(8) Kyushu Trip: 23-25 Dec 2016 - Taketa / Bungoono / Yufuin / Usuki

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23-December-2016

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We checked out in the morning and said good bye to our wonderful host, Yukiko-san, at her work place (at a nearby Tourist Customer Service Centre).

We set off towards Taketa. And our first stop was the Oka Castle Ruins.

The Meiji restoration put an end to the Samurai period and the symbol of feudal reign – castles – were torn down consequently in many cases. Oka Castle was not an exception. Although the main structures of the castle have been lost, its grand stone walls still stand to remind us of the olden times. Located on the top of a hill, a panoramic view of surrounding mountains from there is simply impressive. Cherry blossoms in spring and autumn tints in the fall provide an ideal backdrop for your unforgettable memories. A parade of samurais and a feudal lord is held early April every year.

Next stop was the Harajiri Falls.

Harajiri Falls is famous for being one of Oita’s best 100 sceneries and also Japan’s 100 best waterfalls. Boasting a width of 120 meters at a height of 20 meters, this is a rare waterfall said to have suddenly been formed due to a large volcanic flow caused by the eruption of Mount Aso 90,000 years ago. A suspension bridge hangs in front of the falls to enable visitors to view the whole facade of the majestic waters. Visitors can also climb down and walk up close to the waters.

I could walk very close to the falls.

We came upon a man who allowed the girls to feed and play with his dog. We had lunch at that scenic place and proceeded to the place to stay for the night. It was an Airbnb house called Cafe Param. The house was next to a river.

Very nice sight.

Its a cozy cafe at the ground level serving Japanese-Korean food and pizza. We stayed at the rooms upstairs.

We rested at the ground level while the the host, Koji Ono San and his mother prepared our dinner.

BBQ meat/seafood, salad, pizza. We had Korean-style patbingsu as dessert.

We retired for the night thereafter.

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24-December-2016

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We checked out of the Bungoono bnb house and set off to visit the Usuki Stone Buddhas (臼杵磨崖仏, Usuki Magaibutsu).

Usuki Stone Buddhas: About five kilometers from Usuki town about 60 statues can be found in four groups close to each other. Believed to have been carved somewhere around the end of the Heian Period (794-1185). It is not known exactly who carved them although experts believe that due to their high quality they were made by, or under the direction of, a master carver. The rock in which the carvings are made is mostly tuff and lava from nearby Mount Aso, and is therefore relatively soft and hence easily workable, which is why the statues have such a fine level of detail, it also means that the ravages of time and weather have damaged them over the centuries. However, after decades of restoration work, including constructing roofs to protect them from further weather erosion, 59 of the 60 statues here were designated as National Treasures, the first stone statues in Japan to be so designated. Magaibutsu are Buddhist statues that are carved directly into exposed rock, often cliff faces. Technically they are relief carvings and so cannot be moved or seen from behind, as opposed to Sekibutsu, which are fully three dimensional statues and can be moved.

Next stop was the Usuki Castle Ruins.

Usuki castle (臼杵城) was built in 1562 by Christian Feudal Lord Sorin Otomo. The ruin is managed as Usuki Park (臼杵公園) now. And Daimonyagura(大門櫓), it was built early 17th century after Inaba enter the castle. It was destroyed in early Meiji period, however, it was replicated as it was at the end of Edo period from old drawing and pictures by the local artisans.

Next, we traveled south along the Oita coast to see the Bungo Futamigaura.

Bungo Futamigaura is a famous “married stone” or “couple stone” (meoto-iwa in Japanese), with the “male stone” standing at 17 meters and the “female stone” at 10 meters. These two stones are 65 meters in length and have a diameter of 75 cm. The Shinto rope (called shimenawa in Japanese) linking them together weighs 2 tons. The shimenawa is changed yearly every second Sunday of December by around 400 volunteers both from within and outside Saiki City. This ceremony has been selected as one of Oita’s Best 100 Scenic Views. In addition, this shimenawa is the longest shimenawa in Japan and is even recognized as such as a Guiness World Record in 1994, making it a symbol of the town of Kamiura in Oita. Bungo Futamigaura is also known as a famous go-to by locals to watch the first sunrise of the New Year. Between March to October, the sun rises right in the middle of the two rocks, drawing a lot of visitors all throughout the year.

We have one last destination before ending our trip of the day at Yufuin.

