Aoshima Shrine — Attraction in Miyazaki

While there are a great many shrines in Japan, this shrine stands alone on this island half a kilometre in circumference. The shrine is very well cared for and if you want to avoid the crowds, come earlier in the day.

If you are travelling to this island on your own, the most efficient way is to take the bus that specifically stops right outside the shrine. If you are taking the bus from Miyazaki train station, go to the information booth just beyond the entrance doors to the bus terminal and ask for the bus timetable. There are two different sets of times depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend. There is a very helpful gentleman at the information booth that can speak English and can give you an English information timetable. On board the bus, announcements are made over loudspeaker as to the upcoming stops in 4 different languages- Japanese, Korean, English and Mandarin.

If you are also planning to travel to other tourist places in Miyazaki, then the best value for money is getting an all day buss pass, that will allow you to hop on and off for 1000 yen per adult the whole day. These passes can be bought at the information booth.

Be aware that transport here, as like the rest of the Japan arrives and leaves on time 99% of the time. So plan your trip around Miyazaki very wisely and be aware of the time, lest you just miss a buss and have to wait another huge stretch of time to catch...

Whenever we visit Japan, we visit the major shrines and temples along our road trip, and we collect the Goshuins wholeheartedly too.

The visit to Aoshima shrine was a bit different - there was an evening light show requiring tickets and a ‘premium’ dinner requiring reservations. That was not announced thru all the online resources before our trip, and they had to rush every unpaid worshiper away at 4pm.

That felt very Commercial, never had that treatment even in Kyoto. Luckily we were able to visit the main shrine and complete our will to worship, with ushers shouting and rushing people away, just felt unwelcomed. They hired a foreigner as an usher, who couldn’t explain what the light show was, and why anyone shall pay 1500yen@person just to stay a bit longer.

The whole ordeal just reflected how the operator is. It wasn’t your normal Matsuri, when everyone was excited to participate, it was just a...

Beautiful shrine on a small island you can access by walking across a short bridge.

The seashore is very unique due to the seabed being created by sandstone and limestone (I think?😅) and the sea has eroded the sandstone to create a ripple effect around the island. The sand is coarse and there are loads of seas shells for the kids to find.

The shrine is small and secluded by the tropical plants of the island. It is quiet and intimate which gives a great feeling of connection with nature. If you look to the right of the main shrine there is a small road through the forest with a fallen tree blocking the way to get to another smaller shrine. It is well worth taking this path to get a feel for the flora on the island.

A wonderful...