The Kunisaki Peninsula is located in the north-east of Oita Prefecture and a round-shaped old volcanic topography including Bungotakada City in the north, Kunisaki City in the west and Kitsuki City in the south. It is an area where a fabulous nature and culture called Rokugo Manzan (å…郷満山), which is the combination of Shintoism and Buddhism, has been formed since 1300 years ago.
This area was also designated in 2013 as one of the GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System – World Agricultural Heritage) which is a system that the food and agriculture organization of the United Nations certifies to protect and hand down to the next generation the areas that has agricultural, forestry and fishery products, biological diversity and agricultural landscape.
The agricultural culture of Kunisaki has evolved with the effort and creativity of local people trying to eliminate the inconvenience, accepting the nature as it is, and that made the system possible to take over from generation to generation. Thanks to the forests and a whole network of ponds, the region has a quite unique irrigation system. Thus, Shiitake mushrooms, which are a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine, are at the heart of Rokugo Manzan traditional agriculture. The mushrooms play a important role in forest conservation and soil fertilization.
Many other quality products are grown here too, such as Kabosu lime, grapes, and a very fine rice which is served at the Emperor’s table.
Even if you have little interest in local agriculture and technical particularities, there is no way in hell that the charms of the Rokugo Manzan area will not move you. Indeed, the region has so many stunning landscapes covered with rice fields and valleys. Besides, there are also many traditional houses in many of the tiny villages.
In my view, the best way to make an homage to the superlative craftsmanship of nature is to ride a bicycle for enjoying the absolutely sensational view. I strongly recommend that you can spend a night in a guesthouse when you get tired and want to deep the nature a little bit further. You can stay with a local family and experience the culture firsthand. Kunisaki is also famous in Japan for the tatami mats it makes. Tatami mats produced in Kunisaki are considered top-quality and are some of the most expensive ones on the market.
Ma-Lian
