Day 1 of My Oita Prefecture Trip, Japan

February 2026 • Most people go to Japan and see Tokyo. I went to Oita — and it changed everything. Invited by the Oita Prefecture Tourism Board, I found myself on a side of Japan that rarely makes it to social media: unhurried, deeply local, and quietly extraordinary. This is the Japan the travel brochures don't sell you. And honestly? It's so much better. Day 1 of many. The best is still coming.

JAPAN