A castle town with the largest collection of stone Buddhas in Japan
The town of Usuki, on Oita’s eastern coast, is a quiet castle town with lines of buildings and streets that remain unchanged from the Japan of the past. Spared from the ravages of war, Usuki is one of the spots dotted throughout Japan where strollers can imagine the streets of a typical Japanese town before the Showa era.
Even older are the stone buddhas carved into a mountain a few kilometers from the city center. Most Buddhist statues in Japan are carved from wood or metal, making these a rarity. The slight erosion and distant location may help one imagine their respectable age of nearly a thousand years.
If you’re planning a trip to Japan and want to explore beyond the usual cities, why not consider exploring Usuki in Oita prefecture? Whether it’s gorgeous landscapes, Michelin-starred restaurants, old-world traditional architecture, or farm stay experiences you’re after, this part of rural Japan has so much to offer visitors.
Even older are the stone buddhas carved into a mountain a few kilometers from the city center. Most Buddhist statues in Japan are carved from wood or metal, making these a rarity. The slight erosion and distant location may help one imagine their respectable age of nearly a thousand years.
If you’re planning a trip to Japan and want to explore beyond the usual cities, why not consider exploring Usuki in Oita prefecture? Whether it’s gorgeous landscapes, Michelin-starred restaurants, old-world traditional architecture, or farm stay experiences you’re after, this part of rural Japan has so much to offer visitors.
