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About 40km northwest of Miyazaki is the pleasant farming town of AYA
, whose castle was once an important military base for the reigning Ito
clan in their war against the Shimazu of Kagoshima. Built in 1345 and
destroyed in 1615, the castle was rebuilt with rigorous attention to
detail in 1985.
First stop should be the Aya International Craft Centre (daily
9am-5.30pm; ¥350 including castle), located in the centre of town a
short walk north of the tourist information centre . An impressive array
of locally produced, handmade bamboo ware, pottery, furniture and
aizomeorimono (indigo-dyed fabric) is on sale, and you can try your hand
at pottery, weaving and cloth-dyeing (from ¥1000). Just beyond the craft
centre is the castle itself, which offers a superb view of the Aya basin
and displays local artefacts, including a small collection of samurai
swords. The castle is an exact reproduction of the original (historic
drawings were used for reference) and, though it doesn't hold a candle
to some of the more famous castles in Japan, is definitely worth a visit.
It is rustic in appearance - built of stone, tile and local wood - and
makes a pleasing picture against the background of coniferous forest.
Returning to the main road, the Shusen no Mori tourist complex (daily
9am-5pm) lies 3km to the west and comprises a winery, microbrewery and
shochu and sake distillery ; visitors can tour the winery and shochu
distillery (daily 9.30am-4.30pm) and sample products free of charge. In
addition to producing alcohol, Shusen no Mori boasts a posh ryokan , a
decadent onsen bath fringed by tropical plants (daily 10.30am-9pm;
¥1000) and a number of restaurants and craft shops. The most interesting
of these is the glass showroom (daily 9am-6pm), which features original
pieces by master artisan Kuroki Kuniaki; he employs a technique whereby
flakes of gold and platinum are dispersed between layers of glass,
creating intricately beautiful pieces. Buses run every hour from Aya to
Shusen no Mori, so it's generally quicker to walk or cycle.
Take the main road 7km northwest of Aya to find the Tehura Suspension
Bridge (daily 8am-5.30pm; ¥300), the highest in the world. A walk out on
the bridge affords sweeping views of the surrounding coniferous forests
and emerald waters of the Aya-gawa, a dizzying 142m below. Since there's
no public transport out here, a bicycle or taxi (about ¥2000 from town)
are your only options.
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