{"id":75866,"date":"2021-02-03T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=75866"},"modified":"2021-02-02T13:44:38","modified_gmt":"2021-02-02T04:44:38","slug":"best-oita-usa-jingu-beppu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/best-oita-usa-jingu-beppu\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best of Oita: Usa Jingu Shrine, Beppu Jigoku and Jigoku Mushi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Just outside the crowds of Kyoto city is a world of serene nature, vibrant culture, and deep history that you probably have never heard of before. Oita Prefecture, known mainly for its abundant onsen hot springs, is another area like Kyoto, rich in nature and history. We have carefully selected less crowded destinations in both of these fascinating areas of Japan and will cover them in a series of nine articles: “Travel like a Kyoto and Oita native to experience nature and traditional culture.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you search for Oita Prefecture on a Japanese domestic travel site, two things that invariably turn up at the top are Usa Jingu Shrine and Beppu. For Japanese people, they are synonymous with Oita, and for good reason. Usa Jingu Shrine<\/a> is the second-most prestigious shrine in Japan<\/strong>, and Beppu is without a doubt the most famous onsen city<\/a> in all of Japan<\/strong>. If you are thinking of including Oita Prefecture in your next trip to Japan (which you should!), these locations cannot be recommended highly enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Usa Jingu Shrine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The current main shrine, located behind this shrine building, was built in1861.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Founded in the early 8th Century to honor Hachiman, the guardian god of warriors, the Usa Jingu Shrine is now the head shrine to over 40,000 Hachiman branches<\/strong>. Hachiman is the most worshiped deity of the Shinto shrines, having most of all of Japan’s shrines dedicated to him. This sprawling forested complex is a remarkably peaceful place to meander around and get lost in, with paths heading off in all directions, making it feel as if you are there alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The location of a purification site (\u7953\u6240, Haraedo<\/em>) on the grounds of Usa Jingu Shrine.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The shrine is unique in that it was the first to be a mixed complex, with a Shinto shrine and Buddhist temple standing on the same grounds<\/strong> for over 1,000 years. The priests and monks worked together until the late 19th Century when the Meiji government implemented a policy that made Shinto the official religion of Japan. The Buddhist temple on these grounds was destroyed by a storm, but you can still see the location on which it stood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n