17/02/2025 / Last updated : 17/02/2025 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Cape Sata, view of East China Sea and Pacific Ocean　佐多岬

November 24th. 2024 Michi no eki Kinko Nishiki no Sato Kinko Nishiki no Sato was a good choice for an overnight. Even on a Saturday night there were only 2 other vehicles so the limited facilities were not an issue. It was very quiet and provides a splendid view. In the morning, it was busy with locals shopping as the michi no eki seems to fill the role of a local supermarket. There is also a Lawsons next door. From Kinko Nishiki no Sato our destination is Cape Sata, the southernmost tip of Kyushu. The road approaching the Cape is deserted and the nearer you get the more tropical the […]

14/02/2025 / Last updated : 14/02/2025 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Ogawa Waterfall and Oosumi Peninsula　雄川の滝

November 23rd. 2024 Michi no eki Kuninomatsubara Oosaki Kuninomatsubara Oosaki is a recommended place to stay. The onsen is spacious and friendly though really too hot. The toilets are over designed but if you ignore the bells and whistles they are extremely clean and modern. No rubbish bins is the only real downside, well that and the massive silver kabutomushi (stag beetle). Uchinoura, JAXA launch site　内之浦 We set off for the JAXA rocket launch site at Uchinoura. Not that we are particularly into rocket science but hope it may prove interesting. On arrival at what is certainly a remote location, we are issued with a pass and allowed to enter […]

29/01/2025 / Last updated : 29/01/2025 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Michi no eki Nango, Botanical Garden　道の駅なんごう

November 22nd. 2024 Michi no eki Nango and Botanical garden Michi no eki Nango is, I think, an excellent place to stay. Yes, most of the parking is on a bit of a slope but there are places that are flat. The toilets are small, clean and 50% modern. They also feature potted plants and posies. Any negative points are outweighed by the splendid location; overlooking the sea and adjacent to a large, free botanical garden few michi no eki come close. In the botanical garden there is a tropical area, a rock plant area and Jacaranda woods. There are various trails and wooden boardwalks wandering through a large area. […]

16/02/2022 / Last updated : 18/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

South West Kagoshima Drive　南西鹿児島

December. 2021 Kiire michi no eki　　喜入 Our first shachuhaku night in a long time and we choose a very cold and windy one. Driving down on the west coast of Kagoshima prefecture, we stop for lunch at Izumi. Here, car rocking in the strong wind, we watch tsuru (common and hooded cranes) banking as they come in to land. We planed to visit Fukiagehama to see the longest dunes in Japan but the gale means it is not the right weather for sand. So we just try to find the place for the night. Our first choice of michi no eki, Kinpo Konohanakan, proves to be very open and exposed […]

14/08/2019 / Last updated : 12/05/2026 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Ibusuki, Tamatebako Onsen and Sakurajima　指宿、桜島

December 2017, Tamatebako Onsen A good, quiet night so I can recommend Yamagawaminato Iokaido for an overnight stay. Quite a lot of activity on this Sunday morning, as people arrive to stock up on Katsuobushi. There is even a small bus tour, stopping to make purchases before 9am. We depart and make it back the 15 minute drive to Tamatebako Onsen. We are the first to arrive, still a few minutes early for a 9.30 opening. The entrance building is a modern, unimpressive, concrete structure which belies the experience within. Well, not the washing area which is small, only 8 washing stations, functional and rather cold as the door to […]

13/08/2019 / Last updated : 12/05/2026 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Izumi Cranes and Fukiagehama　出水の鶴、吹上浜

December 2017, Kuronoseto Dandanichiba Dandanichiba was a little noisy during the night due to passing trucks. In the morning, from quite early, it was very busy and noisy, it being a Saturday. We watch as live fish are unloaded from a truck to stock the tanks in the michi-no-eki. The truck driver struggling under the weight of the fish as he carried them, one by one, in a net, from the truck into the michi no eki. Later we check the tanks and note very large Kanpachi (Greater Amberjack), Thai (Sea Bream) and beautiful mackerel swimming about. One Dandanichiba customer bought 3 or 4 big fish; pointing out his choices […]