Aoshima (青島)
Aoshima is on the coastal road about 20 minutes south of Miyazaki City. One of the better-known surf and swimming locations in Miyazaki, it takes its name from one of the most popular tourist attractions in the prefecture: the teardrop shaped island just off the main beach.
It may look like a scene right out of Jurassic Park, but fortunately Aoshima is a resort town dotted with large hotels that offer hot spring baths and luxurious packages. In the summer months when the water is warm and clear, swimmers abound, and you can rent all sorts of swimming equipment at stalls on the beach. In the cooler months, surfers and bodyboarders take over the waters. Just be careful of the stingers and the jellyfish!
After your biking, hiking, and swimming, try one of the nearby hotel hot springs for great views of the Pacific while you wind down.
Outdoors
Aoshima Beach Perfect for swimming, surfing, and jet skiing, Aoshima is Miyazaki’s most popular beach. During the swimming season, there are a variety of shops and stalls set up at Aoshima Beach Park, with live music and other performances scattered throughout the day. The park’s season runs from late April to the end of October. While … Continue reading Outdoors
Food & Drink
Aoshima Beach Park (map) During the warmer months (late April to the end of October) shipping-container restaurants pop up on the beachfront in a hip surfer village known as Aoshima Beach Park. Bondi Cafe (map) The popular Bondi Cafe inside the ANA Holiday Inn Resort garden is a perfect for great coffee and acai smoothie bowls. Fujiyama Pudding (map) The … Continue reading Food & Drink
Shopping
The street leading to Aoshima Beach is lined with all manner of food stalls and shops, and there is a Bon Delice supermarket and a convenience store within walking distance of the main bridge.
Lodging
Shirahama Auto Campground Here you can camp in a tent or rent out a small cabin for beachside shenanigans.
Festivals
The Aoshima Naked Man Festival On Coming of Age Day, when the air temperature hovers around 6°C at Aoshima, this ritual purification festival known as Aoshima Shrine Hadaka Mairiinvites men and boys (and now women as well!) to plunge into the ocean waters wearing nothing more than loincloths (or robes for the ladies) and tabi socks. The festival starts … Continue reading Festivals
Sights & Attractions
Aoshima Shrine Miyazaki is the land of myth and legend, and Aoshima is no exception. This shrine is dedicated to Yamasachihiko and Toyotama-hime, of the ancient myth. Surrounded with subtropical plants, visiting this shrine makes you feel as if you had entered a lost world. The island itself is ringed by natural rock formations known as the “Ogre’s Washboard.”
miyazakiajet.org 