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Cape Hyuga’s green and brown headlands under a blue sky, with a white cruise ship offshore

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Plan your day · Hososhima

How long are you ashore in Hososhima?

Pick your hours and get a finished day, every step timed from the gangway and back.

Photo: Shiro_KUROGI / CC BY 4.0
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PORT OF JAPAN — Port Day Sheet
Hososhima

Shore plans, timed from official timetables and our estimates · port-of-japan.com/hososhima/ · Checked

Finished days

Your day in Hososhima, hour by hour

Pick the one that fits your call. Times count from the moment you step off, and every plan is back on board an hour before all-aboard.

Cape Hyuga by taxi in three hours, Hososhima
Photo: 長曽我部政幸 / CC BY-SA 4.0
For a 5-hour call or longer · 3 hr door to door

Cape Hyuga: Umagase, the Sea of the Cross and Omi Shrine

Any call. Everything is outdoors and open at any hour

Fits a 5-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.

Umagase and the Hososhima Lighthouse, Hososhima
UmagasePhoto: 長曽我部政幸 / CC BY-SA 4.0
Sea of the Cross, Hososhima
Drive 1.3 km to the Sea of the Cross lookoutPhoto: 長曽我部政幸 / CC BY-SA 4.0
Omi Shrine and the Udo cave, Hososhima
Drive 3.8 km to Omi Shrine and the Udo cavePhoto: daisymind / CC BY 4.0
  1. +0:00
    Taxi from the quay to the Umagase car park (5.5 km, our estimate)

    A rank on the quay is not confirmed and taxis run short on cruise days: phone a company before the call

  2. +0:20
    Umagase: the glass-floored Sukeruccha deck, then 2 min on to the lookout at the tip

    Free. The Hososhima Lighthouse is on the same path

  3. +1:10
    Drive 1.3 km to the Sea of the Cross lookout

    Free; a bell to ring for a wish

  4. +1:40
    Drive 3.8 km to Omi Shrine and the Udo cave

    Free. In the cave, look back at the entrance from the small shrine: it has the outline of a rising dragon

  5. +2:35
    Drive 3.0 km back to the quay
  6. +3:00
    Back at the gangway

Running late? Short of time? Omi Shrine alone is 3.1 km from the quay: about an hour there and back by taxi.

Transport spend: one taxi kept for three hours, ¥16,680 for the car (tourism association’s cruise-day rate). All three sights are free. Full route, map and photos

Umagase and the Hososhima Lighthouse, Hososhima
Photo: 長曽我部政幸 / CC BY-SA 4.0
For an 8-hour call or longer · 6 hr door to door

The cape, a seafood bowl at the harbour and Mimitsu old town

Calls of 8 hours or more on a Wednesday to Sunday, or a Tuesday that is not the 1st or 3rd of the month; on an 11:00 arrival eat first, as the last order is 14:00

Fits an 8-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.

Cape Hyuga by taxi in three hours, Hososhima
Taxi to the Umagase car parkPhoto: 長曽我部政幸 / CC BY-SA 4.0
Sea of the Cross, Hososhima
Sea of the Cross, 1.3 km onPhoto: 長曽我部政幸 / CC BY-SA 4.0
Omi Shrine and the Udo cave, Hososhima
Omi Shrine and the Udo cave, 3.8 kmPhoto: daisymind / CC BY 4.0
Mimitsu old town, Hososhima
MimitsuPhoto: Sanjo / Public domain
  1. +0:00
    Taxi to the Umagase car park (5.5 km, our estimate)

    Keep the car

  2. +0:20
    Umagase lookouts

    Free

  3. +1:10
    Sea of the Cross, 1.3 km on

    Free

  4. +1:40
    Omi Shrine and the Udo cave, 3.8 km

    Free

  5. +2:30
    Umi-no-Eki Hososhima, 2.1 km: seafood bowl of bonito and tuna

    Restaurant 11:00–14:30, last order 14:00; closed Mondays and the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays

  6. +3:30
    Drive 13.0 km to Mimitsu

    Park on the harbour quay

  7. +3:50
    Mimitsu: the Machinami Center, Mimitsu-ken and the street of shipping agents’ houses

    9:00–16:30, free; closed Mondays

  8. +4:50
    Drive 13.9 km back to the quay
  9. +5:30
    Back at the gangway

Running late? Arriving at 11:00 or later? Eat first: the restaurant’s last order is 14:00. Running late? Drop Mimitsu; the quay is 2.2 km from the restaurant.

