大分県 Oita
Hi, everyone! Do you have any plans for the summer vacation? You might be busy with homework or summer school courses. There are various ways to enjoy your summer vacation, such as devoting yourselves to extracurricular activities, participating in club training camps, or traveling somewhere. If you are wondering where to travel, why not read our articles and decide where to go?
There are numerous tourist attractions in Oita Prefecture, well-known for its hot springs. It boasts the largest and greatest amount of the hot spring sources and discharges in Japan, so it is safe to say that Oita is one of the leading “Hot Spring Prefectures.” Beppu Hot Springs facing the Beppu Bay, and Yufuin Hot Springs located in the center of the prefecture are the two highly acclaimed hot springs, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists.
Hot springs are not only for sightseeing, but are also used for geothermal power generation. Geothermal power generation is a method of generating electricity by using renewable energy called geothermal heat, which is produced by volcanic activities. Since Oita Prefecture is blessed with hot springs due to volcanoes such as Tsurumi Peak and Yufu Peak, it has the highest amount of geothermal power generation as well as the percentage of self-sufficiency (25%) for natural energy in Japan.
The hot spring towns in Oita are also famous for their traditional atmosphere, but there are more places where you can enjoy quaint landscapes.
*Kitsuki City
The city is renowned for the untouched scenery of a castle town during the Edo Period You can find houses of the samurais, cobbled slopes, and landscapes of where the merchants lived within the city.
*Bungotakada City
The city was revitalized to replicate the shopping streets of the 1950’s and the 1960’s. You can experience the classic streetscapes by getting on a bus with a front engine called the “Bonnet Bus.”
*Kokonoe Yume Giant Suspension Bridge
With a height of 173 meters and a length of 390 meters, it is the longest pedestrian bridge in Japan over Naruko Canyon. It can bear the weight of about 1,800 adults! You can visit the Shindo Waterfalls, which is selected as one of Japan’s Top 100 Waterfalls. You can also enjoy the changing colors of autumn leaves in the fall.
It may be difficult to imagine the beauty of the scenery just by reading this article so if interested, we recommend you to actually visit Oita Prefecture and enjoy the hot springs, fascinating streetscapes, and captivating views!