An equine paradise at the southern tip of Miyazaki Prefecture
Cape Toi is located at the southernmost tip of Miyazaki Prefecture. There is a line of cliffs which juts out into the Pacific and under the blue sky, a gentle hill covered in beautiful green grass rolls out under which is the expanding sea. At the cape, there are about 80 wild horses which can be seen chewing on the grass in a relaxed setting with a dynamic landscape in the background.
Meet Japanese wild horses from an ancient period
About 300 years ago, the Akizuki family of the Takanabe clan which had control of this particular area raised military horses which were allowed to graze here, and it is said that from that time onwards, those horses were left mostly alone so that they gradually became wild. Known as Misaki horses, these animals are known for their large heads but small bodies which reach as high as 130cm. In 1953, they were nationally designated as Natural Monuments as traditional purebred Japanese horses. From the spring into the summer, herds of the horses consisting of females and ponies centering around the males spend their time on the grassy area atop the hill, and from the fall to the winter, the herds move into the forest to avoid the cold, so for tourists, spring and summer are the recommended times to see them. April to August is the breeding season so you may even be able to see the ponies during that time. On the way to Cape Toi, there is a gate known as Komadome-no-Mon at which you give a donation of money on entering so that you can go into a paradise for Misaki horses. You will see the horses grazing on the hill and even walking on the road leisurely. Please be on the lookout for horses which suddenly leap out onto the road and drive your car so that the horses have priority. Because there are no facilities such as fences built in the area, you are able to get out of the car to approach them, but being wild horses, they have the tendency to lash out suddenly so please observe them from a distance.
You can’t miss the view from the ivory lighthouse
At the Cape Toi Visitor Center, you can find out more in detail about the Misaki horses, and from the ivory Cape Toi Lighthouse located on the southern cliffs of the cape, you can get a view of the vast panorama including the Sea of Hyuga, the Osumi Peninsula and even Tanegashima Island if the weather is especially clear.