Transport spend: about ¥5,560 an hour for the taxi; five and a half hours comes to about ¥30,600, or pay by the meter between stops. Seafood bowl price not confirmed. Mimitsu’s houses are free. Full route, map and photos

Rowing boat under Manai Falls, Hososhima
Photo: Raita Futo / CC BY 2.0
For a 9-hour call or longer · 7 hr door to door

Takachiho Gorge and Manai Falls

Calls of 9 hours or more in port: Seabourn Encore (08:00–18:00), Seven Seas Explorer (07:00–17:00), Asuka III (10:30–19:30). Not a 7.5-hour call

Fits a 9-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.

  1. +0:00
    Hired car or taxi from the quay to Takachiho Gorge (62.9 km; allow 1 h 15 min, our estimate)

    Arrange the car before the call

  2. +1:15
    Park at No. 1 Oshioi, by the boat desk, or No. 2 Araragi, 15 min on foot from it

    The car parks cannot be booked

  3. +1:30
    Rowing boat, 30 min, if you booked online

    8:30–17:00, last reception 16:30; online booking two weeks to two days ahead

  4. +2:15
    Walk the gorge path, about 1 km, to the lookout over Manai Falls

    No ticket

  5. +3:45
    Lunch near the gorge

    Restaurant hours there are not confirmed; carry a snack from the ship

  6. +5:00
    Leave Takachiho

    The latest safe start is 2.5 hours before all-aboard

  7. +6:15
    Back at the quay; Omi Shrine is 3.1 km away if time is left
  8. +7:00
    At the gangway, an hour before all-aboard on a nine-hour call

Running late? River high and the boats stopped? The path and the lookout are open either way. Road slow on the way up? Skip lunch and turn round on time.

Transport spend: about ¥22,400 each way on the meter, our estimate; ask for a day rate. Boat ¥5,100 on the November 2026 calendar. The gorge path is free. Full route, map and photos

Mimitsu old town, Hososhima
Photo: Sanjo / Public domain
Rainy day · 4 hr 30 min door to door

A wet day: Mimitsu’s merchant houses and the Hososhima Minato Museum

A wet day on any call except a Monday. The cape lookouts are open headlands and Takachiho’s boats stop after heavy rain

Fits a 6.5-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.

  1. +0:00
    Taxi from the quay to Mimitsu (13.9 km, our estimate)

    Keep the car or fix a pick-up time: no taxis wait in Mimitsu

  2. +0:25
    Mimitsu Machinami Center and Mimitsu-ken, two restored merchant houses

    9:00–16:30, free

  3. +1:10
    Hyuga City History and Folklore Museum, a former shipping agent’s house

    9:00–16:30, ¥220

  4. +1:50
    Drive about 13 km to the Hososhima Minato Museum, a three-storey wooden former inn

    9:00–16:30, last entry 16:00, ¥220; closed Mondays

  5. +2:40
    Walk to Umi-no-Eki Hososhima, close by, for lunch

    Opens 11:00, last order 14:00; closed Mondays and the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays

  6. +3:50
    Taxi 2.2 km back to the quay
  7. +4:30
    Back at the gangway

Running late? A Monday, when all of these are closed: Omi Shrine is 3.1 km from the quay and the shrine buildings give some cover; or JR Hyuga-shi Station for the Machi-no-Eki Tomitaka shop, 8:30–18:15.

Transport spend: taxi about ¥5,200 to Mimitsu and about the same back, our estimates. Museums ¥220 each; the Machinami Center and Mimitsu-ken are free. Full route, map and photos

What you can do

What fits your hours in Hososhima

Everything here is a round trip from the gangway. The half hour to get off and the hour before all-aboard are already set aside. Tap what you want.

