平和台公園 Heiwadai Park

The centrepiece of the Heiwadai Park is the Tower of Peace, built in 1940. It's not exactly the prettiest thing around.

But if u stand in front of it and clap your hands, you will hear a strange metallic echo.

There are quite a lot of pretty flowers in the park though.

And some clay figurines called haniwa.

西都原古墳郡 Saitobaru Burial Mounds Park

菜の花 Na-no-hana (don't know what it's English name is, sorry) were in full bloom!

There are 311 burial mounds of various shapes and styles estimated to have been built between the 3rd and 7th century.

The Oni-no-Iwaya burial mound was built for a local chief in the 7th century. It is very large, with a diameter of 37m and a height of 7m. It even has a moat surrounding it!! I've never seen a moat around a tomb. It is the background of this picture.

At the entrance of the tunnel under the bank of the moat
Entrance of the tomb; Mummy and Daddy are standing in the moat, I'm on top of the bank.
In the stone burial chamber

Uncle on top of the bank; Mummy and Daddy climbing up from the moat; 菜の花 na-no-hana field on the other side of the bank.

Many people enjoying お花見 (literally means flower viewing picnic, but usually used for cherry blossoms viewing) under the soon-to-bloom cherry trees and in the park.

Chicken Namban

Lunch was an original Miyazaki creation - Chicken namban! Chicken cutlet with a vinegar tartar sauce. Yummy!

馬が背 Umagase (Horse's back)

At the look-out point for Umagase, but we realised that the walking trail was very very long so we just took a photo at the viewing point and left ;P

高千穂 Takachiho

Checked in to our little ryokan at Takachiho and tucked into a sumptuous dinner!

Yokagura dance

After dinner, we rushed off to catch the ancient Yokagura dance. The full dance is a repertoire of 33 dances performed through the night only during the festival in Nov. A shorter version of 4 dances is performed every night at Takachiho Shrine.

The first 3 dances are about how the other gods try to find Amaterasu (the sun goddess), who was hiding in a cave. (Notice that in the last photo the cave is exposed)

Video link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1xQRtjfdUQ

The last dance is known as the creation of Japan dance. It shows Izanagi and Izanami, the god and goddess who created Japan, making and drinking sake and then becoming amorous, with rather explicit actions.