《VOL.92》June 2024

What’s Up, OITA!
Bringing the latest from Oita, Japan to people around the globe!

F.Y.
2024

International Policy Division

To everyone connected to Oita all around the globe, please allow us to introduce ourselves.
Associate
Director

Director(Head Manager)

Head Section
Manager

Miki
TabukiKazuyoshi
Nishimura

Kazuhisa
Namba

We'll work hard to make amore visitable, shoppable,
livable Oita for those fromabroad.

I reach zen when I'm
picking weeds in the garden.

"Every day to the fullest,"
that's my motto.

Main Responsibilities

Main Responsibilities

・Passport inspection (lead)・HR development in Passport Section

・Overseas strategy promotion (lead)・HR development of Division staff

Associate Section
Manager

Senior Staff

Senior Staff

KosukeKiyotaNatsuki
Abe

Kaho
Suto

I really like SEVENTEEN!

I like hamburgers.

I've got a big sweet tooth.

Main Responsibilities

Main Responsibilities

Main Responsibilities

・Overseas strategy promotion
・MoU with Wales

・International student scholarships
・Supporting foreign workers (support
for foreigners living in Oita Prefecture)・Nihongo Partners
・Promoting exchange with Indonesia

Senior Staff

Staff

Staff

Keiko
Saga

Yoko
Aso

Shiho
Shono

I love dogs ♡I love K-pop!

I'm really into Sudoku!

Main Responsibilities

Main Responsibilities

Main Responsibilities

・JET Program
・Overseeing CIR activities
・What's Up, Oita!

・Passport inspection and shipment
・Commission of passport work
・Budgeting for the Passport Section

・Budgeting, balancing, and audits
・Promoting exchange with South Korea

Announcement

CIRs
Coordinators
forInternational
Relations

NohJiyoung

AustinVaughnYang
Jia

In order to provide an even better
reading experience, "What's Up,
Oita!" will change to a quarterlyschedule beginning with this volume.
The next volume is planned to bereleased at the start of September.
We hope you continue to enjoy the
new "What's Up, Oita!"

News from Bungo-Ohno
豊後大野市からのお知らせ

In Bungo-Ohno, there are many saunas that allow visitors to enjoy our mountains' boundless naturalwonders, clear, emerald green currents, and even take a dip inside of a limestone cavern.
What Bungo-Ohno lacks in onsen it makes up for in outdoor saunas, and has been gaining ground as amust-visit sauna hotspot with people across the country.

Brewery Tour in "Sauna City," Bungo-Ohno!
Abundant nature and blessed land—Bungo-Ohno is highly renowned for its preservation of culture andis home to the only "Japanese Geopark"/"UNESCO Eco Park" in all of Kyushu.
This park is home to an ancient rich culture of "stone baths," where our ancestors dug holes into the sidesof solid stone precipices and burned herbs to enjoy steam baths in the hollowed-out rock.
In 2021, Bungo-Ohno declared itself "Sauna City" to let the world know of this unique outdoor sauna
culture in the midst of nature and attract visitors from far and wide.
Bungo-Ohno: Sauna City

13th Annual "Meguru Kura" Brewery TourIn Bungo-Ohno, there are four breweries for sake, shochu, and craft beer that have been passed fromgeneration to generation through the ages. Once every year, these breweries join together to liven up
Bungo-Ohno with the annual "Opening of the Breweries, Meguru Kura."This year marked the 13th Meguru Kura, which was held on Saturday, March 16. Lovely spring skies
heralded in the special occasion. Many journeyed between the breweries, enjoying good food and spirits
while appreciating the wonderful scenery of Bungo-Ohno.

News from Oita
大分市からのお知らせ

Oita City
WebsiteThe Mountains,
The Sea,
Tanourara

Michi no Eki

Tanourara

Sun. July 7, 2024

Opening
Event!
(Live Music andGifts for Visitors)

Superb Location

Face the "Music"

A Tram in the Station!?

Look over all of Beppu Bay fromthe 2nd Floor. The observation
deck provides a view to die for.

