Over five days of touring, I discovered that Oita offers bucolic landscapes, beguiling villages, and a surprisingly rich repository of historical and cultural treasures. It also has deep connections to the Western world. The Jesuit missionary Sir Francis Xavier traveled in Oita when he brought Christianity to Japan in the mid-16th century (and converted thousands of Japanese, including a powerful feudal lord named Sorin Otomo), and William Adams, the English sailor who became a samurai (and inspired James Clavell’s Shogun), first landed in Oita in 1600. This autumn the world will be coming to Oita again in the form of the Rugby World Cup, the third largest sports event after the Summer Olympics and the Football World Cup. And next summer, visitors to the Tokyo Olympics may well want to add a delightful detour here to their travel plans. This article will describe some of the surprises and splendors that await these visitors – and all other foreigners who venture to Oita.
Part One: Sandbath Satori at Shoningahama
The hot springs are a remarkable sight, but for me, the most memorable part of my visit to Beppu was an immersion in a hot sand bath. For this delight I went to the Beppu Hot Sand Bath facility, an unprepossessing building located in a beautiful setting right on Shoningahama Beach, looking onto Beppu Bay, beside a grove of pine trees.
First I changed into a yukata, a light cotton wraparound robe. Then I was led to a rectangular area about the size of half a tennis court, where fourteen foot-high mounds of sand were arranged in two neat rows. I was led to a spot at the far end of the front row and told to lie down, still clothed in my yukata, in a slight indentation that had been prepared next to the mound, with a wooden neck-rest placed at one end. After I lay down, the smiling attendant took a special shovel-like tool and gently began to cover me with the sand, starting with my midsection and then working down to my feet.
As the attendant finished covering my feet and moved up to my chest, the sand felt like a grainy swaddling blanket. Then, as he covered my upper arms and shoulders, the pressure became a bit uncomfortable. When I was fully covered up to my chin, I actually felt some panic. With my arms pinned to my sides under layers of sand, I was suddenly aware of just how vulnerable I was. If a fly landed on my nose, I would be powerless to swat it. If a squirrel squatted on my head, I would just have to endure it.
After that, something almost magical happened: I took some deep breaths, and concentrated on feeling the warm weight of the swaddling sand. I breathed in, breathed out; breathed in, breathed out. I looked at the green pines to my left, and the blue sea and sky before me. And then I let go. I abandoned myself to the sand, the swishing sound of the breeze in the pines, the faint smell of pine on the breeze, the warmth of the sand, the warm weight of it, penetrating to my bones, the susurration of the sea, the ceaseless caress of the pine-perfumed breeze. The sand warmed through me, all the way to my soul. And then I closed my eyes.
Suddenly the attendant was standing over me. “It’s time to dig you out now,” he said.
He gently removed the sand and when he was done, I stood up, feeling suddenly light and lightheaded, and shook myself like a dog shedding water. Then I walked slowly back to the facility’s shower, astonished at how new everything looked and felt.
Washing off every speck of sand in the shower felt wonderful. The cold beer I savored at a table on the beach afterward felt even more wonderful.
Part Two: A Samurai-Style Stroll in Kitsuki
You can do this in Kyoto too, but there you will be elbow-to-elbow with hundreds or even thousands of other kimono-clad sightseers. Quite to the contrary, on the day I visited Kitsuki, I was the only customer in the kimono rental shop, and in my wanderings, I encountered less than a dozen other tourists. This lack of crowds, combined with the town’s dedication to keeping its historic areas free of visible power lines and any other manifestations of modernity, profoundly enhanced my time-travel experience.
I began my visit at the Warakuan kimono rental shop, where the kindly proprietor allowed me to take my time selecting a summer kimono from dozens of choices, then helped me to correctly put on the layers of under-robes and outer robes and the encircling obi.
Part Three: Wanderings in Oita’s Wild Wonders
Later that day, I proved that what I had seen in the distance was no illusion, as I drove along the winding Yamanami Highway past emerald rice paddies and highlands into the thickly forested slopes of those same Kuju Mountains.
The highlight of all these natural riches for me was the rippling, stunningly picturesque rice paddies of the Tashibunoshou World Agricultural Heritage Area, and then an hour-long walk through the verdant wetlands and enchanting forests of the Tadewara Marshland at Chojabaru. This pristine high moor has been recognized in the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance as a precious preserve of rare flora and fauna. There was an almost mystical energy in the forest bordering the marshland, a confluence of sparkling streams, glistening rocks, and redolent ferns and pine needles, and I would have liked to spend another hour or two venturing deeper into its heart. Next time!
Part Four: A Treasure Trove of Religious History and Art
The first of these sites that I visited was Usa Jingu, or Usa Shrine. Built in the 8th century, this expansive complex is one of the most important Shinto shrines in Japan and houses numerous National Treasures. The shrine’s historic religious roots and tendrils are deeply intertwined and cannot be adequately explained in a brief summary, but here is a superficial description to give a sense of its singular significance:
In the 8th century, when Usa Jingu was built, the god Hachimangū was enshrined there. Hachimangu was believed to be the deification of the legendary 3rd century Emperor Ojin, who after his death became known as the god of archery and war and the protector of the Imperial family. Thus, since the 8th century, Usa Jingu has been considered one of the most powerful shrines in Japan. Today there are some 40,000 Hachimangu shrines located throughout the country, and Usa Shrine remains the head of them all.
Thirty minutes away by car, another must-see site is Fukiji Temple. Built in 718, this National Treasure is the oldest wooden building in Kyushu. I found this simple, spare structure to be extraordinarily transporting. Fukiji is dedicated to Amida Buddha, and its main hall -- ranked as one of the top three Amida Buddha halls in Japan – houses an exquisite wooden, seated Buddha that has been designated an Important Cultural Property. The temple walls also are covered with intricate murals that illustrate various themes from Buddha’s life. Today the temple structure presents a muted, weathered appearance that synchronized smoothly with my modern sense of religious tranquility; but originally, the temple was shockingly colorful.
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