Takachiho, how do you get there?

On April 11-14 I'm in Kagoshima, on the 14th I'm heading to Kurokawa Onsen for a night, and 15th heading back to Tokyo. I see that Takachiho is in the middle of this but I see that it's not easy to access.

I read the description of this location and I really want to visit it.

Based on my schedule is it possible to visit here? If so how long does it take to see some of the sights?

The main sites that I went to see while I was there did not take very long to see. The trouble is in getting there. As I was driving, this wasn`t a problem.

The other option is by bus but I don`t have any experience there.

How much time do you want to stay there ? If it's for a daytrip, your pretty much only option is to go from Miyazaki. You can go from Fukuoka or Kumamoto, but if you do you will arrive there in the late morning/early afternoon, which will not leave you much time to visit if you don't stay overnight.

That's a rather long stay in Kagoshima. If you can give up one night and stay in Nobeoka (Miyazaki) instead, you can take an early morning bus from Nobeoka to Takachiho (6:40, arrive 7:59) return to Nobeoka in the afternoon (12:09, 13:30 or 15:40) then return to Kagoshima.

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Aoshima-Guest-House-Hooju...

Seems to be the only hostel I can find to book, looks far from where you suggested.

I'm open to cutting down a day to go to Miyazaki.

this hotel is across the street from the bus cener in Nobeoka.

http://travel.rakuten.com/hotelinfo/72/1572/

I went to Takachiho from Miyazaki, and basically used my JR pass to ride the limited express up to Nobeoka, and took the bus from there.

I believe that I paid for a round trip ticket, which was less than two one way tickets.

When I got to Takachiho, I put my luggage in a coin locker and went to the Takachiho shrine, caught the bus to the Gorge and back, and then went to my Ryokan.

I stayed at the Hana Ryokan Iwatoya, which is near the Amano-Iwato cave and shrine. I went to the shrine, hit the hot spring bath, ate a wonderful meal, and then went to the kagora dances. The Ryokan proviced a free shuttle bus for guests to go to the Night Kagura Theater at the Takachiho Shrine.

I returned the next day back to Nobeoka, and continued north on the limited express up to Beppu.

Would it make sense to just find accommodation in Takachiho?

Thanks for the link, I'll think about this place.

It would make sense, if you can find something that works for you. Personally, I have found the range of available accomodations to be quite narrow and found nothing to my taste (so I am just going as a daytrip from Miyazaki).

I did stay in Takachiho overnight on my way between Miyazaki and Beppu, and I enjoyed it a lot. I went on April 29 of last year, which was kinda part of golden week (Golden Week last year was actually split into two long weekends)

I took the JR Limited Express north from Miyazaki to Nobeoka. There is a bus station next to the train station with hourly departures to Takachiho.

I purchaced a rouhd trip ticket, which was slightly less.

When I got to Takachiho, I put my luggage in a coin locker at the bus depot, and weht to the Takachiho Shrine. There is a loop bus that goes to the Gorge from there.

After that, I went back to the bus depot and waited for the bus to Amano Iwato Shrine. I stayed in a Ryokan near the shrine, so I took my luggage to the Ryokan, visited the shrine and the cave where Amaterasu hid herself.

After that, I went to the Ryokan, had a hot springs bath, ate the wonderful multi course meal, and waited for the shuttle bus. The Ryokan has a shuttle bus to take guests to the evening Kagura Dance at the Takachiho shrine,

The next day, the Ryokan took me to the bus depot in the shuttle, and I went back to Nobeoka to catch the train to Beppu.

Overall, I was able to see everything, and I did not feel rushed. I didn't rent a boat and go down the gourge, and there were other things to do at the gourge, such as a stocked fishing tank, streaming noodles shops, and there were tents set up with other things to do. The community center near the Bus Depot also had a make-it and take-it craft of shaping a piece of marble into a Magatama. A single day is probably good enough, but I could have stayed another day.

If you want to go to the Kagura Dances, you probably need to find lodging in Takachiho.

I usually use hostelworld, I'm wondering how much of a pain it is to get to Takachiho from Aoshima.

Looks like Aoshima to Nobeoka is about 2 hours long. From Nobeoka to Takachiho I'd guess another hour? I could get there about lunchtime and spend most of my day there and end up back in Aoshima in the evening.

