Travel Guide of Scenic Byway Kyushu

Q-❽ Yamanami Highland Parkway
Beppu City, Yufu City, Takeda City and Kokonoe Town, in Oita Pref.－Volcano, Hot Spring,

Outdoor Activities, and Rich Nature in Highland―
The road in the Kyushu Central
Mountains crossing diagonally theKyushu island is called "Yamanami
Highway" and is a popular drive
course of Kyushu. The scenic spots ofYamanami Highland Parkway arebased on this highway, most of which
is located in Aso-Kuju National
Park. The municipalities in thislandscape area are cities of Beppu,
Yufu and Takeda, and Kokonoe
Town in Oita Prefecture (see map).
(Access). There are various accessroutes to this scenic area, but Oita
Airport is the closest, and the travel
time from the airport to Beppu City
is about 50 minutes by car or bus.
Yufuin hot spring resort takes anadditional 30 minutes. When using
Fukuoka Airport, Yufuin is about 1
hour 30 minutes by express bus.
In the case of Kumamoto Airport,
it takes 2 hours 30 minutes by car toYufuin hot springs via National
Route 57 and the Yamanami
Highway. However, it is a very
attractive access route as you canstop at the Aso volcano on the way.
When using the railway, there is a limited express "Yufuin-noMori", which connects Hakata Station and Yufuin Town. To accessby the Kyushu Shinkansen, you need to change to the Hohi Lineat Kumamoto Station and then go to Aso Station, but you may
climb Aso Volcano and its outer ring.
Furthermore, if you access from Kansai or Shikoku, you canenjoy a boat trip by the ferry connecting Osaka Port or Shikoku
Uwajima Port and Beppu Port.

(4) Tadehara Wetland

Q－❽Yamanami Highland Parkway.

In short, you can access this highland area by various domestictransportations from Oita, Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Kansai Airports
and so on, so you can use the transportation you are interested.
(Main Route). This scenic region is mainly mountainous, but
relatively calm plateaus formed by repeated volcanic eruptions.
From Beppu City, you can go to Yufuin Basin and Mizuwake Pass
via the Oita Expressway and National Route 210. If going further
south on the Yamanami Highway, you will reach the SenomotoPlateau.
The Kuju mountain
range in winter is thecoldestareasinKyushu, but manypeople live in thishighland. In the 16thcentury (Edo period),
territories of Mori andOka were established,and each castle town
developed. In theadjacent Hita region(present Hita City), a(3) (4) Yamanami Highway in Handa Highland
regional office of the1shogunate was established and it
became a direct control area.
Meanwhile, after World War II,“Yamanami Highway”, part ofPrefecturalRoad11,
wasconstructed as the first toll road inKyushu. The Kuju area is now
surrounded by expressways ofKyushu, Oita, and Higashi
Kyushu. Therefore, the scenic
areas are all mountains, but havean excellent road network.
You can find various entrances on
expressways to the scenic spots, asindicated by the large yellow
arrows on the map. Under such aroad network, the main accesspoints are Prefecture Road 11 andNational Route 422, and there arevarious drive courses in this scenicarea.
(Regional Resources). With thedistribution of landscape resourceson this road network, it is divided
into five zones: Beppu (1), Yufuin(2), Makinoto (3), Senomoto (4), andTakeda (5). Common resources inthese zones are given by volcanoes
and hot springs, outdoor activities,and plateaus with an average
altitude of 1000 m.

with a good view, a hot spring
in a cave, and a quiet open-air
bath along a stream.
B. OutdoorHighlands.

(1)

Public Bathhouse, Takegawara-Onsen (Hot Spring).

Monk- head type of Jigoku

A. Volcanos and Hot Springs.

Activities

inPaddy fields spread in thenortheastern part of theHanda Plateau. This is theresult of the resettlement ofpeople who lost farmland dueto the flood of the Chikugo
River in 1889 and thedevelopment of cold-tolerantrice. In addition, in thehighlands and mountains,various fields of agriculture
and forestry such as livestock,highland vegetables, shiitake
cultivation, blueberries andpears have been developed.
On the other hand, there aremany outdoor activities suchas mountain climbing, golfing,trekking, walking, outdoor
training and camping. The
largest ski resort in Kyushu
opens in winter, and many
people enjoy it. In recent years,
many people have visited for
marathon and cycling training.
In short, this scenic highway
area is the largest outdoor
sports training center inKyushu.

