Being mountainous, undeveloped, and out of the way,

喧騒から離れた自然豊かな所です

Miyazaki is hands down one of the best places to get lost in the beauty of Japan’s natural landscapes.

山が多く、美しい景観が綺麗で

Hey guys! Today thanks to Odigo we’re here at Takachiho Gorge in Miyazaki prefecture

宮崎は日本らしい自然を感じられると思います

and unfortunately the water level’s a little too high so we can’t do the boat riding today,

今回はOdigoを通じて高千穂峡 (宮崎)に来ました

but we’re gonna explore this beautiful gorge. Let’s go.

今日は水位が高く、舟下りは出来ないですが

This gorge is famous for its beauty, but also its geology.

散策をしてみたいと思います。

The jointed column walls of this gorge were formed 90,000 years ago from the volcanic eruption of Mt. Aso,

高千穂峡はその美しさと地理的に有名です。

which actually also just erupted earlier this month,

阿蘇カルデラを作った火山活動によって9万年に流れ下りました

although there were no major geographic changes this time.

今月にも阿蘇は噴火しましたが、

They also have a bunch of pretty cool wildlife here.

今回は地図が変わることはありませんでした

What the heck is this?! Jun, what is it?!?!

生き物も沢山います

Kamikiri-mushi (Longhorn beetle)

何これ？

WHAT IS IT?!

Jun、何この虫？

Don't touch it.

カミキリムシ

Does it bite?

カミキリムシ？

If you touch him, maybe.

噛まれる？

EUUGUHHH IT'S SO BIG

ちょっかい出したらね

He has a pretty damn strong jaw so you can bleed easily.

大きい

OKOKOKOK LET'S GO

一度噛まれて、指先の血が止まらなかった事があったよ

Leaving now!

分かった、行こう

He can... break the branch.

バイバイ

WOAH

鯉じゃないよね？

These aren't koi. What are these?

チョウザメといいますが、サメではありません

These are sturgeon, aka butterfly sharks in Japanese.

キャビアを産む古代魚です

These are the fish that produce caviar,

（既にお腹いっぱい）

and supposedly that’s what these are being grown for.

食べてくれない

Feeding fail

カッコイイね

YAHHHH

昆虫採集は人気で

Nope.

トンボを捕まえるコツは結構知られています

I can't tell if they care or not.

指を回しながら近づけると

Dude, buddy.

複眼を持つトンボは混乱してしまうそうです

You're awesome.

蝶が舞ってる

Bug catching is really popular in Japan,

この時は知りませんでしたが、

and apparently among dragonfly catchers here it’s common knowledge

泥に群がって

that you can hypnotize dragonflies by spinning your finger in a circular motion.

水と栄養分、塩分、アミノ酸を得ているそうです

Because their eyes see through thousands of overlapping facets,

泥以外にも腐った果物、糞、腐肉、汗、中にも血液にも群がるそうです

the motion of the finger supposedly confuses them

綾の照葉大吊橋は高さ142m、長さ250mもあり

and they’re unable to tell which direction the hand is coming from.

ネイチャーセンターに渡れます

There's a butterfly tornado here for some reason.

小さな社とハイキングコースががありますが、

What??

あまりエキサイティングではありませんでした

What is this?

自然と野生の動物を感じられるエリアで

I didn’t know it at the time, but these butterflies are doing something called “mud-puddling”.

羊や

They’re sucking up the liquids in the mud in order to gain various nutrients, salts, and amino acids.

この羊見つけたい

While they look cute here, butterflies have also been known to puddle on

ヒルもいるそうです

rotten fruit,

ヒルがいるから気を付けて行ってね

dung,

ここ、下がみえるようになってる

carrion,

橋の影が一直線に横切ってる

human sweat,

高所恐怖症のクリスが…

and rarely, even tears

揺れてる

and blood.

