Japan’s ancient origin story can be found on this myth-filled island

According to legend, Japan was founded when Emperor Jimmu established the Yamato Dynasty in Nara in 660 B.C. Travelers can trace the nation’s origin story back even further to Miyazaki Prefecture, a nature lover’s dream bordered by mist-shrouded volcanoes and the vast Pacific Ocean, on the remote eastern coast of Kyushu Island.

Known throughout the country for its subtropical climate, surfing culture, and award-winning Wagyu beef, Miyazaki’s rugged geography and distance from Tokyo have kept it isolated from international tourism. It’s a land that begs to be explored—especially for discovering the divine lineage of Japan’s emperors.

Miyazaki stars in two eighth-century Shinto literary compilations—Kojiki and Nihon Shoki—recounting Japan’s mythological creation. Today, visitors can find the kami (gods or spirits) of these stories all over Miyazaki, from the town where the sun goddess emerged from hiding to the coastal shrine where Jimmu’s father is said to have been born. Here’s how to visit them.

Takachiho—The return of Amaterasu, the sun goddess

Situated in the prefecture’s mountainous northwest, Takachiho is the best place to begin the journey into the country’s mythological heart. Known for its outstanding beauty, the small town is revered for its connection to Shinto’s chief deity, the sun goddess, Amaterasu.

In his iconic book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell referred to Amaterasu’s story as “one of the most important and delightful of the myths of the Shinto tradition of Japan.”

Takachiho’s traditional yokagura folk-dance performances tell how the sun goddess plunged the world into darkness when she hid in a nearby cave to escape her brother’s destructive behavior. Eight million deities assembled in a desperate attempt to lure her out. Provocative dancing and raucous laughter eventually caused Amaterasu to reappear, vanquishing the darkness and setting in motion events that would lead to the founding of Japan’s imperial line.

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Today, Takachiho feels more restrained, its quiet streets home to a mix of chain stores and family-owned shops selling dried shiitake mushrooms, pan-roasted green tea, and other local agricultural products.

From the center of town, a 30-minute walk leads to visually striking Takachiho Gorge, where travelers can rent row boats for a leisurely float along the tranquil waters of the Gokase River or stroll the path above for a bird’s-eye view.

Rowing down the river, however, offers the best way to take in Takachiho’s spiritual significance. The river is framed by huge basalt lava columns stretching toward a narrow ribbon of sky. These ancient sentinels are the result of violent pyroclastic flows that once surged through the area, shaping the landscape and forging its folkloric legacy.

At Manai Waterfall, rays of sunlight reflecting off the waterfall sprays cast a rainbow against the walls of basalt and transform placid patches of jade green river into shimmering turquoise. It’s a kaleidoscopic show fit for the goddess who brought light back to the world.

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To truly tap into Amaterasu’s spirit, a 15-minute bus ride from Takachiho Bus Center whisks travelers to Amano Iwato Shrine, the site of her mythic story. The shrine straddles the Iwato River, a shallow tributary feeding the Gokase River.

The sacred Amano Iwato cave, said to be Amaterasu’s hiding place, is off-limits to the public, but visitors can still pay their respects and see the cave across the river from behind the shrine's West Main Hall. Priests run daily 30-minute guided worship sessions in Japanese.

Visitors are free to enter the Amano Yasukawara cave, where the other deities gathered before luring Amaterasu out of hiding. A 10-minute walk from Amano Iwato Shrine’s West Main Hall, the spacious riverside cavern is stacked with stones left by countless Shinto pilgrims.

Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park—Ninigi’s descent

After Amaterasu came out of hiding and had sent deities to pacify the earthly realm, she ordered her grandson Ninigi down from the heavens to rule the lands that would become Japan. Another site in Miyazaki claims to be the legendary location of Tenson Korin (Ninigi’s divine descent), but the skyscraping Takachihonomine stratovolcano is the most dramatic.

Located in Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park, the 5,160-foot peak is one of over 20 volcanoes that make up the geologically active Kirishima Massif, whose smoking craters lend it a mystical, otherworldly atmosphere. A challenging two-hour hike leads to Takachihonomine’s pinnacle and a metal monolith a few meters from a Shinto torii gate said to separate the divine and mortal worlds.

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According to the Tenson Korin myth, the monolith marks the spot where Ninigi landed. After, he thrust the three-pointed Amanosakahoko (inverted halberd of heaven) into the earth. He also brought with him a mirror, a jewel, and a sword to legitimize his authority—treasures given to him by Amaterasu that constitute the Japanese imperial regalia today.

“Comparative study has shown that Japanese versions of these tales share a general outline with North Asian and Korean myths,” writes Helen Hardacre, a research professor emerita at Harvard University Reischauer Institute, in her book, Shinto: A History. “Bearing sacred regalia and a mandate from heavenly deities, their descendant, the original ruler, descends to the top of a mountain to take possession of the earth.”

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Udo Shrine, Nichinan Coast—The birth of an empire

Although Ninigi’s arrival signifies the heavenly origin of Japan’s imperial family, it was his grandson Ugayafukiaezu who is said to have fathered Jimmu, the nation’s first emperor.

Local folktales recount that Ugayafukiaezu was born in a cave at what is now the Udo Shrine in Nichinan and that Jimmu was raised in the surrounding area before he sailed away to found Japan, establishing what is recognized as the longest-running continuous hereditary monarchy in the world.

Today, the shrine dedicated to Jimmu’s father is associated with fertility. Clinging to the palm-fringed edge of the Nichinan Coast, a 50-minute drive from Miyazaki City, the shrine draws young couples hoping to give their family planning dreams a spiritual boost by tossing tiny terracotta balls inside the water-filled hole of a sacred boulder from a platform overlooking the ocean.

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Visitors reach the platform via a curved path bordered by a bright red fence that leads through the shrine’s grounds. Ugayafukiaezu’s birthplace is located in a dimly lit cave behind the platform, where visitors pray for fertility, safe childbirth, and good health for their children.

The best time to visit is at sunrise, when Amaterasu rises over the horizon, bathing the shrine in her golden light.

How to get there: JAL, ANA, and Solaseed Air offer direct flights from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to Miyazaki Airport that are about two hours long. Jetstar Japan has cheaper flights from Narita Airport that are a little over two hours long. On Kyushu, regional hubs serve Miyazaki by plane, train, or bus.

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Getting around: Miyazaki has public buses and rail lines, but car hire is faster and more convenient for exploring. Miyazaki Airport and Miyazaki Station (in Miyazaki City) have rental outlets, including Toyota Rent a Car and Nippon Rent-A-Car.