Umagase and the Hososhima Lighthouse, HososhimaSee · 2h 30m round trip

Umagase and the Hososhima Lighthouse

The tip of Cape Hyuga, over the Pacific. From the car park a path leads to Sukeruccha, a glass-floored deck over the cliff opened in 2022, and two minutes on to the Umagase lookout. The white Hososhima Lighthouse, first built in 1910 and rebuilt in 1941, is on the same path. Free and open all day; car park for 70 with toilets. No taxis wait here, so keep the car.

~2.5hSee the detail
Sea of the Cross, HososhimaSee · 2h round trip

Sea of the Cross

A rock reef split 200 m east to west and 220 m north to south, so that the sea makes a cross; the name is from the Portuguese cruz. With the rock beside it the shape reads as 叶, “to come true”, and the lookout has a bell to ring for a wish. Free, open all day; car park for 22.

~2hSee the detail
Omi Shrine and the Udo cave, HososhimaSee · 1h 40m round trip

Omi Shrine and the Udo cave

A shrine on columnar rock beside Isegahama beach, known locally as Hyuga’s Ise. The grounds hold a sazare-ishi boulder, the rock named in the national anthem. Udo Shrine is in the sea cave next door: from the small shrine inside, the cave mouth has the outline of a rising dragon. Free, open all day, free parking.

~1.5hSee the detail
Takachiho Gorge and Manai Falls, HososhimaSee · 7h round trip

Takachiho Gorge and Manai Falls

Columnar cliffs 80 m high on average along the Gokase River, with the 17 m Manai Falls dropping into the water. A path of about 1 km follows the gorge to the lookout over the falls; it needs no ticket. With 2.5 hours of driving it fits a call of nine hours or more in port: Seabourn Encore’s and Seven Seas Explorer’s ten-hour calls, and Asuka III’s nine.

~7hSee the detail
Rowing boat under Manai Falls, HososhimaDo · 7h 30m round trip

Rowing boat under Manai Falls

Thirty minutes on the river under the falls, up to three people a boat, ¥5,100 a boat on the November 2026 calendar. Book online, from 9:00 two weeks ahead to 9:00 two days ahead; slots sell out within minutes, and same-day tickets are sold at the desk only if any remain. Boats run 8:30–17:00, last reception 16:30, and stop when the river is high or for safety checks in January, April, July and October.

~7.5hSee the detail
Mimitsu old town, HososhimaSee · 3h round trip

Mimitsu old town

The port of the Takanabe Akizuki domain. Its Tachinui quarter is a national preservation district of shipping agents’ houses from the late Edo and Meiji periods. The Machinami Center and Mimitsu-ken are free, the History and Folklore Museum ¥220; all open 9:00–16:30 and close on Mondays, or the next day when Monday is a holiday.

~3hSee the detail
Eat · 1h 30m round trip

Seafood bowl at Umi-no-Eki Hososhima

The Hyuga fishing cooperative’s own restaurant and shop at Hososhima’s commercial harbour. The bowl is bonito and tuna from the boats, with fish soup. Restaurant 11:00–14:30, last order 14:00; shop 10:00–17:00. Closed Mondays and the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays.

~1.5hSee the detail
Eat · 2h 30m round trip

Hebesu soft-serve at Umagase Chaya

Hebesu is a green citrus that began in Hyuga. Umagase Chaya, the shop and information desk by the car park, sells it as soft-serve, its best seller, with local sake and sweets. 8:40–17:20 October to March, 9:10–17:50 April to September; closed 31 December.

~2.5hSee the detail
The Hyuga Hyottoko dance, HososhimaDo · 30m round trip

The Hyottoko send-off on the quay

Hyuga’s own dance: dancers in red with comic fox, okame and hyottoko masks. On the February 2026 calls they danced on the quay an hour before sailing, with taiko drummers half an hour before, and the city set up a local product fair for the day. Whether it is held for a given call is not published, and it can change with the weather; if it is, be back early enough to see it.

