Mimitsu

Locally knownKnown to people who live here. Not in the international guidebooks.

Researched and written by Hinato

Mimitsupreservation districtHyugaport townJimmu

Illustration of Mimitsu, Miyazaki — Illustration — not a photograph

Miyazaki keeps its history in places like Mimitsu rather than in museums about it.

Mimitsu was the port of the Takanabe domain at the mouth of the Mimitsu river, and in the late Edo and Meiji periods its shipping agents handled the coastal trade up and down the Pacific side of Kyushu. The street plan and the buildings from that trade survive — white plaster storehouses, lattice fronts, stone-paved lanes — over about seven hectares designated as a national preservation district.

It is also, according to the Nihon Shoki, where Emperor Jimmu launched the fleet for his eastern campaign, and the town's Okiyo festival relates to that departure. The Hyuga City Museum of History and Folklore occupies one of the merchant houses, and Mimitsuken, a restored agent's house, is free. It is quiet, small and almost entirely undiscovered by visitors who go to Takachiho instead.

Plan your visit

Hours

Streets open at all times | Mimitsuken 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM | Museum keeps its own hours

Closed: Streets open year-round | Museums have their own rest days

Time to allow

90 minutes

Admission

Free streets | Mimitsuken free | History and Folklore Museum ¥210 adults and ¥100 children

Best time to visit

Year-round

Getting there

Getting there in detail

Mimitsu-cho, Hyuga, at the mouth of the Mimitsu river. About a short walk from JR Mimitsu Station on the Nippo Line, or by car. The streets are free to walk and cover about 7 hectares as a national Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. The Hyuga City Museum of History and Folklore charges ¥210 for adults and ¥100 for children. The Mimitsu Machinami Center stands in the district.

Historical notes & tips

**Mimitsuken is free.** A restored shipping agent's house, nine to half past four, and the best single building in the district. **Five minutes from the station.** Mimitsu on the JR Nippo Line, which makes this reachable without a car — unusual for a preservation district. **It is a port, not a post town.** The wealth came from coastal shipping, and the storehouses and the layout follow from loading boats rather than serving travellers. **Jimmu is said to have sailed from here.** The Nihon Shoki places the start of the eastern campaign at this river mouth, and the local Okiyo festival relates to it. **Almost nobody comes.** Visitors to northern Miyazaki go to Takachiho. This street is quiet on a weekday in a way few preservation districts are.

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