Cruise port in Japan

Miyazaki

Allow about 15 min each way from the terminal to the city center. Average time in port: 10 hours. 19 places to explore.

Ships calling here: 3 ships
Upcoming sailings: 28 sailings
Average time in port: About 10 hours
Lowest fare: From USD 1,382

Photo: Ken Li

After disembarking

Cruise ships dock at Aburatsu Port No. 10 Quay. Allow about 15 min each way from the terminal to the city center.

Where the ship docks
Cruise ships dock at Aburatsu Port No. 10 Quay.
Transport and Taxi Hire for an Aburatsu Port Call
Local buses linking Aburatsu Port with Udo Shrine, Sun Messe Nichinan, and Obi Castle Town run at intervals of 1 hour or more. Hiring a sightseeing taxi at the port or taking a cruise line tour is convenient.
Visiting Udo Shrine and Throwing Undama
The main hall of Udo Shrine is inside a Pacific-facing cliff cave. A popular prayer ritual is to throw clay undama balls into hollows in the turtle-shaped rock in the sea in front of the main hall.
Nichinan Specialties: Bonito Aburiju and Obiten
Nichinan has Japan's No. 1 pole-and-line bonito catch. Its specialties include bonito aburiju, seared fresh over a brazier, and obiten, fried fish paste mixed with tofu and brown sugar.

About 10 hours in port: where can you go?

Time available at the destination after subtracting return travel.

Nichinan city centreAbout 15 min each wayTime at destinationAbout 9 hr 30 min
MiyazakiAbout 50 min each wayTime at destinationAbout 8 hr

Return travel Time at destination

Calculated from the average time in port. Return deadlines vary by sailing; check the daily programme on board.

Between the terminal, city and airport

Travel between the terminal, city center, railway station and airport.

TaxiAbout 20 minJPY 3,800~JPY 4,300

Aburatsu Port → Udo Shrine

Take a taxi at the Aburatsu Port stand north along National Route 220 to the dedicated parking area for Udo Shrine.

TaxiAbout 15 minJPY 2,500~JPY 3,000

Aburatsu Port → Obi Castle Town

Take a taxi west inland from Aburatsu Port to the Obi castle town tourist information center or in front of the Otemon Gate at Obi Castle.

TrainAbout 50 minJPY 760

Aburatsu Station → Aoshima Station

At JR Aburatsu Station, take an upbound JR Nichinan Line train toward Miyazaki and get off at Aoshima Station, then walk to Aoshima Shrine.

Nichinan places to explore

Explore 11 checked places. Select a pin to see its card, or choose View on map from a card.

Sights

Udo Shrine

This mysterious shrine stands inside a sea cave carved into a cliff by the rough Pacific waves. A local custom is for men to throw a lucky ball with their left hand and women with their right at a turtle-shaped rock while making a wish.

Visit: about 1 hr
Admission: JPY 100

Worship in the grounds is free, and a set of 5 undama can be purchased for 100 won. Be careful, as the cliffside steps near the sea may be slippery.

Official website Google Maps

Sights

Sun Messe Nichinan

This coastal theme park has seven life-size moai statues, reconstructed with official permission from the Easter Island Council of Elders—the only such authorization in the world—standing against the blue Pacific Ocean.

Visit: about 1 hr
Admission: JPY 1,000

Closed every Wednesday except public holidays; the grounds are large and sloped, and paid carts are available to rent for getting around.

Official website Google Maps

Sights

Obi Castle Ruins

This was the site of the Ito family's castle, which they ruled during the Sengoku period. The restored, massive Otemon Gate, a dense forest of Obi cedar, and moss-covered old stone walls create a quiet atmosphere.

Visit: about 1 hr
Admission: Free

The castle grounds are free to walk around, and a shared paid pass can be used for the nearby history museum and samurai residences.

