Trip to Miyazaki & Aso Day 2: Takachiho Shrine

On the second morning, I woke up right before sunrise. I eagerly woke up the other two, and we watched the morning sun rise right from our room window.
There really is something special about watching the sunrise over the ocean. Every time I see a view like this, it brings back my dream of living in a house with an ocean view.

Down in the bar area on the first floor of the hotel, there was an aquarium with adorable little fish swimming around. (I’m not sure if it’s still there now, though!)

We had breakfast at the same restaurant as the night before, but this time we got a window seat, which felt great!

We checked out early and decided to squeeze in a quick swim at Sun Beach Hitotsuba before driving to Takachiho.
My mother-in-law stayed out of the water, so my child and I jumped in. Since the beach season had just opened, the ocean water in Japan was still a bit chilly… It took us a while to submerge ourselves up to our shoulders!
The water was beautifully clear, so once our bodies got used to the temperature, it felt good. However, we wanted to reach Takachiho around noon, so we got out after about 30 minutes.

You can take a shower in the building on the right side of the photo.
The one on the left is a cafe.

With all the palm trees, the beach had a lovely tropical atmosphere.
It was divided into a swimming area and a marine sports area.
It’s only about a 10-minute walk from the Phoenix Seagaia Resort, but there was also a shuttle bus available. We went by rental car after checking out and parked in the lot, which was free of charge.

The Seagaia Resort has pools, hot springs, and a beach, plus you can go horseback riding, cycling, or play golf!
The ocean view from the room was stunning, and I truly think it’s a highly recommended resort hotel—especially for families with children.

We left the beach around 10:30 AM, took the Higashi-Kyushu Expressway, grabbed some ramen for lunch along the way, and arrived at our destination, Takachiho Shrine, around 1:40 PM. (Normally, it takes about two hours to get there without any breaks.)

Takachiho Shrine is famous as a powerful “power spot” (spiritual site) and is said to have been founded about 1,900 years ago!
It’s known for bringing blessings such as matchmaking, marital harmony, family safety, warding off evil, and prosperity in agriculture and personal wishes. Surprisingly, it’s also known for helping people improve in the performing arts and entertainment skills.

Before this trip, when my elementary-school-aged child told a friend that we were going to Takachiho Shrine, the friend was incredibly jealous!
Normally, kids in Tokyo wouldn’t care about a place like Takachiho Shrine, so I found it quite strange that they even knew about it. When I asked why she wanted to go, she said it was because of the shrine’s blessings for the performing arts—it turns out that friend wants to become a voice actor in the future!

The Main Hall (Honden), which is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
We said a heartfelt prayer, and I made sure to mention my child’s friend as well.

This is the Chichibu Cedar (Chichibu Sugi).
It is a sacred tree over 800 years old. According to the sign, it stands about 55 meters tall with a trunk circumference of 715 cm.

Chichibu is actually a region surrounded by mountains in the western part of Saitama Prefecture.
The reason this cedar tree—located so far away—is named “Chichibu” comes from Hatakeyama Shigetada, the person said to have planted it, whose hometown was Chichibu.

A relief sculpture on the corridor to the right of the main hall.
It depicts Mikenuno-mikoto, the main deity of Takachiho Shrine, defeating the evil deity “Kihachi.”

The Kagura Hall (Kaguraden).
“Takachiho Night Kagura,” a traditional Shinto dance designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan, is performed here every single evening.

You can make a reservation online, but same-day registration is also available. (The board in the photo says 7:00 PM, but according to their official website now, it starts from 7:30 PM!)
You can book online from this link!

As much as we would have loved to see it, we really enjoy taking our time with good food and drinks, so we decided to skip the Kagura performance this time.

For our stay in Takachiho, I booked Shinsen, a highly rated ryokan (Japanese inn) in the area, through Booking.com.
This is the view from the parking lot at Shinsen.
The staff kindly helped us carry our luggage inside.

This is the Japanese garden in front of the main building’s entrance.

We stayed in the room called “Aisome” in the main building.
It was a two-story room (meisonette) with a capacity for up to 6 people, so it was very spacious!
My child and I slept in the beds on the first floor, while my mother-in-law stayed on the second floor.
The room had a private open-air bath, as well as a shower. There was also a massage chair, which I tried out—it was so nice after a long drive!

Actually, my mother-in-law had stayed at this ryokan once before!
Back then, she stayed in one of the detached private villas (hanare). Although they are more expensive, she said it was absolutely wonderful.
She mentioned that while the main building is great, she would highly recommend the detached villas for anyone who wants a truly special atmosphere.

She mentioned that on her last visit, she stayed in a detached villa with her husband.
While soaking in the private outdoor bath under the brightly shining moon, the atmosphere felt so magical and out of this world that she was completely charmed by the place.

I thought about asking to switch to a detached villa if one was available, but unfortunately, they were fully booked. In fact, every single room in both the main building and the villas was completely full! Considering how high its reviews are, it’s definitely a popular place to stay.

I recommend booking directly through their official website if you want to make sure you choose the exact room type you prefer. That said, booking sites like Booking.com are also tempting because you can earn reward points!

The dining room for dinner.
Dinner was a Japanese multi-course (kaiseki) meal.
Everything was delicious, featuring seasonal vegetables, fresh sashimi, and Takachiho beef.
We enjoyed it with some champagne! While people usually say Japanese sake pairs best with Japanese cuisine, we just love champagne.

My child has allergies to nuts and eggs, but since we notified them in advance, they accommodated us perfectly. My child was super happy and said everything tasted amazing!

Buffets are a lot of fun because you can pick whatever you like and eat as much as you want, but enjoying a multi-course meal—savoring delicious drinks, having great conversation, and just letting time pass slowly—is truly something special.

Tomorrow is day three, our final day! We are finally visiting Takachiho Gorge, the main highlight of this trip.

Sweet dreams, and good night!