Japan’s hot springs capital – thanks to its prolific and fabulous onsens – the coastal region of Oita Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu, also offers stunning scenery, its own culinary specialities and numerous historical attractions, and (when international flights resume) is easily accessible with direct flights from Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. The Shinkansen (bullet train) into nearby Fukuoka makes it a perfect stopover on a Japan itinerary.
A go-to destination for Japanese looking to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of its onsen, Oita Prefecture is beginning to attract visitors from further afield, helped in part by the 2019 Rugby World Cup (where the Wallabies played two games in Oita City); and the opening in August 2019 of the 89-room InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa – Oita’s first international luxury resort.
Onsen
With 4,418 hot spring wells, Oita is renowned amongst the Japanese as the place for restoration and recovery – and for centuries people have travelled to Oita Prefecture in the belief that the mixture of minerals in the water have a medicinal effect.
Beppu, in Oita Prefecture, is one of the most popular hot springs spots in Japan, with eight onsen areas. The onsen here have been classified as having therapeutic benefits. Takegawara Onsen dates back to the Meiji Period and offers a simple, hot spring, where visitors can scoop out the hot water and pour it over themselves before jumping in or being covered head to foot in heated sand.
The jigoku meguri or Beppu Hell Circuit, a series of seven extreme hot-spring stops include the impossibly blue Umi Jigoku (sea hell), Oniishibozu Jigoku (where the bubbling mud looks like a monk’s shaved head), and Kamado Jigoku, named because it was once used for cooking – kamado means stove in Japanese.
Umi Jigoku, Chinoike Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell), Tatsumaki Jigoku (Tornado Hell), and Shiraike Jigoku (White Pond Hell) have been named National Scenic Beauties of Japan for their aesthetics and distinctive colours.
Cuisine
Oita is a resource-rich region of Japan – did you know Oita Prefecture produces the most dried shitake in Japan, 100% of all saffron, and most of Japan’s kabosu, a citrus fruit used in many dishes including fish and sashimi.
Specialities include Jigoku-Mushi, or hell steaming, a cooking method that uses the steam of onsen to steam the ingredients, bringing out the flavours of the seafood, vegetables and other ingredients.
Oita’s swathes of fertile open grazing lands are perfect for the production of Bungo beef, which has made a name for itself in the world of wagyu. It is one of the region’s best-known gourmet products and is marked by a rich taste and high unsaturated fat content.
Other Oita specialities include fresh blowfish caught in the Bungo Channel, served as thickly sliced sashimi, Shiroshita-Karei (marbled flounder), Toriten and Karaage chicken, tempura-style chicken seasoned with sake and served with kabosu citrus ponzu sauce and mustard; and dumpling soup or dango jiru, a miso-based soup dish topped with taro, carrots, shitake mushrooms, edible burdock and a variety of vegetables.
Natural Highlights
Oita Prefecture boasts stunning views of the Seto Inland Sea and Bungo Suido Channel, with many natural attractions within its grand Kuju mountain range. Highlights include Tadewara Marshland inside Aso-Kuju National Park, one of the largest moors in Japan home to many rare plants and Harajiri Falls, nicknamed ‘Asia’s Niagara Falls’, horseshoe-shaped waterfalls which stand among rice fields and mountains.
There are also hiking trails in Oita Prefecture’s Mount Yufu, around the picturesque resort town of Yufuin, situated on Lake Kinrinko and Takasakiyama monkey reserve at the base of the popular Mount Takasaki, home to some 1,500 wild Japanese macaques that roam around its steep, forested slopes.
Cherry Blossom (sakura)
Japan’s famed cherry blossom season starts from the south, moving north, meaning Oita is well positioned early in the season – resulting in less crowds and potentially cheaper airfares from Australia. On the island of Kyushu, cherry blossom blooms from around late March into early April and, once in full bloom, last for around four to five days.
In Oita one of the best places to experience cherry blossom at its best is at the Fudoson Isshinji temple, where gusts of wind from the mountains help create a stunning pink carpet of double-petal cherry blossoms.
Temples and shrines
Oita’s countless temples and shrines include the eighth-century Usa-Jingu shrine dedicated to Hachiman, the god of archery and war, which influenced the local mountain worship religion. Also built in the eighth century is Fukiji Temple, the oldest wooden structure in Kyushu, located in the grounds of a mossy woodland forest.
Kunisaki Peninsula, in the east of Oita Prefecture, has developed a unique 1,300-year-old Rokugo Manzan culture that combined Buddhism, Shintoism and ancient nature worshipping that viewed mountains as sacred.
More than 50% of all the stone Buddhas in Japan are found in Oita, with the most famous being the statues at Usuki. Many beautiful stone figures sculpted with Buddha’s image remain in the area and blend in with the local landscapes.
Modern Art
Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM), is popular for its collection of contemporary arts and crafts, and for the building itself – essentially an 80-metre-long box, with folding glass panels and bamboo. It was designed by celebrated Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, known for his innovative work with paper, particularly recycled cardboard tubes to quickly and efficiently house disaster victims, most notably in Christchurch, following the 2011 earthquakes, where Shigeru Ban designed the Cardboard Cathedral.
Learn more about Oita HERE.
IMAGE: Funai Castle ruins – Oita Prefecture, Kyushu – Japan
