About Kunisaki
The Kunisaki Peninsula is in the North-Easternmost corner of Oita Prefecture. The peninsula runs along the sleepy coastline of the Seto Inland Sea which runs between Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu. Whilst Kunisaki is designated as a city, it is made up of the four towns of Kunisaki, Musashi, Aki, and Kunimi. Aki town is closest geographically to Kitsuki City, whilst Kunimi town is geographically closest to Bungo Takada City.
The area is quite rural and has a wealth of nature, beaches, temples and shrines; most notably the beautiful Futago-Ji which is set in the mountains between Kunisaki town, Kunimi town and Takada City.
Following in the nationwide love of mascots and cute things, the mascot for the Kunisaki Peninsula is the very cute Kabosu lime Sakichikun (さきちくん)!
The area is quite rural and has a wealth of nature, beaches, temples and shrines; most notably the beautiful Futago-Ji which is set in the mountains between Kunisaki town, Kunimi town and Takada City.
Following in the nationwide love of mascots and cute things, the mascot for the Kunisaki Peninsula is the very cute Kabosu lime Sakichikun (さきちくん)!
JET LIfe in Kunisaki
Futago-ji Temple. Photo taken by Holly, used with permission.
There are 3 JETs in the Kunisaki Peninsula, two JHS/ES ALTs and one SHS ALT. The housing is privately rented with the SHS ALT living in Kunisaki town and the two JHS/ES ALTs living in Musashi town, close to the airport. It is typically a 10-15 minute drive between the ALTs living in Musashi to the ALT living in Kunisaki and the distance is not walkable.
The SHS ALT will typically work at two SHS in the area, one is a short walk from their apartment in Kunisaki town, whilst the other in Kunimi town, which they will visit once a week, is a 20-30 minute drive. In a rare (but very welcome) case, the SHS ALT also visits the elementary and junior high schools on Himeshima island, with visits to the ES being monthly, whilst the JHS is only visited once a school term. This is an incredible experience to teach at all levels of the school system and to travel to the beautiful island of Himeshima.
The ES/SHS are split into two areas of the peninsula, with one ALT serving schools in the Aki and Musashi area, whilst the other will be at schools in Kunisaki and Kunimi. Their time will be divided between roughly 8 schools in each area, with one school serving as their base school. They will have a supervisor at the Kunisaki Board of Education which is located at Asto, in Kunisaki town. Some schools are located in rural locations of the peninsula and therefore it is imperative for each ALT to have a car to get around.
Kunisaki City as a whole is a relatively quiet and rural location with basic amenities such as banks, supermarkets and restaurants, but for wider entertainment and facilities you will need to travel slightly further afield. It is strongly recommended for each ALT to have a car, not only as a necessity to travel to and from work, but also as a means of entertaining oneself and travelling on the weekends.
The SHS ALT will typically work at two SHS in the area, one is a short walk from their apartment in Kunisaki town, whilst the other in Kunimi town, which they will visit once a week, is a 20-30 minute drive. In a rare (but very welcome) case, the SHS ALT also visits the elementary and junior high schools on Himeshima island, with visits to the ES being monthly, whilst the JHS is only visited once a school term. This is an incredible experience to teach at all levels of the school system and to travel to the beautiful island of Himeshima.
The ES/SHS are split into two areas of the peninsula, with one ALT serving schools in the Aki and Musashi area, whilst the other will be at schools in Kunisaki and Kunimi. Their time will be divided between roughly 8 schools in each area, with one school serving as their base school. They will have a supervisor at the Kunisaki Board of Education which is located at Asto, in Kunisaki town. Some schools are located in rural locations of the peninsula and therefore it is imperative for each ALT to have a car to get around.
Kunisaki City as a whole is a relatively quiet and rural location with basic amenities such as banks, supermarkets and restaurants, but for wider entertainment and facilities you will need to travel slightly further afield. It is strongly recommended for each ALT to have a car, not only as a necessity to travel to and from work, but also as a means of entertaining oneself and travelling on the weekends.
Transport
Futago-ji Temple. Photo and header taken by Holly, used with permission.
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The Kunisaki Peninsula is the home of Oita Airport, which has domestic flights to Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya throughout the day on ANA, JAL, Jetstar and Solaseed Air. There are also twice weekly flights to Seoul, South Korea, operated by the budget airline, T`Way Air.
You can reach the airport from Kitsuki, Hiji, Beppu and Oita city using the Airport Limosine Bus, which runs multiple times an hour directly to and from Oita Airport. Oita Airport also has bus services running to other various points within Oita Prefecture, however they are not all that frequent. The best way to get around the Kunisaki Peninsula is by car as there are limited bus services and no railway connections, the nearest train station being in Kitsuki. Multiple car rental agencies are available at Oita Airport. The Suonada Ferry runs multiple times a day between Taketazu (the northernmost reaches of Kunisaki Peninsula, bordering Taketa City) and Tokuyama in Yamaguchi Prefecture, only an hour and a half drive from Hiroshima City. |
SIGHTSEEING
Futago Temple - Futago-ji
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Kunisaki-Kitsuki Cycling Road
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Himeshima - Hime Island
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FAMOUS FOODS
Cutlass Fish
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Sake (Japanese Alcohol)
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Shiitake Mushrooms
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Dango jiru (Dumpling Soup)
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FESTIVALS AND EVENTS
Musashi ホタルまつり
This is an annual festival held around June which is dedicated to hotaru, or firefly watching. It`s held towards the mountains in Musashi town and there are festival foods and performances by local school and community groups from the late afternoon until the early evening. Once the sun sets and it becomes dark, people will gather to watch the fireflies along the river side, which is a spectacular sight!
This is an annual festival held around June which is dedicated to hotaru, or firefly watching. It`s held towards the mountains in Musashi town and there are festival foods and performances by local school and community groups from the late afternoon until the early evening. Once the sun sets and it becomes dark, people will gather to watch the fireflies along the river side, which is a spectacular sight!
Kebesu Festival
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Himeshima Bon Odori
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