Sanrio Character Park Harmonyland

The scenic town of Hiji in the Hayami District of Oita Prefecture offers excellent views of Beppu Bay. It is also known as the home of many historic sites, such as the Hiji Castle, once owned by Kinoshita of the Hijihan Domain, a member of the Toyotomi Clan that remained on Kyushu Island. Though the castle was demolished in the Meiji period, at the Hiji Castle ruins (as pictured) you can still find the kimon yagura, the tenshu tower, castle walls, and moat. Situated on the shores of Beppu Bay, a fertile fishing ground, its local cuisine is the shiroshita karei flounder. It is said that in the Edo period, the shiroshita karei was presented to shogun lords as luxurious gifts at sankin-kotai, a periodic rotation of residences between Edo (the capital of ancient Japan) and the lord’s fiefdom.