Futagoji Temple
| The Good | The Not-So Good |
| Beautiful temple complex | No bus or train (only car/taxi) |
| No English support |
Futagoji Temple is hidden away on the summit of Mount Futago in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu. It has a long, long history and is a fine example of a Japanese temple set into the natural landscape. The only problem is the complete lack of public transport to the site, which means that for foreign tourists the only option is to hire a car or go by taxi. The drive up there from Oita Airport, Kitsuki or Beppu is not difficult as the roads around the temple have been improved (tunnels added, etc) to aid tourism (way over done in the opinion of “When Japan – obviously the local government had some cash to spend). The local scenery is perfect rural Japan as you drive up the ancient pyroclastic flows that carved channels in the mountain over which the Japanese have covered every square inch with rice paddies.
If you can arrange a way to get to the temple, this site should certainly be on the list of things to see in the area especially when combined with Kitsuki, which is only 30 minutes away. Seeing both would be a long day but returning to Beppu at the end to soak in a hot spring should more than make up for it. You just really need to hire a car to include the temple on your itinerary. There are tourist taxis available however the website (and presumably the service) is only in Japanese. Some of the courses seem to start at Oita Airport so you may be able to book them directly there.
If you are going to visit temples in Japan, this kind of site is probably what you should hold out for, rather than exhaust yourself in Kyoto. Other examples include Buzz-saw mountain in Chiba, and Rishakkuji Shrine (not a Bhuddist temple) in Yamagata. All three have the great feature of very few foreign visitors, so get there while you can.