Active volcanoes of Tsurumidake, Yufu-dake and Kuju are linedup, but they are not as active as theC. Rich Nature in the Kuju
nearby Mt. Aso. However, you must
Region.
be careful when climbing, as theIn the mountainous area of
possibility of future eruptions
Kuju,
the altitude changes
cannot be ruled out.
greatlyfrom 0m in Beppu Bay
Of course, these volcanoes give us
Mountain type and Blood Pond type of Jigoku
to1791min Nakatake of Kujyu
the blessings of hot springs. Many
Mountains,and as mentioned
types of facilities and resorts of hotabove, hot springs are
springs are scattered throughout
scattered in the areas withthe area along the scenic roads. If
active volcanoes .
all of hot springs are plotted, there
Therefore, the Kuju Plateau
will be many marks on the map andhas
many interesting things.
there will be no gaps.
For example, in early summer,
In this situation, if introducing
you can enjoy beautiful sceneryseveral hot springs for reference,full of flowers. It is said that
Beppu Onsen (hot springs) has hot
you can relax in a hot spring,
springs of various properties, andwhich is good for health andYufu City is a quiet resort area
beauty, while admiring thecalled an annex village of Beppu
green carpet in summer, theCity. Sujiyu-Onsen, located inSea type of Jigoku
autumn leaves in the fall, andKokonoe Town, is famous for the(1) Many Style of Spout, “Jigoku (Hell)”, in Beppu City.
the white snow scene in winter.
bathing method to pour hot waterIn other words, you can fully
over your shoulders from high place. Nagayu Onsen in Takeda
enjoy the nature of each season, but here are some concreteCity has the highest carbonate concentration in the world and isexamples.
considered to be healthy. There is also a rooftop bath of hot spring2

〇Noyaki (field burning) has been passed down since ancienttimes. Its purpose is not only to maintain pasture, but also to burnthe vast grasslands to prevent pests, promote new shoots andmaintain afforestation for environmental protection. Therefore, it
has a different meaning from slash and burn agriculture.
〇Miyama-Kirishima Shrub is a kind of azalea that can survive
as a dominant species in the volcanic area. In various volcanoes inKyushu, flowers bloom from late May to early June, and in theKuju mountain range, many pink flowers bloom on the slopes ofHiiji-Dake (see Photo (4)).
〇The “Bogatsuru” wetland of Takeda City and the “Tadehara”
marshland of Kokonoe Town, which are registered in the Ramsar
Convention, are adjacent between the Kuju Mountain and Daisen
Mountain of the Kuju mountain range. The former is 1200m
above sea level, the area is 53 ha, and the latter is 1000 m and38ha. They are a valuable habitat for animals and plants andJapan's largest intermediate wetland. The sidewalks are wellmaintained, so you can enjoy walking safely.
〇 On the way from JR Bungo-Nakamura Station to Handa
Plateau, you can see the stunning autumn leaves at Kyusui-Kyo
Valley. Scenery of colored leaves is reflected in the Kinrin Lake inYufuin Town. In Takeda City, autumn leaves reminiscent of theglory of the former Oka Castle can be seen. In other words, evenwith the same autumn leaves, you can enjoy unique scenes
depending on the location. Such a variety of nature is also afeature of this landscape road.

(2) Yufudake Volcano Mountain in Yufu City.

(1) Beppu Spa town in Beppu City
In the Beppu area, landslides had frequently occurred due tothe eruption of Tsurumi-Dake Volcano in the ancient ages. Then,
mud and sand flowed into Beppu Bay, creating an alluvial fan.
Beppu City was formed by these geological activities, and is now
developing as Japan's largest hot spring town.
The foundation of present Beppu tourism was established in themid-20th century. The promotion is by Aburaya Kumahachi, abusinessman. In honor of his achievement, his statue is in thefront square of JR Beppu Station. His slogan was a unique phrase:"Mountain is Fuji, Sea is Setouchi, and Onsen is Beppu". Itemphasizes that Beppu Onsen is a major tourist destinationcomparable to Mt.Fuji and the Seto Inland Sea.
The best item on scenic route in Beppu' is "Beppu Hatto", inwhich “Hatto” means eight hot springs. Those are scattered in
Beppu City, and the quality of each fountain is different.
As shown in Phot (1) on page 2, Takegawara Public Bathhouse
built in 1938 is an important scenery as a symbol of Beppu City.
The front has a Japanese-style luxury roof, and the lobby with ahigh ceiling retains the image of the early Showa era. If you follow
Japanese customs in the bath, you can meet naked citizens. Of
course, men and women are separated and this is a Japanesestyle bath. Please heal your body in a hot bath.
Hot springs spill out everywhere in the city, but the ponds
formed around it are diverse, reflecting the differences in geology.
As you can see in photo (1) on page 2, there are various types ofponds, such as steam smoke pond, mud pond, red colored pond
and blue colored pond. These ponds are called hell, and you canobserve them while learning about the mechanism of hot springs.

