Saiki

It was Silver Week, and we decided to use the long weekend to explore our own prefecture. It is also our first trip since returning to Japan. The areas outside of Oita City are inaka and there aren’t many notable locations to see but since the COVID-19 situation hasn’t improved, we thought it would be best to avoid crowded places. It gave us an opportunity to see the lesser known parts of Oita.

Our day started at 8am at the nearby McDonald’s where we had breakfast. After breakfast, we rented a car from Orix car rental and drove to our first stop – Totoro’s bus stop. The bus stop is in the middle of nowhere. We passed numerous farmlands and at one point were skeptical this place even existed. Eventually we arrived at 11am, after an hour and a half’s drive.

The Totoro no Mori is a small area littered with various objects that make reference to the Studio Ghibli film. The surrounding area does resemble the areas seen in the film and the seclusion of the place adds to the feel. However, there wasn’t anything else there so after 15 minutes of taking photos, we were on our way.

Leaving the Totoro bus stop, we drove for another hour before making it to Saiki City centre. By then it was lunchtime so we looked for places to eat. Saiki is said to be known for its fresh seafood so we headed to a local seafood market that also sold food. We were not disappointed.

It was slightly more expensive than eating at a kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi) place, but the quality of the fish was better. They weren’t stingy with the portion of fish either.

Next we went to Mount Shiroyama, Saiki’s no. 1 attraction on TripAdvisor. It also mentions that Saiki Castle is atop this hill. After parking our car at the foot of the hill, we started to trek up the path. On the way up, a few middle-aged and elderly joggers were running up the hill. They greeted us as they flew past, leaving us wondering if they do this everyday because they seem to have no trouble getting up, unlike us. The map guide said it would take 20 minutes to reach the top but in reality, we took about 30 minutes. Maybe the 20 minutes are for normal people who are fit.

The view from the top wasn’t the most spectacular, even thought you can see a 360-degrees view of the city from the top. The castle was also not what we expected. There were no structures or walls, not even any description of the place. It was a mere fortification which was not maintained and had succumbed to natural wear and tear. After a walk around the parameter of the “castle”, we headed back down. What was most demoralizing for us as we were coming down was when the same middle-aged and elderly joggers ran past us again for what must have been the fourth time. They were running up and down this difficult path of about 2-3 kilometres whilst we, much younger folk, were bobbing our shameful, unfit bodies down.

Before heading back to Oita, we made a stop at Hazuto beach, 40 mins south of Saiki City. There were claims that you can surf in Saiki and Hazuto beach was the place to go. When we arrived, we found small groups of campers and people fishing. A few surfboards suggested that people did come here to surf, but there was no swells for surfing. There weren’t any surf rentals either so I doubt I will be coming back here to surf. The location was, however, pleasant and relaxed. Perfect for beach-goers and campers.

We returned the car just before the rental shop closed at 7pm. I will be quite happy to continue our travels within Oita prefecture for the time being. The nature here is beautiful and the people are friendly. There are hidden gems here to visit and the pandemic means that there are virtually no foreign tourists.