A Japanese Life&nbsp

I just received my program package from the JET program and I am headed to Oita prefecture on Japan's southernmost island, Kyushu !!! For those of you who don't know any Japanese geography, check out the map (Oita is the prefecture shaded in brown):

Oita in closeup:

The area is pretty rural but is jam-packed with hot springs and beaches, so, although my English ability will likely decline rapidly, my Japanese and my tan will be damn good. Here are some of the climate and tourism basics:

Climate

Oita Prefecture is located facing the Setonaikai (Seto Inland Sea) and has a mild climate with comparatively few natural disasters. At the coast of the Bungo Channel in the southern area, it is influenced by the Kuroshio Current and is warm and humid, with sub-tropical plants growing. The northern area from Suo Channel to Beppu Bay enjoys good weather in summer with relatively few showers. In the inland mountains area, there are lower temperatures and more precipitation due to the altitude.

Tourism

Oita Prefecture is famous for its hot springs, particularly those in and around the city of Beppu, known as the 'hells', or jigoku. Many are of tourist interest only, and cannot be used as onsen - notably the Blood Pond Hell (reddish water) and the Oniyama Hell. The city's ryokans and public onsen are amply supplied by the same volcanic source. Visitors particularly relish the effects of burial in steaming hot volcanic sands.

Beppu offers a wide range of cultural experiences, from an annual international music festival, to the unabashed Hihokan Sex Museum.

A marine park - an elaborate public aquarium (called 'Umi-tamago')- on the shoreline outside Beppu features basketballing sea otters, performing archer fish, and puzzle-solving octopuses, along with more naturalistic displays of freshwater and marine fish from around the world.

Near the marine park, Mount Takasaki Monkey Park rises steeply from the shoreline. Two distinct troupes of wild macaque monkeys make regular visits to the feeding grounds here, which were initially established to entice the monkeys away from raiding the region's fruit crops, a behaviour that brought them into conflict with farmers. The wild macaques ignore the small crowds that gather at these feeding sessions, and may be observed at close quarters.

Beppu is a busy passenger port with regular ferry links through the inland sea to Osaka and several other destinations.
Other attractions of Oita Prefecture include the Sanrio theme park Harmonyland.

Oita's Mt. Hachimen is also home to the popular music festival, Concert on the Rock. This annual charity event sees over 30 international acts performing over a June weekend for the pleasure of Japan's music lovers. The natural surroundings make it one of the most picturesque rock festivals in the world.