Introduction
Oita Prefecture is known both domestically and internationally as a hot spring prefecture, and this is due to the numerous geosites that are the result of the subduction of tectonic plates. If I were to affectionately promote the prefecture in one word, I would call it a mixed prefecture.
The first difficult problem one encounters when researching this prefecture is how to read the kanji in the place names. There are cases where completely different kanji are written but pronounced the same, and where the same kanji is pronounced completely differently. It is about the Kuju Mountains, which are the focal point of this trip. It is written as nine overlapping in the kanji, and can be read in two ways: ① “Kokonoe” and ② “Kuju.” There is a sumo stable called Kokonoe stable, and it is a common occurrence to pronounce it Kokonoe stable, not Kuju stable. On the other hand, if you write as nine ovelapping mountains using the same kanji, it is pronounced “Kuju-san(montains).”
Another kanji character writes “live for a long time” in the meaning and is simply read as “Kuju.” Even if someone says “Kuju,” you won’t know whether it means “Kuju” for “nine overlapping” or “Kuju” for “living for a long time” unless you check each time. Perhaps they thought it would be too much trouble, but in some places they wrote “kuju” in hiragana instead of using kanji from the start.
This is extremely confusing. You are forced to make a difficult decision as to which kanji to choose. This case is called “Kuju no Sentaku(Choice)” in Japanese or “A difficult and painful choice” in English. But another kanji is used for this “Kuju”. Well, whatever is fine, Oita Prefecture is a place where you can enjoy a whole variety of things.
Detail
1st Day (Reverence for nature)
The Kunisaki Peninsula is a training ground with a series of strangely shaped rocks
For some reason, tourism in Oita Prefecture starts from the Kunisaki Peninsula. The main reason is that there is an airport there, but the area is also attractive because there are traces of Shinto-Buddhist syncretism everywhere and there are long trails that offer a glimpse into mountain asceticism. The trail can be started within an hour’s drive from the airport. As it is an old mountain, it has been severely eroded and has a succession of oddly shaped rocks, so you can enjoy the atmosphere of a high mountain, even though it is a low mountain.
Castle town Kitsuki with picturesque slopes
Kitsuki is located halfway between Beppu and the airport, so even if you plan to stop by on your way back to the airport, you’ll end up passing it by due to the flight schedule. So on the first day, I stopped by before leaving the Kunisaki Peninsula. There are parking lots all over the town, which is very convenient. On the other hand, the main street is sandwiched between two long, narrow hills, so there are slopes everywhere, and it is difficult to go up and down. I recommend taking a leisurely stroll without any particular purpose and looking at the castle jutting out into the sea.
Yamanami Highway is Mountain wave itself
The Yamanami Highway is a road that connects Yufuin to Aso through the Kuju mountain range. It is not a toll highway, so it is free. It takes about an hour and a half from Kitsuki to see Aso shrouded in the setting sun. Just because you’re not driving doesn’t mean you should fall asleep. This is a route where you should enjoy the beauty of mountain waves.
2nd Day(Nature Day)
The charm of Kikuchi Gorge is its deep pools
It takes a little over an hour by car from Kurokawa Onsen to Kikuchi Gorge, but there is an even more amazing observation deck on the side of the road than Daikanbo, so it takes about an hour and a half in total. It goes down quite a bit along the outer rim of Mt. Aso, so it seems like a waste of gas.
Mount Kuju, a mass of multiple volcanoes, loves sweets
Written in kanji as “nine overlapping,” it is home to the highest mountains in Kyushu, Mount Kuju. In early summer, the area is dyed pink by the Miyama Kirishima azalea, and in autumn, the leaves are beautiful. What’s more, it is easily accessible from the road for trekking. There is also a mountain named after “the mountain where the stars are born.” A two hour trek will give you a significant amount of elevation gain.
3rd Day (The blessings of Aso)
Getting lost in search of a water source in Ubuyama Village
Within the outer rim of Mount Aso, there is a place called Ubuyama Village, which means “the village where mountains are born” in kanji. Spring water gushes out from all over the valleys of the outer rim of Mount Aso. There are many water sources in Ubuyama Village, and you can see crystal clear spring water 10 minutes from the hotel. However, you have to rely on a paper map to get there, as you have to go along narrow local roads where the navigation system doesn’t work.
This is Little Kyoto, Taketa Old Town
In an hour from Ubuyama Village, you can reach Taketa City, which still retains the atmosphere of a castle town from the Edo period. Park your car in the town and walk around. Last time I came here, I could only see Oka Castle, the setting of composer Rentaro Taki’s “Kojo no Tsuki” (some people call it Ghibli’s Laputa: Castle in the Sky because the song sings of the moon seen from a ruined castle.) If you walk slowly, you need about 2 hours to stay.
Numerous waterfalls created by the eruption of Mt. Aso
The massive eruption of Mount Aso produced large-scale pyroclastic flows, and the outer rim of the volcano is filled with waterfalls where the rapids carved the hardened bedrock. Bungo-Ono City in Oita Prefecture, just 15 minutes from Taketa City, seems to be particularly densely populated with waterfalls.
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