Whilst doing a bit of research about Ajiro in Shizuoka (the setting for the accalaimed TV series ‘Shōgun‘) earlier this year I came across some other well-preserved Samurai districts in Japan. One of them was located in a far-flung place that I’d never visited before but just happened to be in the process of planning a trip to.

Back in late-June I flew to Oita in the north-east of Kyushu island which is Japan’s most southerly main island. Unfortunately my flight was delayed by about 30 minutes which meant I just missed my intended local bus from the airport to the town of Kitsuki which was rather annoying as there wasn’t another one for many hours. There were other more expensive options though so, without too much thought, I got on a coach to Kitsuki Interchange thanks to some help from a kind staff member. She even offered to book me a taxi to the castle when I arrived at the stop but I saw that the walking distance was just over half an hour so politely declined.

When I first heard the name Kitsuki Interchange, I just thought it’d be proper bus station  but it turned out be just a bus stop in the middle of a spaghetti junction which was difficult to escape from in the direction I needed to go. It was a 45 minute walk in the sunshine to the coast with barely a soul in sight. The first stop was Shokakuji; a fairly nondescript small temple that just happens to possess Japan’s largest iron Buddha statue.

When I saw that information on a website en-route to Kitsuki I got rather excited but was a little disappointed as I was expecting something a bit bigger! Iron Buddha statue casts must be something of a rarity I guess! It was built in the Showa Period (1926-1989) and moved to this location in 1966 where it was subsequently designated as a tangible cultural property three years later.

Not too far from there were a couple of cobbled sloping streets that connect the north and south samurai districts with the commercial district.

These areas, with their Edo-style buildings, are often used for scenes in TV dramas due to their authentic historic feel, and they really were lovely.

The whole area was rather nice with some interesting architecture and just a few power lines here and there slightly spoiling the aesthetic. Beforehand, I had read about this place being a popular tourist destination in this part of Japan but very few places seemed open and there was pretty much no-one around on this particular Saturday afternoon. It’s funny that we often complain about too many tourists in an area but when it’s like a ghost town there’s something a little unnerving about it all!

In such a picturesque town I really was not expecting to encounter a retro museum. It looked a bit shabby though, and with an entrance cost and limited time I decided against going in.

My main goal in Kitsuki was to see what claims to be Japan’s smallest castle.

It overlooks the town and Beppu Bay but by the time I got there the blue skies had made way for grey clouds so it looks a bit more depressing in my pictures than I had hoped for!

The castle features artefacts from the city’s feudal past such as armour, coins, maps and weaponry. That’s what I’m told anyway as I didn’t bother going inside as I rarely bother with the interiors these days as they don’t usually hold too much of interest for me!

After that, I inadvertantly ended up on the other side of the slopes and it really did feel like I had travelled back in time, and this was perhaps an even more impressive spectacle.

Kitsuki station itself is a nice timber structure of traditional design which was built to resemble a Japanese castle. It is located about 5-6 kilometres west of the castle so transport is necessary when going between the two.

In the 1975 novel ‘Shōgun‘ author James Clavell wrote that John “Anjin” Blackthorne was shipwrecked in Ajiro (Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture) but in reality he actually washed up near Usuki in Oita Prefecture which was known as Bungo at that time. Sadly I didn’t have time to visit there on this short trip so Kitsuki was the best alternative, and  satisfied with it I was as it really was a wonderful window into the past.

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