(2) Kinrin-ko Lake on the Base of Yufu-Dake Mountain(2) Yunotsubo Street in the Yufuin Spa Town of Yufu City.

(2) Yufuin Annex-Town (Yufu City).
The symbol of Yufuin-machi in Yufu City is the volcano of Yufudake. The main attractive scenery is Lake of Kinrin-ko at the foot（2）Burning off Fields in Kuju Highland3(5)· Statue of Rentaro Taki (Composer) and Ruins ofOka Castle in Takeda City.

Sagisou (Odano-Ike Lake)of Yufudake and the comfortable spa located on Yunotsubo
Street. The beautiful lake is the source pond of the Oita River, andyou can enjoy a quiet circumstance. In addition, Yunotsubo Street
has various cultural facilities and rural landscape, so you canenjoy a stroll after taking a bath (see photo (2)).
In addition, there is a Japanese style of Yunohira Onsen (hotsprings) in the southwestern area around Yufuin, so werecommend that you stop by. Furthermore, if going along theYamanami highway, you will find the Mizuwake Pass, Lake
Yamashita, and Odanoike Pond which is a natural lake. There isa swamp in which mud accumulates in the southeast side of thepond, and an rare small plant, “Sagisou”, grows naturally, as inabove photo.
(3) & (4) Driving or Walking on Kuju Highlands
Zones (3) and (4) are located in the Kuju Mountains andHighlands, and you can drive up the plateau while watchingvolcanoes and mountains over 1500 m.
As shown on the map, this area has several branch roads inaddition to the main route. Above all, the route to the BungoNakamura district is along the scenic valley called "Kyusui-Kyo".
On the way, there is a 390m long pedestrian suspension bridge ata height of 173m from the riverbed, you can see Shindo Waterfall,
and the surrounding area is famous for the autumn colors.
Kujunomori Park has Sujiyu Onsen and a ski resort, and you canvisit the geothermal power plants if you apply in advance.
On the other hand, if you go to the south of the Yamanami
highway, you can visit the Chojabaru Visitor Center, Tadehara
Wetland, Makinoto Pass, and enjoy the scenery as much as youlike.
Zone (4) is the section of Yamanami-Highway from Makinoto
Pass to Senomoto Highland, and the Kuju mountains develop on
the left side in the direction of travel. The region has 10 major
mountains, divided into the Kuju group and Daisen group.
Bogatsuru Wetland is located in the valley betwenn two groups.
Also, the flowers of MiyayamaKirishima at Mount Hiiji are very
precious, and the scenery is a masterpiece created by nature. Also,Zone (4) is the best drive course in the center of the Kuju
Mountains.

(3) Suspention Pedestrian Bridge for Kokonoe Yume Ootsuribashi.

(4) Flower of Miyama-Kirishima blooming on the southern slopeof Hiiji-Dake (Photo by Wataru Fujiki)some facilities and houses are from the Edo period. The
relationship between the castle and its town is similar to the oldcastle town along the German Romantic Road.
As another famous spot, we will recommend the carbonatedspring of Naoiri Onsen and the waterfall in Mount Sobo.
Including them, you can enjoy the green tourism of forest.

(5) Oka’s Castle and Nagayu’s Spa
Going to Takeda City through the Kuju Highlands, you will findthe remains of Oka Castle on the hill. The castle is famous for thesong, "The moon illuminates the ruined castle" (composed byRentaro Taki). The castle town is located at the foot of the hill, andPublishing and Copy right.
Promotion Conference of Kyushu Scenic Byways
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