Visitors are enveloped in a southern atmosphere the moment they touch down at Miyazaki Bougainvillea Airport, the gateway to the prefecture. Miyazaki is subject to a warm, subtropical climate and has an average annual temperature of about 17°C (63°F). Well-placed in national rankings for hours of sunshine and number of pleasant days, the prefecture trumpets its catchphrase as “Japan’s place in the sun.” The warm sun nurtures a variety of crops and trees throughout the year, and residents are also said to have sunny and warm dispositions.

The east-facing shore of the Hyuga Sea extends for a total of 398 km (approx. 247 miles). Beaches like Okuragahama and Sosanji are known as prime surfing destinations. Rice and vegetables are grown in flat areas, while the mingling of the Kuroshio and Bungo Channel currents offshore produce favorable fishing grounds for catches such as tuna, oceanic bonito, spiny lobsters, and horse mackerel. Meanwhile, the Kyushu Mountains extend through the western side, creating a precipitous terrain. Rich in mountain foodstuffs such as wild plants and wild boar, the area retains a food culture that is associated with the ancient lore of Japan, including the story of the descent to earth of the grandson of the sun goddess. As one of Japan’s rainiest areas, the region’s heat, humidity, and abundance of sunshine promote the growth of Obi cedars as a local specialty product.

Nobeoka City, which faces the sea to the east, was once the prosperous castle town of the Naito clan. Its location on the delta of four rivers, including the east-flowing Gokase River, means that it has access to fishing grounds of both river and sea. Sweetfish are an especially notable catch. From early October through December of each year, sweetfish weirs are placed in the Gokase River so that visitors can enjoy dishes made with freshly-caught sweetfish. Nobeoka is also the origin of the dish Chicken Nanban, which is regarded as Miyazaki soul food and is eaten throughout the prefecture. The dish was created as a staff meal by two cooks working in a famous western-style restaurant in the city. Now, it is also prepared by home cooks as well. Some restaurants use thigh meat for the dish, but the original used breast meat. The recipe was created as a delicious way to prepare the less fatty breast meat, which can become unpalatably dry. Mr. Matsuda says the people of Miyazaki eat not only Chicken Nanban but also many other chicken-based dishes. “In the past, many farmers kept chickens at home, and would slaughter them in the yard to eat for gatherings. The go-to combination is a glass of shochu along with chicken that’s been grilled almost black over charcoal, using a drum that has been cut in half with a mesh over it.”

Because the summer heat and humidity are especially intense on the Miyazaki Plain, a dish of cold soup that will perk up even the most lethargic appetite has become a staple of the diet. It is said to have originated as a dish of soup poured over rice, disseminated throughout the country by Buddhist monks during the Kamakura period. During breaks between farming tasks, farmers used to dilute barley rice leftover from the day before with water and top it with miso paste. The broth consists of dried sardines ground up with miso paste and thinned with dashi soup stock; ingredients such as perilla leaves, cucumbers, or tofu may be added, and the mixture is served over cold barley rice. The flavorful cold soup soothes the overheated body, making this dish a popular home-cooked meal in the heart of the prefecture.

Come winter, locals in Miyazaki City and Kunitomi make use of the cold winds from the mountains and the clear days to make dried radish strips, producing more here than any other place in Japan. The cut strips of daikon radish hung out to dry on trellises are a common sight during the winter. Tano, a town now part of Miyazaki City, is famous for its daikon radish yagura, roof-like constructions of bamboo used to dry massive quantities of daikon radishes whole. The daikon yagura were selected for a Good Design Award as an agricultural scene to be preserved for posterity. “The daikon yagura are about six meters [twenty feet] tall, and the best part is seeing them covered in radishes all in a row. Dried radish strips can be pickled with Japanese flying squid to make madakazuke or added to nishime. They’re a regular item on the dinner table,” said Mr. Matsuda. Dried daikon strips, with just the right amount of moisture removed naturally to concentrate the sweet and savory flavors, are a remarkable item.

Because the western part of the prefecture was once a part of the Satsuma domain, it has many similarities in dialect and food culture with Kagoshima Prefecture. Among these is the deep-rooted culture of eating sweet potatoes, which locals call karaimo rather than the more common word satsumaimo. The volcanic soil particular to this area, a geological formation known as the Shirasu-Daichi, nurtures especially delicious sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are shredded, battered, and deep fried to make gane, a local dish that is common to Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures. In the Kagoshima dialect, the name of this dish refers to how it looks like a crab while it is being fried. But in Miyazaki Prefecture, sugar is added to the batter to make it even sweeter.

Another dish made with sweet potatoes is nerikuri. The name varies from place to place, with some calling it nettabo and others calling it sweet potato mochi. It is a snack made by kneading together mochi and sweet potato and dusting it with roasted soybean flour. “In my house, we steam stale mochi in a rice cooker, smash it up with some sweet potato, and scoop it out with a rice paddle. We don’t make it into balls; we just eat it the way it is,” said Mr. Matsuda. This treat is also sold in supermarkets and is a favorite of locals.

In the central area of Nichinan City is the Obi district, which flourished as a castle town under the Ito Obi clan during the Edo period. Stone walls and old buildings still remain in the town, which is designated as a preservation district for nationally-important traditional structures. Marine products brought ashore at Aburatsu Port were distributed in Obi, but common people were only able to afford inexpensive fish like pilchards, horse mackerel, mahi-mahi, and flying fish. The dish obiten came about as a flavorful way to enjoy these kinds of fish. It is made by deep frying a mixture of minced fish, tofu, brown sugar, and miso paste. Though it is similar to the famous Kagoshima dish, satsuma-age, obiten is an even sweeter dish. Likewise, soy sauce brewed in the southern area is said to be the sweetest of any made in Miyazaki.