Tsuka No Ma Onsen, formerly Shoya No Yakata, is a gorgeous Onsen Ryokan located in the spring resort area of Yufuin in Oita prefecture and renowned for its natural blue hot springs. Overlooking both Mt. Yufu Dake and Mt. Kuju this roughly 16500m2 area offers […]
Read more
During the Edo period, the Inaba residence was the house of the local feudal lord and home of the Inaba Clan once they moved from Tokyo during the Meiji Period. The Inaba residence is a beautiful wooden structure set in a quiet garden in the middle of Usuki City. [...]
Read more
Overlooking Beppu, Mount Tsurumi, is a 1375 meter high mountain accessible by walk if you are really motivated or via a very convenient ropeway. On top of Mount Tsurumi you will find a little park with a quick hike around the top. [...]
Read more
What used to be a small island is Usuki city and its most beautiful castle. The Usuki Castle ruin and its keep are today a nice and quiet park overlooking the city. The only part of the gates, its turrets, and a small temple remain of the main structure.
Read more
Usually made of wood or metal, the Usuki Stone Buddhas are unique in many ways. Created around the Heian Period (794-1185), the Usuki Stone Buddhas are carved from soft volcanic rocks from Mount Aso, giving sculptors a soft and highly workable material to work with. [...]
Read more
Also known as the “Blood Pond” Chinoike Jigoku is, for us, the second most interesting Hell of Beppu. Located in the Shibaseki District and rather far away from the crowd, Chinoike is the oldest of its kind in the entire country. Chinoike also epitomizes the Japanese people’s image of purgatory […]
Read more
Famous for its many "hells" or in Japanese Jigoku (地獄) Beppu city is by far the best location in Japan to enjoy these natural wonders in a unique, yet quite touristy fashion. Beppu counts seven different hells, but two of them are, as far as we are […]
Read more
Located in the heart of the beautiful Aso Kuju National Park, both Tadewara Marshland & Mt. Kuju are gorgeous scenic places ideal for people looking to get closer to nature. Tadewara Marshland is one of the widest everglades in the country. The wetland is positioned in Chojabaru on Iida Highlands […]
Read more
Mitama Matsuri, first held in 1947, takes place annually at Yasukuni Shrine, and features around 30,000 lanterns. The purpose of this festival is to pray for the fallen soldiers of the past and for a more peaceful world. [...]
Read more
Beppu is by far the most well-known place in Oita and basically the whole of Japan for its many Jigoku or Hell, which are actually hot springs. But, in the heart of Oita prefecture, far from the crowds and in the middle of what is possibly one of […]
Read more
Hello Kitty may not actually be the most famous Japanese cat after all! It all started in 1697 according to the legend. At that time, before the Gotokuji Temple was what it is now, a poor and lonely priest was living alone with his cat. One day, during a […]
Read more
Located in the city of Nakatsu, this castle, also known in Japanese as Nakatsu-Jo, was founded in 1587 under the rule of the Daimyo Kuroda Yoshitaka. Completely destroyed by the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877, which opposed disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, Nakatsu castle was rebuilt […]
Read more
