Takanabe Marsh Land

At Takanabe Marsh Land (高鍋湿原 Takanabe Shitsugen), you can experience one of the area’s unique natural habitats. The marshlands here are only found in a few places in Miyazaki.

There are several areas of marshland, interspersed with small ponds.

A raised walk way winds around the plain, allowing a good view of the habitat without anyone having to get their feet wet.

In the middle of the plain is a suspension bridge which goes over an area of Takanabe’s dam.

Over 300 species of plants and many rare insects can be seen at the plain, in particular dragon flies. Pictured is a male scarlet skimmer dragonfly.

If you’re lucky you may catch a glimpse of a scarlet dwarf, the smallest species of dragonfly in Japan. It’s a symbol of Takanabe and the main attraction at the damp plain. Images and models of the scarlet dwarf can be found all over the park even if you don’t get the chance to see a real one.

Information about the plants and insects can be found in the building near the entrance.　

Takanabe Marsh Land is open March to October from 8:30AM to 5:00PM and is completely free to enter. It is also very close to Shikisai no Mura and Meirin no Yu onsen spa.

Shikisai no Mura

Shikisai no Mura (四季彩のむら) is an area of farmland to the west of Takanabe which resembles the rural landscape of the early 20^th Century.

The name translates as colours of the four seasons' village, and there are many seasonal flowers in the fields that give the area a different look at different times of the year.

A foot path goes through the fields to a pretty red bridge.

Across the bridge is a shrine.

Nestled peacefully in the woods, it has the atmosphere of a traditional mountain village’s focal shrine.  

A wooded path leads from Shikisai no Mura to Meirin no Yu onsen spa. Takanabe damp plain is also nearby. 

Meirin no Yu

Meirin no Yu (めいりんの湯) is Takanabe’s onsen and spa. It is named for the school for common children that existed in Takanabe during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. As well as various indoor and outdoor baths separated by gender, there is also a restaurant and a shop selling various local produce. Slightly unusual fruits and vegetables such as lychees can sometimes be found here.

Meirin no Yu is open from 10:00AM to 9:00PM. It is closed on Mondays except for holidays when it will be closed on the next normal working day. Entry to the baths costs ¥500 for adults and ¥300 for children. Shikisai no Mura can be reached from here by a footpath and Takanabe Damp Plain is also nearby.

http://www.meirinspa.com/meirinspa/

Takanabe Sunflower Festival

The weekend of the 16^th to 17^th of August is Takanabe’s Sunflower festival. The main attraction is one of the largest group of sunflower fields in the world.  You can view the sunflowers from the platforms set up or just wander through the fields. There are food stalls and entertainment. The sunflowers are grown in fields which are normally used to grow cabbages so there are a lot of cabbage based products as well. On the final day of the festival, you are allowed to pick and take home the sunflowers as they will be cut down the next day to make room for all the cabbages.