Golden Week - Day Five and Six - Miyazaki

Bright and early Monday morning, I headed to the Kagoshima Bus Center, and took a 3 hour bus ride to Miyazaki. I couldn't find a hostel online, so I was staying at a Toyoko Inn Hotel, and OH MY GOD it was such a luxury. My own room! A TV just for me! A HUGE bed (compared to the small futon/bunk beds I had been sleeping on).

Since it was a little too late in the day to head out to Udo Jingu Shrine, I walked about Miyazaki trying to find a restaurant to eat the local specialty, chicken sashimi. However, the one recommended to me by the tourist information clerk was SUPER expensive, so I passed.

Downtown Miyazaki

Koinoburi (carp flags) flying in a shopping arcade.

Couldn't afford nice lunch, so I ate Mexican. Japanese mexican food is always funny for me, because it almost tastes the same, and the restaurants are always over decorated.

But they do have great presentation.

My flip flop tan is getting pretty serious.

Tuesday morning, I woke up around 6:00 to eat and catch an hour and a half bus ride out to Udo Jingu Shrine.

View of the Miyazaki coastline from the bus. I really wanted to get out and spend some time on the beach.

Udo Jingu Shrine

I bought 5 clay beads for ¥100 to throw and try to get into this circle. The first one went in! None of the other 4 did though.

You have to throw the clay beads from the balcony (left) to the rock with a rope circle on it (lower right).

Sitting by the side of the road in rural Miyazaki....

... missed the bus by 4 minutes....

... so I just sat and waited for an hour. Thank goodness for Stuff You Should Know Podcasts.

Around 3:30, I took a Limited Express from Miyazaki to Kokura, and had 8 minutes to run through a station with a bunch of other people to catch the last shinkansen to Shin Kobe. I was lucky, and got a seat even though I had a non-reserved ticket. All in all, it was 7 hours by train to get home. I'm super exhausted. But it was a great vacation!