1st visitor in Oita...

27 March to 28 March

Around Oita: Yufuin and Hita

The girls with the strawberry galette...



Oita is an inaka (countryside), so not many people want to travel all the way here. YenPing is our 1st visitor (out of Kyushu) over the weekend. She arrived on Saturday night, so I met up with her and K on Sunday for a day trip to Yufuin. I baked a strawberry galette on Saturday for them. (looks good, taste good, managed to make a good crust this time round.)



 

 Trip to Yufuin...

Yufuin is a popular hot spring resort. It has a wealth of art museums, cafes and boutiques, and many travelers come to the city just to stroll about town for the day. Yufuin is located on a flat river basin surrounded by mountains. The most prominent feature of Yufuin's skyline is the twin peaked Mount Yufu, which hovers over the town and serves as the backdrop for many scenic views. The area is rural and shortly after leaving the main walking route, travelers will come across the rice paddies and farm houses that make up a considerable part of the town. 



We walked along the streets and there were many interesting shops and cafes. It was a relaxing day in Yufuin.

 



Lake Kirin

 

XL Takoyaki



Trip to Hita...

On Monday, I took leave from work and me and YP went to Hita. Hita is a small city located in the west of Oita prefecture, Japan. We went to Mameda Streets (traditional streets).

 We had mochi dessert and grilled onigiri. We wanted to eat Udon that was featured in the guidebook, but it was close on Monday.

In the end, we settled with yakisoba (in 5 mins), so that we can catch the train to Yufuin (yes... again) for onsen.

We pretty much like Yufuin, cos it's such a nice relaxing place with nice cafes to chill out. We had a great open air onsen and headed off for cakes and coffee at a cafe before going back to Oita to meet K for dinner. 

It was a great weekend spending time walking and breathing in fresh air and spending time with fellow Singaporeans. This weekend, Anna will be in Oita, so here goes another round of Oita travel...