{"id":90745,"date":"2022-03-09T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=90745"},"modified":"2022-08-02T10:13:29","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T01:13:29","slug":"nagasakibana-oita-best-kept-secret-art-flower-destination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/nagasakibana-oita-best-kept-secret-art-flower-destination\/","title":{"rendered":"Nagasakibana: Oita’s Secret Sunflower Fields and Art-Infused Destination You Have to See"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s no secret that I love Oita. Of course, I might be a little biased, but as a resident here for the past three years, I can\u2019t get over its seemingly endless treasures hidden in every corner of this prefecture, astonishing even the most tenacious Oita-explorer such as myself. Sometimes, a visit once, twice, even three times to one place can reveal yet another fascinating new sight and experience, and the Nagasakibana (\u9577\u5d0e\u9f3b) is one of those places. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located on a small tip of the Kunisaki Peninsula, this somewhat out-of-the-way cape is, in my opinion, is one of the best-kept secrets of Oita<\/a>. Complete with the dramatic scenic beauty of the coastline, Nagasakibana has attracted the likes of artists Yoko Ono, Choi Jeong-hwa, and multidisciplinary creative group, the anno lab, as a home for their artist output, sculptures, and museum. From the terraced plots of yellow rapeseed in the spring, the sunflower fields of late summer, a resort campsite, and the all-immersive light and sound museum of the Art Museum of Nature and Human non-Homogeneity, it\u2019s a mystery to me why Nagasakibana isn\u2019t on everyone\u2019s must-see destinations in Oita.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Art Museum of Nature and Human Non-Homogeneity is one of Nagasakibana\u2019s best-kept secrets, with light-filled interactive spaces.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Where is Nagasakibana, and What Are the Things to Do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not to be confused with Cape Nagasakibana in Kagoshima\u2019s Satsuma Peninsula or Nagasaki prefecture, Oita\u2019s Nagasakibana (\u9577\u5d0e\u9f3b) in Bungotakada is located on a small \u201cnose\u201d along the Kunisaki peninsula. Given its spectacular flowering seasons \u2014 rapeseed in the spring, hydrangeas in early summer, and sunflowers in late summer \u2014 and the various sculptures throughout the cape, it\u2019s no surprise why Nagasakibana was given the nickname \u201cCape of Flowers and Art\u201d (\u82b1\u3068\u30a2\u30fc\u30c8\u306e\u5cac). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nagasakibana Resort Campsite and Swimming Beach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you type in Nagasakibana in Google maps, Nagasakibana Resort Campsite is likely be the first to pop up on your screen. It so happens that this is also where you can book an overnight stay in one of the many cozy cabins and family-sized log bungalows<\/strong> on the cape. The largest cabins have their own charming igloo-shaped wooden saunas that visitors can reserve alongside their cabin. For more info on cabin rates and reservations, visit the Nagasakibana Beach website<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nagasakibana Resort Campsite has a range of overnight cabins for guests to stay overnight, igloo-shaped saunas, and a swimming beach popular with families.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nagasakibana also has a popular swimming beach<\/strong>, with many families and friends spending a day of beachcombing, swimming, and BBQing. During my first summertime visit to Nagasakibana, the sweltering heat made the swimming beach look good enough to jump into the water with all my clothes full on. While it sounded tempting at first, I opted for the more civil route by trying the Nanohana soft ice cream<\/strong> at Nagasakibana\u2019s restaurant, “Flower Kitchen” fiore (\u82b1\u30ad\u30c3\u30c1\u30f3 fiore)<\/a>. Many menu items incorporate additive-free sunflower and rape-blossom oils from Nagasakibana\u2019s own harvest. You can also shop for additional oil products on sale in the restaurant\u2019s gift shop<\/strong>, where I ordered my soft serve with the lightly-flavored scent of rapeseed oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nanohana soft ice cream from Cafe & Restaurant Fiore was just the right sweetness to cool me down on the hot summer day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hidden Cave in Nagasakibana<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Head to the western edge of Nagasakibana, and you\u2019ll find one of the \u201chidden\u201d gems that left me enamored with Nagasakibana in the first place. An almost-nondescript staircase leads down to a large roof-less cave with a small shrine embedded within the cave wall \u2014 it\u2019s one of those occasions where no expectations only enhance the level of surprise when you make a sudden discovery, and this was certainly one of them for me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are approximately 20 sea caves along the coast of Nagasakibana<\/strong>, the largest of these being Gyoja Dokestu (\u884c\u8005\u6d1e\u7a9f). Depending on the time of the day, the tide rushes in and out of a narrow crevice, revealing a stone walkway up to the tiny shrine during low tide. Photographers visit the cave from mid-May to the end of August to capture the sunset as it lines up with the cave crevice, illuminating the cave with a red-hued glow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nagasakibana\u2019s Sunflower, Hydrangeas, Rapeseed Flowers, and Art Sculptures in Oita<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first time I visited Nagasakibana was during its sunflower season. Over 1.4 million sunflowers bloom yearly<\/strong> from August to September, with overlapping blooming times due to staggered planting periods to extend the sunflower viewing season. The cobalt ocean backdrop was especially striking, creating a vividly-hued contrast of yellow and blue. The summer heat didn\u2019t feel nearly as hot with the wind sweeping off the sea waters, thankful as it cooled my sticky face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Over 1.4 million sunflowers bloom from August to September at Nagasakibana. