Aoshima Shrine

Aoshima Shrine sits on a small jungle-covered island off the Miyazaki coast, reached by a walkway over rock formations that wave erosion has shaped into long ridged strips locals call the ogre's washboard. The island measures 1.5 kilometers around and holds 226 plant species, many tropical or subtropical. The shrine enshrines the deities from the Kojiki myth of Yamasachi-hiko and Princess Toyotama, and its winter festival reenacts their love story with a cold-water purification ritual held each January. The summer festival features a parade of boats circling the island with a portable shrine aboard, praying for a good harvest and catch.