On the second day of our trip to Miyazaki Prefecture, the sun feels intensely hot on our necks after a dreary start to our first day. It’s as if summer has suddenly arrived, and I regret wearing pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Our first stop is Udo-Jingu, a brightly painted shrine in a cave on cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The shrine’s brilliant red paint against the blue horizon and the cascading cliffs below make it a popular tourist destination.
This article is one of three days of my visit to Miyazaki.
Udo-Jingu
Next, we drive further down the coast towards Cape Toi, an area famous for wild horses. I take some pictures of the scenery along the way:
Wild Horses of Cape Toi
On the southern tip of Miyazaki is Cape Toi, home to one of Japan’s wild horse populations, the Misaki-uma. I had no idea Japan had an indigenous horse species, much less eight all across Japan. We spot several horses in the distance while driving up to the rolling green hills.
Our first close encounter:
Before we proceed further, we stop for a fresh bowl of sashimi and rice for lunch to gather our strength.
After lunch, we go back out to the hill of horses. It’s spring time, and small foal stay close to their mother’s sides. Some male horses are still showing their aggressive instincts towards other males. While looking down the hill, I heard the galloping of a horse from behind me, and before I knew it, it stampeded its way right past me towards another horse, giving me one of the biggest frights I’ve had in the longest time. They are wild, after all, and it’s best to keep a safe distance.
It’s been a full, beautiful day of driving and sightseeing. After our horse sightings, we return to our hotel for another whole night of rest.