~0.5hSee the detail
Cape Hyuga by taxi in three hours, HososhimaDo · 3h 30m round trip

Cape Hyuga by taxi in three hours

Umagase, the Sea of the Cross and Omi Shrine are 1.3 km and 3.8 km apart, and the shrine is 3 km from the quay, so one taxi kept for three hours covers them all. The tourism association gives ¥5,560 an hour and warns that taxis run short when a ship is in: phone one of the five companies before the call.

~3.5hSee the detail

Round trips are counted from the gangway and include getting back. Two stops in the same direction overlap, so a real day usually comes in under the total you see, never over it.

Every ride from this berth

Getting around Hososhima

Every port
TAXI

Taxi to JR Hyuga-shi Station and the town

Miyazaki tariff from 1 Feb 2026: ¥600 for the first 1.0 km, then ¥100 per 285 m · quay → station about ¥1,200, → Umi-no-Eki Hososhima about ¥1,100 — our estimates on distance aloneNo shuttle is published. A passenger on a January 2025 call reports a free loop, quay → station → Umi-no-Eki Hososhima → quay, every 20 min: not confirmed for later calls
How to get there
  1. A taxi rank on the quay is not confirmed. The tourism association says taxis run short on cruise days: phone a company early or ask the ship’s shore desk
  2. Quay → JR Hyuga-shi Station 2.7 km, 10 min by car (Japan Tourism Agency); → Umi-no-Eki Hososhima 2.2 km — our distances
  3. Companies: Kamihyuga 0982-54-5454, Miyako 0982-52-3131, Miyaji 0982-54-2525, Yanagita 0982-52-4141, Himawari 0982-52-7979

Our estimates use OSRM drive distances and the distance tariff only; the time charge is extra. The station has a taxi rank and the Machi-no-Eki Tomitaka shop (8:30–18:15).

Today's times in Google Maps
TAXI

Cape Hyuga: Umagase, the Sea of the Cross and Omi Shrine

By the hour on cruise days: ¥5,560 for 1 hour, ¥11,120 for 2, ¥16,680 for 3 (tourism association, October 2026) · on the meter: Umagase about ¥2,200, Sea of the Cross about ¥2,100, Omi Shrine about ¥1,400 each way — our estimatesAll three are open at any hour and free; Umagase Chaya 8:40–17:20 October–March, 9:10–17:50 April–September
How to get there
  1. Quay → Umagase car park 5.5 km; → Sea of the Cross 5.1 km; → Omi Shrine 3.1 km — our distances. The tourism association gives 15, 14 and 10 min by car from JR Hyuga-shi Station
  2. Between them: Umagase → Sea of the Cross 1.3 km; Sea of the Cross → Omi Shrine 3.8 km; Omi Shrine → quay 3.0 km
  3. No bus to the cape was found, and no taxi waits at the lookouts: keep the car, or agree a pick-up time

Three hours by the hour covers all three with time to walk to the tip of Umagase. The city’s sightseeing-taxi discount does not apply on cruise days.

Today's times in Google Maps
TAXI

Takachiho Gorge

About ¥22,400 each way on the meter, our estimate on distance alone; ask the company for a day rate · rental boat ¥5,100 a boat on the November 2026 calendar (varies by date), 30 min, up to 3 peopleBoats 8:30–17:00, last reception 16:30; online booking only, from 9:00 two weeks ahead to 9:00 two days ahead
How to get there
  1. Quay → Takachiho Gorge 62.9 km (our distance). Takachiho’s tourist association gives about 50 min from Nobeoka JCT alone; the quay is about 20 km south of that junction
  2. Allow 1 hour 15 min each way — our estimate — and more on a holiday
  3. At the gorge: car park No. 1 Oshioi is by the boat desk; No. 2 Araragi is 700 m, 15 min on foot

Fits a call of nine hours or more in port. Under that, only the ship’s tour, which the ship waits for. Public transport does not fit inside a call. The boats sell out within minutes of going on sale and stop when the river is high; the 1 km gorge path needs no booking.

Today's times in Google Maps
The one rule: be back on board 60 minutes before all-aboard — every day above already banks it. Phones auto-switch to local time, but all-aboard runs on ship time. Check the daily programme's clock, not your lock screen. More to pick from on the Hososhima guide and the Top 10.

