{"id":169930,"date":"2025-03-31T15:36:44","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T06:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?p=169930&lang=en"},"modified":"2025-03-31T15:36:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T06:36:44","slug":"cycling-tarumizu-miyazaki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/cycling-tarumizu-miyazaki\/","title":{"rendered":"Tarumizu to Miyazaki via the Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article is part of our collection of cycling routes and reports for Fukuoka and Kyushu. Explore more rides on <\/span><\/i>our index page<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u2014and get out and discover Kyushu<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Text and photos by: <\/b>Tim Muzik \/ <\/span>Follow on Strava<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The next phase of this southern peninsula bike trip traverses the Osumi Peninsula, from Tarumizu to the Shibushi Bay coast, before turning north along the beautiful Route 220 coastal road to Miyazaki. Riding through the southernmost reaches of Kyushu guarantees plenty of quiet roads, rugged coastal views, and, in this case, an encounter with a large silver beetle!<\/p>\n

\"Tarumizu<\/p>\n

\"Tarumizu<\/p>\n

Route Overview<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Route Highlights: Kamoike Ferry, The Kimotsuki River, The Giant Beetle at Kuninomatsubara Roadside Station, Shibushi, The Shibushi Bay Coast, The Meitsu Port, Route 220 Coast, Miyazaki<\/p>\n

Day 1<\/strong>
\nKagoshima to Shibushi
\nLength: 61 km
\nClimbing: 300m
\nGPX File<\/a><\/p>\n

Day 2<\/strong>
\nShibushi to Miyazaki
\nLength: 96 km
\nClimbing: 832m
\nGPX File<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Tarumizu<\/p>\n

A Change of Plans<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As mentioned earlier in this series, whenever a ferry crossing<\/a> is integral to a bike trip\u2019s success, it brings both excitement and uncertainty. In this case, uncertainty prevailed, as we had noticed that our intended ferry crossing from Ibusuki to Minamiosumi had already been canceled several times that week due to high winds. Sure enough, upon arriving at the ferry terminal, the empty waiting area and the expression on the front desk attendant\u2019s face told us all we needed to know.<\/p>\n

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After a brief moment of disappointment, we quickly made a new plan: taking a train to the nearest operational ferry crossing between the Satsuma and Osumi peninsulas. Fortunately, the fast and reliable Kagoshima-to-Tarumizu<\/a> line was running, and it even featured a famous udon restaurant on board, not to mention stunning views of the recently snow-capped Sakurajima volcano. After enjoying both the train and ferry rides and quickly mapping out a fresh route to our hotel in Shibushi, we were off.<\/p>\n

\"Tarumizu<\/p>\n

\"Tarumizu<\/p>\n

Tarumizu to Kanoya<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After leaving the ferry port, a perfect back road winds south along the coast toward Kanoya, allowing riders to bypass the busy national route. Along the way, Sugawara Shrine<\/a> makes for a perfect stop to take in final views of Kagoshima Bay before heading east, following the Kimotsuki River across the peninsula.<\/p>\n

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The Kimotsuki River<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Kimotsuki River is largely fed by streams and rainfall from the towering 1,200-meter Mt. Onogara<\/a>, which dominates the skyline in this region. Lined with beautifully smooth, empty bike paths and lightly traveled roads, the river meanders toward Shibushi Bay. With vast, empty rice fields and the Kimotsuki Mountains as a backdrop, this route is a must-ride for cyclists exploring southern Kyushu.<\/p>\n

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Once reaching the eastern edge of the southern peninsula at the coast of Shibushi Bay, the road heads north through peaceful farming villages. A worthy stop pops up in the form of the fantastic Kuninomatsubara Osaki roadside station<\/a>. Aside from selling a great collection of local products and soft-serve ice cream, the real highlight lies just outside the store: a pair of massive silver rhinoceros beetles.<\/p>\n

\"Tarumizu<\/p>\n

Kushima & Nichinan<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After spending the night in the small but lively town of Shibushi, we rolled out the next morning up the coast toward Kushima. This stretch of coastline is beautifully rugged, and as soon as you cross into Miyazaki Prefecture, the road starts getting marked with those welcoming blue cycling chevrons found all over Japan. The Kushima Roadside Station<\/a> is one of the more modern ones we\u2019ve visited and makes for a great place to grab some food before pressing further up the coast.<\/p>\n

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The small town of Nango proved to be a bustling place, with visitors eagerly awaiting a locally famous seafood restaurant<\/a> to open. Just out of town, looking out toward the ocean, there are some beautiful views of the jagged, small rocky islands<\/a> that dot the bay. The relative difficulty of accessing this area allows the natural beauty to remain without crowds, and if these beautiful rocky islands were closer to a major city, they would surely be a massive draw for tourists. The town of Nichinan is one of the last chances to grab some konbini<\/a> goods before making the push up the sparsely supplied but perfect 220 coastal road.<\/p>\n

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Route 220<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The 220 coastal road<\/a> is one of those highways that have gained popularity with cyclists and motorcyclists for its ocean views, flowing turns, and rocky peaks lining the entire way. Riding this in the age of Google Maps makes it even better, with plenty of well-marked tourist attractions along the route. Kyushu has hundreds of kilometers of coastline like this, but Route 220 stands out for its lower population and unique geological features.<\/p>\n

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Miyazaki City<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The empty coastline eventually gives way to slightly busier streets as the route enters Miyazaki City. While its population is around 400,000 people, the city lacks the heavy industry found in other Japanese metropolitan areas, making it feel much smaller and more relaxed to ride into. Just outside the city, the coastal tourist town of Aoshima draws plenty of visitors heading to the Devil\u2019s Washboard<\/a> rock formation.<\/p>\n

Famous for beef, mangoes, and surfing, Miyazaki has a seriously lively shotengai and tons of restaurants to choose from, making it an ideal place to post up for a night during a cycling trip. (Of course, I dragged Rachel straight to the ultra-hip local bike shop, Sugarhands<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

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The next phase of this southern peninsula bike trip traverses the Osumi Peninsula, from Tarumizu to the Shibushi Bay coast…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29305,"featured_media":169946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?p=169930&lang=en","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1769,5173],"tags":[5196],"class_list":["post-169930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activity","category-travel","tag-cycling","location-miyazaki-prefecture","en-US"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/fn_cycling-shibushi-miyazaki_2025_cl-3862.jpg?fit=1400%2C1050&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169930"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169930\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":169959,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169930\/revisions\/169959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}