Rilakkuma Obsessed

The beginning of our first trip of 2026 could not have started in a more chaotic way. I received a call the week prior about a family emergency and had to leave work 1 week earlier than expected. Thankfully, everything went smoothly and we were able to still travel together as planned. Hubby started planning this vacation starting in January this year, so we had been very much looking forward to it!

We landed in Haneda, Tokyo. I love how this airport is always seasonally decorated! This time, they had a display of Wisteria flowers.

Our hotel was located within the airport! Hubby decided to book this one since it feels super convenient, at least for the first night. It gives us a chance to settle into the new time zone without having to travel across the country right away.

The room was spacious and the beds were great! Also, right at the entrance to the hotel was a Lawson, and right around the corner were several restaurants. It was a super convenient hotel, very comfortable and I think it was rated one of the best airport hotels in Asia.

The next morning, I made some hotel coffee to feel human again, got an egg sandwich and a latte from Lawson and we took a domestic flight (this time Solaseed airlines) to Miyazaki. While waiting for our flight, hubby got me a pineapple smoothie to help me kill some time.

Even as we were touching down in Miyazaki on the plane, I was immediately reminded of Hawai’i. The vibes were tropical – and it makes sense, this is a famous surfing spot as well.

Interestingly, they had mats soaked with something at the entrances/exits of the airport. We kept finding these at other locations on our trip, and later I learned it was to disinfect people’s shoes so as to reduce the transmission of viruses and other things that destroy the local flora/fauna.

We climbed into our rental car and were very excited to explore. The drive into downtown Miyazaki was gorgeous and it was a beautiful, sunny day.

We stayed at PrinceSmart Inn. It was definitely trying to market to travelers and people who like to explore – they had a TV screen that you could use to search for travel plans. The lobby was comfortable with sofa chairs and tables to relax in. They offered pajamas and hygiene products in the lobby for guests, and you could borrow a water kettle from them as well.

Miyazaki gave an impression of a relaxed city that wasn’t trying to be shiny and new and was more focused on enjoying life. The night life had plenty of attractions, including eclectic bars. Good food, plenty of shopping and friendly people. Along the coast were plenty of places that offered wet-suit and board rentals to surf, and the local hostels were even outfitted for traveling surfers to enjoy.

Breakfast was included at the hotel, and they offered a choice of either onigiri or egg over rice. For those who are unfamiliar, it’s a raw egg that you crack over hot, fresh rice. You can add toppings like bonito flakes, furikake or picked veggies. It was a new dish for me and I really liked it!

We drove down the coast after that towards Nichinan. The Udo Shrine was our goal! It ended up being my favorite shrine of the trip because of the history behind it, the unbelievable views due to the unique setting and the cute rabbit theme.

It was such a good day to go, we had a lot of sun and heat but also a nice breeze blowing through. Plenty of people coming and going, but not too crowded. I was so excited to be able to add my own hopes and wishes to the shrine and participate in the clay (?) throwing pictured below. There was a braided rope outlining an area below the cliff. The goal was to get your clay pieces to land within the braided rope.

To my memory, it was 200 yen for 5 pieces, or something like that. I wasn’t able to succeed, but hubby did! He’s always had very good aim.

We explored a trail that branched off to the side, up the hill, and it led us to a small shrine.

I loved the architecture here, and the view of the ocean off the cliffs was just breathtaking. Such a memorable shrine, I will never forget it.

Not to mention the amenities were top-notch – two large gift shops, one of which sold local arts & crafts and the other that sold snacks and alcohol (I bought some shrine-blessed sake that turned out to be VERY strong). The cafe was also wonderful, and a respite from the heat with its STRONG air conditioning. I bought a lemon cream puff and coffee jelly drink:

The gift shop that sold snacks also had some ready-to-eat items. They had a toaster oven for this mochi in particular and after toasting, the wafer around it became a little crunchy:

After we hiked back to the car and took off, we found a restaurant in the countryside for lunch. It didn’t have anything for hubby to eat, but I am a huge fan of unagi so I enjoyed some grilled unagi:

Hubby picked up some food for himself at Mosburger and I explored the little trinkets they sold. Some cute, interesting items at the cash register pictured here:

Rilakkuma liked this stop, as well as our detour to a local beach along the way back to our hotel. It had a long stretch of sandy beach to enjoy and hubby went for a swim.

We stopped by another shrine after that along the coast, and this one had a section where you threw small clay discs (plates?) to make a wish:

We walked around the washboard rocks along this peninsula and enjoyed the evening hours together. It was a spot that had some food trucks and picnic tables, and it seemed like a popular spot for locals and tourists to come and enjoy the oceanside views. Reggae music was playing in the background and people were jumping in the water.

Miyazaki is such a lovely city with gorgeous mountain and beach views, with a laid-back vibe. We really enjoyed our time here and wouldn’t mind coming back.

For more footage of Miyazaki, check out my Instagram. 🙂