Kokonoe Yume Grand Suspension Bridge: it is 173m tall and 390m long. It is the highest bridges for pedestrians in Japan. The view from the bridge is magnificent. You can see Shindonotaki falls (震動の滝), which is one of the 100 selected waterfalls in Japan. You can also see Kyusuikei (九酔渓), a famous area for fresh greens and autumn leaves.

It was in the late afternoon and we needed to travel to Yufuin. Upon entering Yufuin, we headed to the train station, that was where we stopped at the Airbnb apartment in Yufuin. It has an indoor hot spring bath inside the bathroom, so we could soak in there anytime we wanted.

Yufuin Train Station

It was still early to sundown and dinner. Thus we went out to walk along the famous Yufuin shopping streets.

Yufuin (由布院 as onsen resort, 湯布院 as city district) is a popular hot spring resort, located about ten kilometers inland from Beppu, another, much larger and more developed hot spring resort. Yufuin has a wealth of art museums, cafes and boutiques, and many travelers come to the city just to stroll about town for the day. Yufuin is located on a flat river basin surrounded by mountains. The most prominent feature of Yufuin's skyline is the twin peaked Mount Yufu, which hovers over the town and serves as the backdrop for many scenic views. The area is rural and shortly after leaving the main walking route, travelers will come across the rice paddies and farm houses that make up a considerable part of the town.

Many souvenir shops and a few restaurants. A very touristy place.

We walked all the way to the other end of the shopping street and ended up at Lake Kinrin.

We bought some souvenirs. It was getting late and we were all famished. Instead of eating out (can be quite costly in this resort), we went to a nearby supermarket to buy groceries and walked back to the apartment to cook our dinner, our own Christmas Eve Dinner! We took turns to use the in-house hot spring bath. The hot spring water flew continuously into the bathroom. The apartment also has washing machines, so we did our laundry at night before going to bed.

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25-December-2016 Christmas Day

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Merry Christmas everyone! Rise and shine! The car was totally frosted. A kind parking attendant came with a pail of hot water to splash it over the car and helped to speed up the defrosting.

We focused on the attractions near Yufuin and Oita on this day. We planned for Higashi-Shiiya Waterfalls

While driving out of Yufuin and up the mountainous road early in the morning, we stopped over to take landscape shots. Beautiful sights!

Finally we arrived at the Mount Tsurumi Cablecar station.

Mount Tsurumi (鶴見岳 Tsurumi-dake) is a 1,374.5 m (4,510 ft) volcano in Beppu, Ōita, Japan. Soaring 1375 metres into the sky, Mount Tsurumi is a breathtaking mountain overlooking Beppu City that offers some decent hiking, rare flora and outstanding vistas. Visitors can take a ropeway 800 metres up and revel in being surrounded by acres of rolling greenery or, if they’re feeling particularly adventurous, can opt to hike up the mountain, reaching the summit in two hours from the lower ropeway station. From the upper ropeway station, multiple paths lead to the summit in about 15 minutes. On clear days, you can see as far as the Kuju Mountains, a famous mountain range that runs between Oita and Kumamoto prefectures. You might even catch a glimpse of Shikoku, one of Japan’s four main islands.

It was very cold at the summit of Mount Tsurumi and the girls had a surprise. They were thrilled by the sight of snow.

The summit was full of stone deities.

We took the cablecar down and drove a fair bit to the next stop, Kitsuki Castle.

Claimed to be the smallest castle in Japan, Kitsuki Castle in Kitsuki, Kunisaki, Oita Prefecture, was first built in 1394 by the fourth daimyo Kizuki Yorinao. One of its nicknames is "prostrating cow" castle because the surrounding land appears to be a cow prostrating on the ground. Kitsuki Castle is also known as Katsuyamajo, "castle of victory" following an unsuccessful siege of the castle by the Shimizu clan.

Beautiful landscape sights from the top of the Kitsuki Castle.

One last stop of the day - Higashi-Shiiya Falls.

Selected as one of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls, Higashi Shiiya Falls is referred as the "Kyushu Kegon" for its resemblance to Kegon Falls of Nikko. Measuring 85 meters in height, this sheer cliff waterfalls is gracious, yet compellingly powerful, as it dives straight into the plunge pool below. The trail up above, along the current leading up to the Falls, is also a location of scenic beauty filled with abundance of its rich surrounding nature.