Celebrate Oita, the birthplace ofwestern music in Japan, in thishall, which takes music as its
motif.

Trams used to run between Oita
and Beppu. Enjoy this display of
one of the relics of Oita's past,
unique to "Tanourara."

Contact Us

Oita City Department of Commerce, Industry,
Labor, and Tourism, Oita Promotional Bureau
Phone: 097-574-6195 / Niage-machi 2-31, Oita

Operations
Otomusubi Oita Co.
Phone: 097-594-4901

Michi no Eki Tanourara
1228-9 Kajiwara, Kanzaki, Oita City

Farewell Message

Chinese CIR

Yang Jianghua
My time as a CIR has come to an end, and I will be leaving my position on April 4,2024. It was only 10 short months, but working as a Coordinator for International
Relations was a truly valuable experience for me.
It was my first time ever coming to Japan, so I was nervous at first, but everyone at
the International Policy Division was so nice and helpful, that I was quickly able to getused to my life in Oita. There are places where I felt I could have been just a little bit
better in my work, but with everyone's help, I was able to learn a lot.
Oita has great food, beautiful onsen, blue seas, clear rivers, and very clean public
restrooms. Compared to my hometown, winters aren't that cold, and the climate is very
mild, so I think it's a very easy place to live. While I was in Oita, I was able to visit many
places and experience much of Japan's culture—making soba, rolling sushi, attending atea ceremony, going to a festival at Usa Jingu...the list goes on. I was even able to visit
schools and help the students with group work and see their club activities firsthand.
Not only that, I was able to interact and make new friends with many residents of Oita
through my Chinese language class and Free Talk classes. There are so many things
that I was able to know and experience by coming to Japan. My time here will be one of
my life's most precious treasures.
When I return to China, I will once again be teaching Japanese at university. I can't
wait to tell all about the wonderful sights and fun experiences of Japan to the young
people of China. Finally, to everyone who's read "What's Up, Oita!", from the bottom of
my heart I wish you all good health and happiness!

Greeting Message

Chinese CIR

Dà jiā hǎo!

Yang Jia

Hello, everyone! My name is Yang Jia, and I'm the new CIR for China. I was bornin Yunnan Province as a member of the Yi people, or "those who worship tigers
and fire."
I've been studying Japanese since the second half of my first year of college,
when I changed my major. I then studied interpretation in graduate school. As for
why I changed my major... Well, I made the mistake of thinking that "Law" was theright major for me. Long lectures on ancient autopsy law, grotesque pictures ofcapital punishment... I don't even want to think about my time as a law student. It
was that awful. Honestly, the only reason I stuck with law that long is because I
thought I could find some nice loopholes if I studied hard enough. But once
midterms started, I had reached my limit and started thinking about changing
majors. So I tried to change my major to the language that seemed like it'd havethe easiest entrance exam. (Note: Don't underestimate it. Japanese is hard!) But
I managed to pass the test. And with that small victory, I began my life as a proud
Japanese student—a life full of frustrations and hardships.
Putting that aside, this is my first time staying long-term in Japan, and so I've
been continuing my life of hardship; not knowing left from right, a bike saddle
from a bike pedal, and still wondering if there's a difference between "flammable"and "nonflammable" trash. But I'm going to do my best so that I can master it all
someday. Not only that, I've got plenty of things that I want to tell to the goodpeople of Oita—about China, about Yunnan (where spring never ends), and therich cultures and various festivals held by the diverse ethnic minorities of China.
In exchange, I would be grateful if everyone could tell me about the best places
and food in Oita. (I've already tried toriten, hyuga-don, and ryukyu-don, and they
were all delicious! I'll be recommending them to all my friends!)

For my year as a CIR, I'll be devoting myself to learning about Japan and teaching
about China. I hope we can do so together!

Where's Mejiron?

