The Path of Being Called by Kami

Travel, Health, and the Balance of Visible and Invisible Worlds

Today I am in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture. Yesterday I traveled long distances by train from Osaka to Tokyo, then to Fukuoka and Oita, and today I entered Miyazaki in southern Kyushu, but even just moving through these three major Japanese cities—Tokyo in the east, Osaka in the west, and Fukuoka in Kyushu—in a single day reveals many of the current problems of Japan. Last week I also stayed in Fukuoka and Oita, and I personally found the coastal region stretching from Kokura to Oita to be particularly attractive.

And today, having traveled further south by train into Miyazaki, I immediately sensed that the atmosphere had changed drastically. Known as a treasure house of Japanese mythology, Miyazaki is also a deeply memorable place for me, because it was my visit here seven years ago that sparked the beginning of the Japanese research that has continued to this day. In that sense, Miyazaki is my personal land of beginnings, but historically speaking, it is not only for me.

This is the land connected to Kamu-Yamato Iwarehiko, who is said to have invaded eastward from Hyuga (part of Miyazaki Prefecture) into Yamato, eventually seizing control and becoming the first emperor. Furthermore, the mountainous areas such as Takachiho are also important places tied to the divine origins of the emperor. While I have visited Takachiho again since then, it has been a long time since I came to the coastal areas of Miyazaki. Returning once more to this land is deeply moving, and above all, compared to when I first came, I now feel strongly how much I have changed myself.