Taketa, Kokonoe & Bungo-Ono
Only the ramparts of Oka-jo remain, but their scale and impressiveness allude to the power that this hill-top citadel once held over Taketa and the surrounding region. There is a…
At a glance
The grounds of this old castle are delightful to vist at any time of the year but especially for the sakura cherry blossom and autumn colours.
The sister circuit to Autopolis, Spa Naoiri specialises in two wheels, both motorised and human-powered.
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A racing circuit for budding and veteran sportsbikers and cyclists alike.
Everything about Mizushi-no-Mori exudes a quiet dignity and subtle elegance, a sense of nature and man in harmony. The realisation of a long-held dream, the proprietors, a husband…
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A beautifully located serene cafe and gallery.
This lovely, cosy museum in park setting is dedicated to local son Fumio Asakura, who is regarded as Japan’s leading exponent of natural-realism western-style sculpture, so much so…
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A charming museum to the 'Rodin' of Japan.
Taketa is a popular with visitors and people looking for a life in the countryside. Taketa is replete with history, appealing townscape and verdant hilly countryside, great food,…
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An impressive piece of community architect and cultural hall.
Fujimori is probably the least well-known overseas of Japan’s acclaimed architects. However, his portfolio of eccentric, whimsical and very humane structures certainly deserves…
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A Japanese architect who has created some of Japan's most organically-inspired buildings including Lamune Onsen in Nagayu Onsen.
Electric-assist cycles, available to rent at Nagayu’s information centre, are an ideal way to explore this charming onsen town
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Ideal village and countryside to explore gently on a bicycle, enjoy the scenery and relax in the many onsen hot springs found here.
Not only does Tajimaya produce the best wagashi confectionary in Oita, its delicious products undoubtedly count amongst the best in Japan. After learning his trade at Fushimi near…
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An elegant, traditional Japanese shop that has been making and selling delightful wagashi Japanese sweets since 1804.
There are many producers of alcoholic beverages dotted throughout Oita Prefecture, a result of the qualities of spring and well waters found here. Its is particularly famed for its…
Resonate Club Kuju, an onsen hot spring resort hotel, has a coveted location cocooned in the natural wonders of the Aso-Kuju National Park. Here, the mountains of the Kuju Renzan…
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A luxury hotel in a spectacular National Park location.
A prolific artist, Asakura (1883-1964) is often referred to in Japan as Asia’s Rodin and considered the father of western-style sculpture in the country. He was especially…
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Japan's father of sculptural realism.
Oita has long been a popular destination for Japanese visitors and, as a consequence, the choice of accommodation found around the prefecture is plentiful and varied. These include…
Kokopelli riding stables are enviably located in Taketa’s Kuju Kogen, a highland National Park with some of the grandest scenery in Japan. To one side are the towering mountains of…
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Western-style horse riding in some of Japan's best scenery.
Golf has a long history in Japan with the first golf course established in Kobe in 1903 by a British expatriate yearning to play his favourite sport. Ever since the game’s…
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Enjoy Oita's natural scenic attractions from the fairways of 23 courses spread throughout the prefecture. An unrushed day's play for beginners and experienced players alike.
An unusual name for an unusually eclectic space. Hi! Yoriyo, which is beautifully located in a small hamlet betwixt Taketa city centre and the Kuju Highlands, has been conceived by…
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An intriguingly pleasant cafe and gallery space found unexpectedly in Taketa's countryside.
Being established for over 130 years is a good sign that the fundamentals of any business are sound. The owner-chef, however, is not resting on his predecessors’ nor his own…
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A lively and tasty restaurant popular with locals and visitors alike.
Drum TAO, a flamboyantly, dynamic drum and dance troupe that has been lauded overseas as ‘Supernaturally fit and superbly trained… Stunning… Fully deserving of the standing ovation…
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One of Japan's most powerful and dynamic entertainments.
Customers flock to Toriya, a restaurant specialising in shamo. These stauresque gamefowl were originally bred for fighting - the written characters for shamo in Japanese literally…
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A farm-to-shop restaurant specialising in shamo poultry dishes.
TAO no Oka is the dazzling entertainment facility created by the dazzlingly entertaining Drum TAO. Set high in the Aso-Kuju National Park, it is certainly one of the world’s most…
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Drum TAO's new performance and art centre, which has one of the world's most dramatically located outdoor theatres in the world.
Michi-no-eki wayside stations are a popular institution in Japan and, with 24 of them, Oita Prefecture has more than its fair share. Locals proudly run these shops, akin to…
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Locals and visitors alike flock to these wayside stations for local good-value produce and meals.
Magma Glass Studio has been established in a delightful, period wooden building in a peaceful setting in panoramic countryside on the outskirts of Bungo Taketa. The husband and…
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The rural surroundings inspire the work of the Magama's talented glassblowers.
Fuko-ji temple is found at the end of a quiet country lane in Asaji, Bungo-Ono. Even though its imposing gate is significant for such a remote, rural temple it provides no…
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A wonderful temple far from the beaten track.
For a whimsically playful time head to the high foothills of the Kuju mountains and the expansive rolling grasslands of Doshinkaiki Farm. While organic vegetables, blueberries,…
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Open-air adventure for the young and young at heart in the highlands of Taketa.
The Taketa History & Culture Museum is a must visit for anyone interested in the history of Oka-jo, Taketa’s fascinating castle, the city’s vibrant culture and art, or…
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Taketa's history and cultural museum created by Kengo Kuma, architect of Japan's 2020 Olympic stadium.
Nishinokubo is beautifully sited in a hamlet overlooking idyllic rural scenery of stepped rice paddies. The husband and wife owners have opened their home up as a minpaku home-stay…
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Idyllic accommmodation in an idyllic location.
A contemporary of Mamoru Shigemitsu, Korechi Anan (1887-1945), who was born in Taketa, was a military man throughout his adult life and rose to the rank of general in the Japanese…
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A Japanese patriot whose last action quelled a rebellion against the Japanese surrender in 1945.
Kuma is the architect of the New National Stadium built for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. An ardent proponent of reinterpreting traditional Japanese construction methods, Kuma is…
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One of Japan's architectural elite.
Nagayu is one of the most charming onsen resorts anywhere in Japan. A small town aside a river, it has a lovely and particularly unspoilt charm. While most visitors bathe in the…
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One of the nicest onsen resorts, which is really a village, in Japan. Here, a wonderful example of contemprary Japanese architecture houses a carbonated hot spring.
Taketa developed at the foot of Oka-jo, to serve the castle and its samurai inhabitants, and the charm of an older time is apparent in the townscape to this day. However, Taketa,…
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An old castle town that is well-worth a visit.
Onsen are a feature found throughout the length and breadth of Japan. Oita, however, boasts the largest concentration of hot springs and they in turn are fed by the greatest volume…
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The onsen hot spring capital of the world.
For a restaurant that has a long and complicated name, the dishes here are a celebration of their constituent ingredients brought together in a subtle and uncomplicated fashion.…
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Deliciously simple and tasty Italian-style cuisine with a Japanese artistic twist.
Kuju Renzan is a 13km-long massif consisting of more than ten volcanic peaks including Mt. Naka-dake, which at 1,791m is the highest mountain in Kyushu. Each peak is dormant except…
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Volcanoes atop Kyushu. A variety of trails open around the year for the beginner and seasoned hiker.
Izumiya’s modest presence and diminutive size belies its outsized popularity. Queues of customers frequently form at its door to savour lushly delicious home-made ice cream in the…
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Exquisitely tasty hand-made ice cream.