only appear at night! I don't often go out with my father, so it was a very good memory!

Hashima Island, located off the coast of Kyushu Nagasaki, is a coal mining facility that is now in ruins, called Gunkanjima because of its shape. It can be reached by boat in 40 minutes from Nagasaki Port, so you can go ashore on a tour, but from the coastline of the Nomozaki area in the southern part of Nagasaki City, you can see Gunkanjima from land. This view is also a view that I would like to keep forever, but it may not be possible to see it in a few years due to the progress of decay.

Mt. Sakurajima as seen from Sengan-en garden, Kagoshima. Seen from this angle, Mt. Sakurajima reminded me that, as we build houses, roads, and many other things around us, it is important to both preserve the nature around us and find balance in living with nature. There are many places that have been overrun by human construction and I hope that in Japan, and around the world, we will strive to coexist with nature and preserve the things that make it special.

Shooting 📸 on a trip to Kyushu Yonezuka 🏔, which is said to be the dimple of Aso ́- It seems to have been formed by an eruption, It had 👏 a very beautiful shape There also seems to be a legend, It is said that Takeiwa Tatsumikoto, the deity of Aso Shrine, built the mountain by piling up the harvested rice, and the hollow at the top is said to be the mark of scooping the rice with the palm of his hand and distributing it to the poor Although it was from a distance, I was glad that I was able ☺️ to take a picture

Hakata Station Illumination

Title: The Unexplored Region of True White Location: Nagasaki Prefecture Unzen Myomi Shrine

Hakata Station Illumination Christmas Markets

Hakata Station Illumination

Fukiji Temple in Bungotakata City, Oita Prefecture During the autumn foliage season, there is a weekend-only illumination. I visited for the first time in four years, but this time I was able to go at the height of autumn leaves.

Yakitori Kojima, a small izakaya run by an elderly couple, I learned about yellow yam for the first time at this restaurant, I enjoyed the difference in taste, the sashimi was outstanding, the freshness was outstanding, even if I didn't like raw fish, it didn't smell fishy ★, and the old couple quarreled was one of the ★ things to see, ♪ ★ ★ ★ but the sashimi and ramen were ♪♪ also delicious.

The Mizonoguchi Cave in Soto City, Kagoshima Prefecture, is a cave created over a long period of time by spring water from the Kirishima Mountains, and is a power spot in Kagoshima. It can be said that it is a landscape typical of Japan with many volcanoes, and the inside of the cave was a mysterious place with clear air.

Sogi Falls It is located in Isa City, Kagoshima. I went there for the first time, but it was quite powerful because it is said to be the Niagara of the East. It's not pictured here, but the surrounding area was in full bloom of autumn leaves, so it's a good place to look for autumn leaves.

Takachiho Gorge in Autumn The autumn leaves are in full bloom The autumn leaves shining in the morning sun were sparkling

Yutoku Inari Shrine, Saga Wind Chime Festival