Trading the slow rhythm of Yanagawa’s canals for the ascending roads inland, our journey led us toward the quieter, mountainous landscape of Oita Prefecture. Our destination: Hita. Ukiha Bekkan Shinshiyo would be the place of my first authentic taste of a time-honored Japanese ritual. The overnight stay is an intentional immersion into the restorative tradition of the onsen.
To make the long route to Hita, we had to move eastwards, with Yame our first port of call.