Photo: MaedaAkihiko / CC BY-SA 4.0Open in Google Maps · Directions from your berth
Checked · Researched, not yet visited · times from official timetables and our estimates · Takumi Yamada
The main hall stands inside a cave in the cliffs at the tip of Cape Udo, painted vermilion, with the Pacific breaking on the rocks below. The cape has been a National Place of Scenic Beauty since 2017. From the terrace in front of the hall you throw clay luck stones, undama, at a turtle-shaped rock with a square hollow on its back: men throw with the left hand, women with the right.
Three things the plaques won't tell you
- Keep the taxi or agree a pickup time: no taxi rank at the shrine is confirmed.
- The paths and stairs down to the cave are steep in places; allow longer with limited mobility.
- Gates close at 18:00; all three 2027 Diamond Princess calls leave the port by 19:00.
From the terrace in front of the hall you throw clay luck stones, undama, at a turtle-shaped rock with a square hollow on its back: men throw with the left hand, women with the right.
Questions people ask here
How far is Udo Jingu from the cruise port?
About 14 km by road from East Quay No.9–10, about 20 minutes by taxi and about ¥5,200 each way by our estimate. Nichinan’s tourist association gives 20 minutes by car; Miyazaki Kotsu’s timetable gives 22 minutes by bus from Aburatsu (油津待合所), ¥740.
Can I drive up to the shrine?
Not to the near car parks at the moment: the access road collapsed after heavy rain in 2026. Visitors use the tourist car park, about 20 minutes on foot from the main hall.