Fukuda Heihachiro

Austin Vaughn

Fukuda Heihachiro: A Retrospective
I like art, but I've never really gotten the point of looking at it in person. Why bother going toan art exhibition or museum when I can look at the same art any time I want on my computer?
But being in Oita has started to change the way I think—especially with the many exhibits that
I've gone to see at the Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM). And I think with their latest
exhibition, "Fukuda Heihachiro: A Retrospective," my mind has been changed entirely.
FUKUDA Heihachiro (1892 - 1974) was a renowned nihonga ("Japanese painting") artist, bornin Oita and raised in a house only a dozen or so minutes from OPAM itself. He was well known for
his realistic drawings, but oddly enough, his more famous works are relatively abstract. This was
actually a transition he made as he aged. Just like Picasso, he moved from realism to theabstract, but unlike Picasso, who often embraced bold and dramatic styles, Fukuda's abstract
works retained a subtlety and attention to detail that marked his unique approach.
It was this transition and Fukuda's dedication to detail that convinced me that I was wrong
about seeing art in person. If I had looked at the art on a computer, I would not have known how
his art was divided into different periods, or how his technique slowly developed over time. Not
even a fraction of the small intricacies of his art would come across correctly in a 400x300 JPEG.
There are stories that would be untold without seeing this exhibit in person. Like the countless
sketches that led to his finished paintings, or the mold spots left behind on Fukuda's now famous"Cloud" from being left abandoned in a basement after being regarded by the public and himself
as a failure. Sure, you could probably find an article about the failure of "Cloud" or read abiography to learn how meticulous Fukuda was about details, but that isn't the same as seeing
the actual process behind a great work, or seeing the evidence of how an artwork was treated.
Sometimes, there truly are things that must be experienced in person. And art is one of them.
For those who hold similar feelings to mine in the past, maybe take some time to "retrospect"and go see Fukuda Heihachiro's art. With any luck, your perspective will change, just like mine.
OPAM is holding "Fukuda Heihachiro: A Retrospective" in two sessions, from May 18 - June 16
and June 18 - July 15. 106 works from throughout Fukuda's lifetime are split between the twosessions. Personally? I'm already looking forward to going to the second half.
Umitamago
FukudaHeihachiro:
Aquarium A
Retrospective
Official
WebsiteOPAM

WHAT’S UP,OITA!
Writer: Noh Jiyoung (Korean CIR)

— Classic Cars, Memories of Showa —Showa Town Classic Car Show
Bungo-Takada

Recently I've taken to indulging in a bit of
nostalgia, looking at old school pictures,
listening to decade-old hit songs. I feelthat the memories come back stronger if
you experience them through some kind of
media, like looking at them through picturesor hearing them through songs. But what ifthat media...was cars?
On March 17, the "Showa Town Classic Car
Show" was held in the parking lot of Bungo
Takada's Showa Town. This year marked
the 19th show, and visitors were able travelback to the past to see over 60 classic carsfrom the Japanese Showa Era (1926-1989),
painstakingly cared for by their owners.
Most cars were from the 1950s - 1960s,
but there was even a 1928 Ford Model A
Tudor sedan. Thinking of how each car wasused regularly for at least 15 years, I
couldn't help but feel awe at how well they
were cared for. Not only that, but somecars had the owner right by their side so
you could talk with them about the cars, oreven see the passion radiating off of othercar aficionados as they asked the owners
their own questions.
Not only were there classic cars, but alsointerviews with owners, talk shows, live
music, car goodies, and last but not least, a
1957
Isuzu
Bx141
BonnetBus(affectionately known as the "Showa Roman
Go") that was fully restored in 2009 andprovides rides to passengers all throughthe town. There were enough things goingon that not only car enthusiasts, but also
those who don't know much about cars wereable to enjoy the event to the fullest. This
year was the first time it ever rained at theevent in its history, but thanks to theowners who decided to show off their cars
despite the inclement weather, everyone
was able to have a remarkable experience.
The "Showa Town Classic Car Show" is held
every March in Bungo-Takada, so if you
have an interest in classic Showa-era cars,
please come take a look next year.