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While passing through the gently-trodden footpaths among the vast sunflower fields, I found one of Yoko Ono\u2019s 13 bench-shaped works called \u201cinvisible benches,\u201d placed strategically at one of Nagasakibana\u2019s many viewpoints of the inland sea. Poems inscribed into the benches are meant to entice you to sit and let you contemplate the beauty of the seascape and whisk you away into a meditative state. While I can\u2019t give full credit to Yoko Ono for her art piece (the view was doing most of the work), I followed her suggestion, took a seat, and let the scenery do all the talking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Explore the rest of the cape, and you\u2019ll find several other sculptural and installation pieces, including Sadami Fujisawa\u2019s kooky animal installations.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

From March to April, roughly 20 million rapeseed blossoms cover the terraced plots<\/strong> along the cape with their signature fragrant scent. The rapeseed is also harvested to create many of Nagasakibana\u2019s rapeseed oil products and menu items featured in Cafe & Restaurant Fiore on site. Come rainy season, and you\u2019ll discover one of the lesser appreciated gardens at Nagasakibana, the hydrangea, from early June to mid-July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Art Museum of Nature and Human Non-Homogeneity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

And now, I save my favorite \u201chidden gems” for last. During my first few visits to Nagasakibana, I had failed to look past the modern exterior of the newly-built Art Museum of Nature and Human Non-Homogeneity<\/strong>, unaware of the interactive light and sound experience it held inside. I am a great admirer of the famous teamLab experiences in Tokyo<\/a>, and the Art Museum of Nature and Human Non-Homogeneity offers a similar though more serene experience, with mutated colors, soothing musical notes, and best of all, no crowds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This unique museum is the Fukuoka-based creative group, anno lab<\/a>, which merged the creative imaginations of their diverse team of academic researchers, animation writers, game developers, advertising agency workers, and video directors for the final product that is the Art Museum of Nature and Human Non-Homogeneity. Much like the famous teamLab exhibitions (which, coincidently, have smaller museums nearby, including Matama Beach<\/a> and Bungotakada\u2019s Showa no Machi<\/a>) the light projections and sounds at Art Museum of Nature and Human Non-Homogeneity are influenced by its visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Sun and Moon Room, motion sensors captured my movement, activating the ceiling windows to open and close and reveal a trail of natural light and piano notes in my footsteps<\/strong>. Even now, I can recall the gentle piano composition I created that day, something that still lingers in my imagination on peaceful days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Sun and Moon Room is my favorite room, which allowed me to activate the ceiling windows to open and close as I moved through the room, revealing a trail of natural light and piano notes in my footsteps. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Forest Room features a collection of projected light swirls, informed by the wind power and wind direction data collected around the museum. In the Sea Room, the pattern projected onto water droplets change slowly as tidal and weather information create mysterious floating water drops in the middle of a darkened room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The museum also holds special projections on days of the full and crescent moon<\/strong> in the Forest and Sea Room. While I didn\u2019t visit during either of those days, the museum staff kindly offered to turn on the special projections, taking me on a vivid, nature-infused trip through one of Kunisaki\u2019s mountain peaks in the Forest Room, and an all-immersive and dynamic light and audio performance in the Sea Room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sea Room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Forest Room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The museum holds special projections on days of the full and crescent moon in the Forest and Sea Room. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re asking how I was able to have this all-immersive museum experience to myself, it may be due to the museum\u2019s untimely opening during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it\u2019s mainly remained off the radar for most visitors, I doubt I\u2019ll stay that way for long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to Get to Nagasakibana<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best way to reach Nagasakibana is to drive, as public transportation doesn\u2019t reach this point on the peninsula. It\u2019s a 40-minute drive from Usa City (\u5b87\u4f50\u5e02) and 1 hour and 30 minutes from Oita city. <\/p>\n\n\n\n