Checked · Researched, not yet visited · times from official timetables and our estimates · Takumi Yamada

MY SHIP DAY — fill this in before you walk off
Ship
Date
Docked at (berth)
All-aboard (SHIP time)
My deadline = all-aboard − 60 min
Last shuttle back

Phones auto-switch to local time; all-aboard runs on ship time. Write both if they differ.

GETTING AROUND — the facts that don't change by day (today's times: ship's programme or Google Maps)

Taxi to JR Hyuga-shi Station and the town: ① A taxi rank on the quay is not confirmed. The tourism association says taxis run short on cruise days: phone a company early or ask the ship’s shore desk ② Quay → JR Hyuga-shi Station 2.7 km, 10 min by car (Japan Tourism Agency); → Umi-no-Eki Hososhima 2.2 km — our distances ③ Companies: Kamihyuga 0982-54-5454, Miyako 0982-52-3131, Miyaji 0982-54-2525, Yanagita 0982-52-4141, Himawari 0982-52-7979 Fare Miyazaki tariff from 1 Feb 2026: ¥600 for the first 1.0 km, then ¥100 per 285 m · quay → station about ¥1,200, → Umi-no-Eki Hososhima about ¥1,100 — our estimates on distance alone. No shuttle is published. A passenger on a January 2025 call reports a free loop, quay → station → Umi-no-Eki Hososhima → quay, every 20 min: not confirmed for later calls.

Cape Hyuga: Umagase, the Sea of the Cross and Omi Shrine: ① Quay → Umagase car park 5.5 km; → Sea of the Cross 5.1 km; → Omi Shrine 3.1 km — our distances. The tourism association gives 15, 14 and 10 min by car from JR Hyuga-shi Station ② Between them: Umagase → Sea of the Cross 1.3 km; Sea of the Cross → Omi Shrine 3.8 km; Omi Shrine → quay 3.0 km ③ No bus to the cape was found, and no taxi waits at the lookouts: keep the car, or agree a pick-up time Fare By the hour on cruise days: ¥5,560 for 1 hour, ¥11,120 for 2, ¥16,680 for 3 (tourism association, October 2026) · on the meter: Umagase about ¥2,200, Sea of the Cross about ¥2,100, Omi Shrine about ¥1,400 each way — our estimates. All three are open at any hour and free; Umagase Chaya 8:40–17:20 October–March, 9:10–17:50 April–September.

Takachiho Gorge: ① Quay → Takachiho Gorge 62.9 km (our distance). Takachiho’s tourist association gives about 50 min from Nobeoka JCT alone; the quay is about 20 km south of that junction ② Allow 1 hour 15 min each way — our estimate — and more on a holiday ③ At the gorge: car park No. 1 Oshioi is by the boat desk; No. 2 Araragi is 700 m, 15 min on foot Fare About ¥22,400 each way on the meter, our estimate on distance alone; ask the company for a day rate · rental boat ¥5,100 a boat on the November 2026 calendar (varies by date), 30 min, up to 3 people. Boats 8:30–17:00, last reception 16:30; online booking only, from 9:00 two weeks ahead to 9:00 two days ahead.

SHOW THIS TO A TAXI DRIVER — 運転手さんへ
Hososhima Industrial Port, Quays No.1–2 (cruise ship)細島工業港 1・2号岸壁（クルーズ船）までお願いします
Umagase and the Hososhima Lighthouse馬ヶ背
Sea of the Cross願いが叶うクルスの海
Omi Shrine and the Udo cave大御神社
Takachiho Gorge and Manai Falls高千穂峡
Mimitsu old town美々津重要伝統的建造物群保存地区
Seafood bowl at Umi-no-Eki Hososhima海の駅ほそしま

Point at a line. Taxis are metered and honest; tipping is not expected in Japan.

The one rule: be back on board 60 minutes before all-aboard — every plan above already banks it. · Free guide: port-of-japan.com/hososhima/ · By Takumi Yamada, Tokyo, Japan
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