NICHINAN, Miyazaki Pref. -- There can be very few places of historical or cultural interest in Japan that remain positively underexploited for their tourist potential.
Obi, a one-hour ride on the delightful, two-carriage Nichinan Line train from Miyazaki, is one such rarity. Obi's obscurity is not altogether surprising given that the town is tucked away on an inland segment of the Udo headland, itself part of the Nichinan Coast.
A few discerning Japanese do make it to the Obi district, however, a quiet trickle of visitors (virtually no foreigners yet) who file in and out of its gardens and samurai villas. You will often find yourself alone, feeling faintly contrite at having so much space in a country where tourists are accustomed to being shoehorned into such places.