Ideally I would get to Aoshima in the morning and spend a couple hours there. I saw the island looked neat. Make my way to Takachiho and overnight it there and then make my way to Kurokawa Onsen the next morning.

Is it a dumb move to not have the 13th booked and wing it and hope for accommodation in Takachiho? Unless I can find a trustworthy site that has accommodation. I'll google some more.

The morning bus to Takachiho departs Nobeoka at 7:30. There is a Ltd Exp leaving Miyazaki at 6:00, but looking at Hyperdia it seems going from Aoshima is not possible.

Sorry I misread you want to be in Aoshima in the morning, then yes that's fine, just look at what accomodation you can find in Takachiho.

(On another note, you might be able to take this train between Aoshima and Miyazaki (if it runs on the day you are there): http://www.jrkyushu.co.jp/trains/umisachiyamasachi/ )

Hey Ebay,

I saw your response only now. Did you book the ryokan in advance or show up at Takachiho and found one? I'll willing to skip Aoshima altogether and head straight there from Kagoshima on the 13th of April and spend a full day there and overnight it.

Ebay, pretty much everything you did is what I looked into and wanted to do.

I booked the Hana Ryokan Iwatoya through JAPANiCAN. The meal was excellent.

I started from Miyazaki, and took the first JR Limited Express train at 6:00 AM, which arrived at 7:08. I believe I had to wait about a half hour to catch the bus, which takes a little over an hour to get to Takachiho.

If you leave from Kagoshima, you will end up getting to Nobeoka at 10:14; about three hours later. If you do this, I would try to get to the Ryokan first, and go to the Amano-Iwate Shrine that day, so that you have time to enjoy the Ryokan. This may not be a problem for you, in that you may be able to linger around in the morning and hit the Takachiho Shrine and Gorge before leaving.

I want to go back in the fall, and I will probably go for two days, in hopes that one of the mornings, I will get to see the sea of clouds at Kunimigaoka.

http://www.pmiyazaki.com/takachiho/kunimi_m_eng.htm
http://japanspotting.jp/kyusyu/miyazaki/beautiful-sea-clouds-in-takach...

As for me, I had planned to get to the Bus Depot as soon as I could, so that I could go on the "Hells of Beppu" tour that afternoon.

I will also say that I loved Miyazaki, and want to spend more time there. I went to the Udo Shrine, and Aoshima Island, and the Gardens nearby. Where I basically saw everything in Takachiho in one day, I left Miyazaki feeling that I could have spend two more days there.

I hope this helps.

You recommend I don't go to the gorge the same day and do it in the morning? I'm curious as to why. To spend more time at the Ryokan? I'm open to a lower type of accommodation if it exists there. Sound like its all if not mostly Ryokans.

Well, what is listed in JAPANiCAN is only Ryokans.

My recomendation was based on me departing from Miyazaki, and you planning to depart from Kagoshima.

I arrived at Takachiho around 8:30, put my luggage into a locker, and then went the the Takachiho Shrine. I then spent the morning at the shrine and the Gorge before eating lunch and returning to the bus depot.

If you are going to come from Kagoshima, you will be three hours behind me, and arrive at Takachiho around 11:30.

If I am going to shell out the money to spend a night in a Hot Springs Ryokan, I am going to slow down and enjoy the experience. I got to Takachiho early enough to do that. If you still plan to go to Aoshima Island, and are going to stay the night in Miyazaki, then by all means, follow my schedule.

If you want to, you could leave from Kagoshima, and also use a coin locker at the Bus Depot, and go to the shrine and the gorge before going to your hotel, and then go to the shrine and cave near the hotel. My advice is that you slow down and hit just half the stuff on the first day, and relax at the Ryokan.

Your vacation... Your choice...

Hmm, here's what I'm thinking:

April 11 - head to Kagoshima and try to visit Sakurajima. Let's say I get there 12-2pm I think it's still doable. Or am I very wrong? Is Yakushima something worth checking out?

April 12 - Aoshima Island for a night. I don't know other than the island what I would check out, I'm open to spending some time in the morning at Kagoshima and heading to Aoshima mid-day.

April 13- Head to Takachiho and do what ebay did.

April 14 - Taxi it to Kurokawa Onsen. The Ryokan I'm staying at there said that from Takachiho I'd have to drive or taxi it there. Hope that doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Thoughts?