Official website Google Maps

Sights

Obi Castle History Museum

This museum houses and displays around 220 valuable samurai artifacts belonging to the Ito family, rulers of the Obi Domain, including armor, helmets, swords, and historical documents.

Visit: about 40 min
Admission: JPY 310

Photography may be restricted for some interior exhibits.

Official website Google Maps

Sights

Horikawa Canal

This historic canal was built during the Edo period to transport Obi cedar lumber to Aburatsu Port. Red-brick warehouses and the stone-arch Otohime Bridge create a striking scene, and the area is also known as a filming location.

Visit: about 40 min
Admission: Free

Cafés and a museum in converted old storehouses are located along the canal-side promenade.

Google Maps

Sights

Yoshokan

Built in 1869 as the residence of Suketomo Ito, the last lord of the Obi Domain, this samurai residence features an elegant karesansui garden designated a Place of Scenic Beauty.

Visit: about 40 min
Admission: JPY 210~JPY 310

Located directly in front of Otemon Gate at Obi Castle; the Obi Castle combined admission ticket offers a discount.

Official website Google Maps

Trips nearby

With enough time in port, you can explore beyond the city. One-way times are approximate.

Miyazaki

About 50 min each wayTime at destination About 8 hr

SightsHeiwadai Park
This park is on a hill 60 meters above sea level, with sweeping views of Miyazaki's urban area. It is known for its 37-meter-tall Peace Tower and Haniwa Garden, lined with around 400 clay figurines.
Clap at the spot directly in front of the Peace Tower, and the sound reflects off the tower to create a unique echo.
Official website
SightsAoshima Shrine
This shrine is in the center of Aoshima, a small island covered with subtropical vegetation. Crossing the Yayoi Bridge offers views of the surrounding Devil's Washboard rock formations and the red shrine building.
Admission to the island is free, and the popular ‘Hiraka’ plate-throwing activity, where you make a wish for good relationships, costs ¥200.
Official website Google Maps
SightsMiyazaki Jingu Shrine
This distinguished shrine enshrines Emperor Jimmu, Japan’s first emperor, as its principal deity. Its grounds include a dense cedar grove, forest paths for a relaxing walk, and the Oshirafuji wisteria, a national natural monument.
The grounds’ walking paths are wide and flat, making them suitable for a quiet restorative stroll.
Official website Google Maps
Food and cafésAjino Ogura Honten
This is a renowned originator of chicken nanban, completing the combination of fried chicken breast, tangy-sweet nanban vinegar sauce, and a generous serving of its special homemade tartar sauce.
Located in an alley in central Miyazaki, with long queues at lunchtime.
Official website Google Maps
SightsDevils Washboard
This sedimentary rock formation has been shaped over many years by wave erosion into regular ridges resembling steps. It is a natural monument, broadly exposed around Aoshima Island at low tide.
Seaweed and tide pools on the rocks make them slippery, so take care not to go too far into the water.
Official website Google Maps
Food and cafésKamaage Udon Shigenoi
This is a celebrated spot for kamaage udon, visited during Miyazaki training camps by former professional baseball players and celebrities. Freshly boiled hot noodles are dipped in a rich tsuyu broth made with dried anchovies and shiitake mushrooms.
The noodles are cooked after you order, so preparation takes about 10–15 minutes.
Official website Google Maps
Food and cafésFruit Ono
This parfait spot is run by a fruit shop founded in 1982. It serves a premium mango parfait topped generously with fully ripened Miyazaki mangoes, as well as seasonal fruit parfaits.
The price of the premium mango parfait may vary depending on the mango harvest season and supply.
Official website Google Maps
ShoppingMichi-no-Eki Phoenix
This rest stop and observation point stands on a cliff along the Nichinan Coast road. Visitors can look down over a panoramic stretch of the Devil's Washboard coastline and enjoy Miyazaki mango and Hyuganatsu soft-serve ice cream.
A great place for photos from the open Pacific coast observation deck.
Google Maps