Miyazaki is a largely mountainous prefecture occupying much of Kyushu's eastern coastline. Palm trees in the south are distinctive of the area's subtropical climate, which has helped make it a popular domestic travel destination. Most importantly, however, Miyazaki occupies a special place in Japanese history for a mountain town called Takachiho. For it was here the deity Ninigi-no-Mikoto, grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu, is said to have descended to Earth.

With some 1.3 million tourists per year, Takachiho is Miyazaki's most-frequented sightseeing spot. A visit to Takachiho Shrine is an excellent way to become familiar with the legends that swirl around this region like the early-morning mountain mist. The steps leading up to the cedar-enveloped shrine are not straight but diagonal, which Ayu Yano of the town's tourism and planning department explains is out of respect to the deities enshrined there, as the angle enables visitors to avoid presenting their backsides to the gods upon leaving. Two cedar trees on the shrine's grounds have been bound together with a shimenawa sacred Shinto straw rope, and it's said a couple can strengthen their relationship by walking hand-in-hand around the trees three times.

Takachiho is famous for its yokagura dance. The dance has no less than 33 parts and starts late in the afternoon, extending well into the following morning. Performers don large masks and, accompanied by traditional Japanese instruments such as flutes and drums, reenact such scenes as the time Amaterasu hid herself in the nearby Amanoiwato cave, depriving the world of light and leading the other gods to make varied attempts to lure her out. This full performance is held annually from November to February to give thanks for the year's harvest, but an hour-long glimpse of the dance can be seen every night at 8 p.m. in a performance hall at Takachiho Shrine.

Amaterasu's sacred cave can be found by Amanoiwato Shrine, a few kilometers northeast of Takachiho Shrine. While visitors cannot enter or photograph the cave itself, priests at the shrine, whose main buildings are located facing it across the Iwato River, can escort visitors to a vantage point and explain its significance in Japanese.

Learn all about the shrines of Miyazaki by heading over to Highlighting Japan!