鵜戸神宮は岩窟の中に本殿が鎮座する珍しい神社です。

Aww so cute BLOOD SUCKING DEMON

石の階段は人の手で長い時間をかけて運ばれたそうです。

The Aya Teruha Suspension bridge is 142 meters high and 250 meters long,

参拝者が歩いた石が窪んでる

and connects a nature center with basically nothing,

暑いので、Junがかき氷を買ってくれました

although there is a small shrine and pilgrimage trail on the other side,

氷が要る…

which is not worth climbing the mountain in summer to see, TRUST ME I DID IT.

伝説によれば

REALLY?!

豊玉姫という神が出産する際に岩窟に産屋を建てたが、

[heavy breathing]

出産の際に異形の姿になっている所を見られて、

THIS IS ALL THERE IS?!

海へ帰ってしまったそうです

[more heavy breathing]

しかし、子供のために胸を残し

IT'S FRICKING SMALL

乳岩として残っています

This area is meant to help people feel closer to nature,

そのお乳岩から出るお乳水で子供は育てられたと言われています

and they encourage you to study the wildlife,

あの中に運玉を投げ入れるみたい

which includes weird goats-

外にでたらダメなんだね

huehue I wanna find a weird goat.

男は左で、女は右手で投げ入れるんだって

-and blood-sucking worms.

左利きだからピッタリじゃない

Oh hey.

投げるスポーツは右手を使うからなあ

Yeah?

でも、左でも余裕じゃない？

They have hiru--

ちょうどいいハンデよ

--the worm that sucks your blood.

え？

NOOO NOHOHOHOOO

そこだし

Oh, they force you to step on the grating at some point.

見て

Okay. Okay.

運玉の残骸が

If you insist.

よし、やるわよ

You can see a massive shadow from the bridge down there.

運試し

Chris is not okay with heights.

頑張って

The bridge is swaying.

私達の中で1番の有望株だから

YES

砕け散ってる

Udo Jingu is a shrine built into a cliffside cave.

全部入ったけど、留まらないね

The long path to the shrine was supposedly built by travelers

終わり

who individually brought stones from the port over the course of several hundred years.

残念

You can see how the center stones are worn down

頑張って

from so many people walking on them.

あ、入った

It's too hot to resist.

また入った

Jun's getting me strawberry shaved ice.

2つ入ったから、俺の分もよろしくね

I need the ice inside my body.

そうね、二人分私が入れたから

Thank you!

ハイファイブ！

The legend of the shrine says a man married Toyotama-hime,

今回訪れた場所以外にも

the daughter of the Dragon King of the Ocean.

旅行先を検討する際に役立つので、

When she was in the cave giving birth he entered and saw her true form,

Odigoをチェックしてみてください。

which was some sort of water monster.

日本旅行のプランに役立つ無料サイトです。

And because she was revealed she had to go back to the ocean,

リンクは下記の説明欄にあります。

but she... umm...

she left behind her breast to feed her son

which is now a rock in the cave

from which water drips

and if you drink the cave boob water, it’s supposed to help you with childbirth.

Jun, it looks like we can throw more stones into the rock.

You need to make it stay in the circle. Are you up for it?

The men are supposed to use their left hand and the women are supposed to use their right hand.

Good for you Jun, you're left-handed!

But when I do sports I use my right hand.

Oh, really?

To throw. Left hand to hit.

I think that would be too easy for you anyway so you need the handicap.

What?

It's just right there.

Oh, look! There's so many stones.

Okay, we gotta do it.

All right!

Let's go see if we'll get some luck!

Go Jun, you can do it!

You are our best hope.

Close!

It just breaks apart.

All of yours hit inside. They just didn't stay.

I'm done. Sorry.

Good luck, Rachel!

Okay!

Oh, you got it in! OH YAY!

Yay!

AHH I got two!

Yaaay!

You got two in, so one for me. Thank you.

Sorry, that one was really far off.

It's okay! I got enough for both of us!

YAY HIGH FIVE

YEAH

If you want to visit the places we went today,

or find other spots in Japan to visit,

Check out Odigo Travel.

It's a free website that helps you plan your trip to Japan.

Check the description box for links!