WHAT’S UP,OITA!
Writer: Noh Jiyoung (Korean CIR)

— Over 1 Million Novels sold in Korea —Miracles of the Namiya General
Store Film Locations
Bungo-Takada may let you feel theatmosphere of the Showa 30s (1955-1965),
but it's also known as the filming location
for the film adaptation of Keigo Higashino's
Miracles of the Namiya General Store, apopular novel in Korea. Many famous
locations of Bungo-Takada, such as "Showa
Town" and "Matama Beach" were used in
the film. Showa Town's Showa Roman-gurahas a guide map available (also available in
Korean) for the film locations, so please
use it if you're planning a tour.

Nakano Sengyo-ten
Used as "Fishmonger Uomatsu"

Namiya General Store Sign
Sign used in outdoor shots(Showa Roman-gura)

Myoju-ji Temple
Site of Matsuoka's
grandmother's funeral

Miyamachi Rotary
Former site of main movie set

Katsura Bridge
Bridge Atsuya dashed overin the film's climax

"Thank You" to a Guardian Angel

Korean CIR

Noh Jiyoung

On a night in March, while I was crossing in front of the Centporta shopping
district in a dash, I carelessly dropped my wallet. It was the first time something
like that had ever happened to me, so grasping at straws I called the nearest
police station. Luckily, someone had picked it up and taken it to the station, so I
was able to go and pick it up. However, the person who found it chose to stayanonymous, so I haven't even been able to say "thank you," which has left a fog
over my heart.
In my wallet is my residence card, proof that I'm legally in Japan, so if that
person hadn't found it, I'd probably have been arrested by now. Jokes aside, justbecause you drop something doesn't mean that someone will be kind enough to
get it back to you, so I've wanted to thank this person somehow. And so I'll say
my piece here. Thank you, my anonymous guardian angel! If I ever find a lost
item, I'll be sure to report it just like you did. Truly, kamsahamnida!

I Can't Rock, but Guitars Rock!

American CIR

Austin Vaughn

I don't listen to music all that often, but when I was a kid, I loved playing
rhythm games and karaoke with my family and friends.
One of the games I really liked was a game called "Guitar Hero." It used thisplastic controller shaped like a guitar to make it feel like you were actuallyplaying a guitar.
I was really bad at it as a kid, but I recently I found a controller for cheap, so I
picked it up. And I was able to play(?) it better than I thought.
But that made me think. "Why waste my time with this when I could just learn
the real thing?" It sounded like fun, so I bought a guitar and got a game that lets
you use a real guitar as a controller called "Rocksmith."
I can't really put it into words, but there's just a sort of "freedom" I feel when I
play it and it's really fun. I still suck and my fingers hurt though.

The Clumsy Tale of a Clumsy Person

Chinese CIR

Yang Jia

My first Saturday in Oita, I went to a certain furniture store in east Oita. I had
rented all my large appliances before getting to Japan and was given a lot of small
appliances by my predecessor, so I had already gathered most of what I needed,
but I still wanted a computer chair and a carpet for relaxing, so off to the store.
I had already researched the bus timetable and how to ride it, so I managed to getto the store and shopping went off without a hitch. But I took a bit too long, andwhen I got outside I learned that the next bus wouldn't be coming for two hours.
No taxis were around either, so I was at a loss on what to do, but in the end, I
started walking—my big bag in tow. 40 minutes down a wide street with nopedestrians later, I came across a bus stop and head home.
I liked the scenery and only ended up walking 3 km, so I thought I was pretty lucky,
but the next day at work when I told my co-worker about it, they informed me if I
had just gone a little bit south I would have reached a station, and that plenty ofbuses that would have come anyway! Guess I've still got some learning to do in Oita!

Want to be featured in What's Up?
Kenjin-kai events? News about former
international students? If you've got something
you want to tell the world about Oita, let us know!
(Any format is accepted.)

Submissions/Inquiries
International Policy Divisionc/o Saga, Nakayama
Email: a10140@pref.oita.lg.jp