Ebino-kogen Highlandsえびの高原

Home of the very first designated national park. The views from the highest peak of the Kirishima Mountains are magnificent.

The Ebino-kogen Highlands, situated in the southwestern part of Miyazaki Prefecture, is a volcanic zone. It is located on the border between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, and belongs to Kirishima-Yaku National Park, which was the first to be designated as a national park in Japan. In the northern area of the highlands, surrounded by mountains such as Mt. Karakuni-dake and Mt. Koshiki-dake at 1,200 meters above sea level, there are crater lakes such as Lake Byakushi-ike and Lake Fudo-ike. Clouds of steam rise everywhere, which is known as one of the best hot spring villages in the prefecture.

The entrance to Ebino-kogen is the starting point for a tour of the lakes and to climb Mt. Karakuni-dake, and here, too, is the Ebino Visitor Center, where various materials are displayed, such as information panels on the ecology and distribution of alpine animals and plants and a miniature display of the highlands. Mt. Karakuni-dake, 1,700 meters above sea level, is the highest of the Kiri-shima Mountains and has a large crater 900 meters in diameter and 300 meters in depth. It is believed that Karakuni-dake was so named because people might be able to view from there as far as Karakuni, or South Korea. Along the mountain trails, you can enjoy the sight of wild azaleas in early summer, pampas grass in fall, and snow-covered trees in winter, as well as other natural beauty for each season.