Roadside Station Kitagou

Kyushu's largest inclusive playground equipment
A wide variety of station and regional products

Opened on October 1, 2023 in Hokugo, Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture. It is only 5 minutes away from the Nichinan Hokugo Interchange on the East Kyushu Expressway. The direct sales area is filled with specialty products of Hokugo Town and Nichinan City, some of which are exclusive to the roadside station and regional products. The information center, a rest and information space, has pamphlets on local information and is also an ideal meeting place. One of the largest inclusive playground facilities in Kyushu is also an attraction.

Map of Roadside Station Kitagogo

Gourmet Information of Roadside Station Kitagogo

Here's what you should eat. Pizza.

Lady Goland, a take-out pizza store, is located in one of the product pavilions. It offers authentic Neapolitan pizza baked in an oven. Unlike Roman or American pizza, Neapolitan pizza is characterized by its thicker edges and chunky dough. The menu includes the Margherita, a classic pizza with basil, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese, the Quattro Formaggi with four kinds of cheese, seasonal vegetable pizza, and Japanese-style pizza with sea weeds and baby sardines. Basil is locally grown in Nichinan. Baked to order and served hot and freshly made. 1,200 yen and up (tax included).

Around Roadside Station Kitagou

Inclusive playground equipment

I'm proud of this one too.

　A spacious playground zone is located on the right side facing the front of the station. This zone is equipped with "inclusive playground equipment" designed to allow children with and without disabilities to play together in peace. Inclusive" means "all together," and includes wheelchair-accessible playground equipment and a wheelchair-accessible sandbox. It is one of the largest in Kyushu, where parents and their children can relax and spend time with their children. The lawn area between the station and the playground is a multipurpose square that will likely be used for events in the future.

Ushiotake Shrine

　Less than a 10-minute drive from the roadside station, this is the place where Umiyukihiko is said to have arrived after being defeated by his younger brother Yamayukihiko in the dispute over the fish hook between Umiyukihiko and Yamayukihiko described in the Kojiki. This is the final place in the tale of Umisachi Yamasachi, and this small shrine tucked away in a mountain village is the only one in Japan that enshrines Umisachi Hiko. In the green space across from the shrine, it is said that a rock boat carrying Umiyukihiko was buried, making it a well-known power spot for those in the know.

Obi Castle Town

　Obi was the castle town of the 51,000 koku Ito clan of the Obi domain, and is said to have been built to resemble the Heian-kyo capital. The streets are laid out in a square grid pattern, with the width of the streets remaining as they were in the early Edo period. Obi is designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings and is also called Kyushu's Little Kyoto. The Obi Castle ruins are centered around the reconstructed Otemon Gate, and include the Matsuo no Maru, the school of the Obi domain, and the Obi Castle History Museum. Near the ruins of the castle is the birthplace of Jutaro Komura, a diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs who played an active role in diplomacy during the Russo-Japanese War and other conflicts, as well as a memorial hall. The merchants' street is lined with merchant houses with barrels on their storefronts, latticework, wall lanterns, and umbrellas, and the clear stream of Horiwari running through the town.