| Takachiho 高千穂町 |
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| — Town — | |||
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| Location of Takachiho in Miyazaki | |||
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Takachiho
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Kyūshū | ||
| Prefecture | Miyazaki | ||
| District | Nishiusuki | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Shingo Uchikura (内倉信吾) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 237.32 km2 (91.6 sq mi) | ||
| Population (February 1, 2008) | |||
| • Total | 14,262 | ||
| • Density | 60.1/km2 (155.7/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Japan Standard Time (UTC+9) | ||
| City symbols | |||
| - Tree | Ogatama-no-ki | ||
| - Flower | Wisteria | ||
| - Bird | Meadow Bunting | ||
| Phone number | 0982-73-1200 | ||
| Address | 13 Ōaza Mitai, Takachiho-chō, Nishiusuki-gun, Miyazaki-ken 882-1192 |
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| Website | Town of Takachiho | ||
Takachiho (高千穂町 Takachiho-chō) is a town located in Nishiusuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.
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Takachiho is located in the northernmost part of Miyazaki Prefecture, bordering Kumamoto Prefecture on its north and northwest sides and Oita Prefecture on its north and northeast sides. The Gokase River flows from the west to the southeast part of town. The heart of the town is at its center, around the now defunct Takachiho Station and the business office of Takachiho Kotsu, the town public transportation company. Takachiho Gorge, located in the southern part of town, is fairly famous as a tourist attraction.
Takachiho is about 120 km northwest of the prefectural capital of Miyazaki and about 80 km southeast of the city of Kumamoto. Because there are no public transportation facilities, nor are there any national highways to the capital of Miyazaki, it takes about three hours to get there. And because it takes about half that time to get to the city of Kumamoto, ties between Takachiho and Kumamoto are getting deeper year by year. Ties to Kumamoto are not a recent development, as transportation facilities to the base of Mt. Aso have existed since long ago.
According to Japanese mythology, Takachiho is the land where Ninigi descended from the heavens, sent by Amaterasu, the sun goddess. It also contains the Ama-no-Iwato shrine which is, according to myth, the location of the cave where Amaterasu hid until Ame-no-Uzume lured her out.
The nearest airport is Kumamoto Airport.
Takachiho is the heart of the Himuka Myth Road, which extends throughout Miyazaki.