Usa and Bungo-Takada: A Retro Stroll through Usa Shrine and Showa-era Town

A day-long stroll through Usa and Bungo-Takada in northern Oita Prefecture. Begin your morning at Usa Shrine (宇佐神宮), the chief shrine of some 40,000 Hachiman shrines throughout Japan. Cross the sacred bridge, walk through the deep grove on the approach, and reverently visit the Upper Shrine with its vermillion-painted buildings in succession. At the Oita Prefectural History Museum on Usa Fudoki-no-Oka, take your breath away at the full-scale reproduction of Bukiji Temple's Main Hall, then head to Showa-era Town in Bungo-Takada at noon. Stroll through the shopping street that preserves the atmosphere of the 1950s and enjoy the nostalgic flavors at retro eateries. The Showa Roman Museum awaits with its candy shop dream museum and bonnet bus. Cap off your day at Matama Beach, where the striped mudflats blush crimson in the sunset. From the mythical grove through the Showa shopping street to the scarlet sea—experience a full day of retro strolling through time.