A Thrilling Mountaintop Paragliding Experience and Old Train Roundhouse Tour【Explore Oita Japan】
Hello! If you’re coming to Japan and looking for a dramatic and memorable experience this is the place for you My name is Camryn and this is Explore Oita Japan [Explore Oita Japan] We’re here in Kusu Town located in the west of Oita Prefecture This is Mt. Kirikabu an iconic mountain that rises 2249 ft above sea level
And has a mysterious mesa plateau shape Look at the size of this thing Oh my gosh! Have you ever seen a swing set this big? and the view to match Oh my gosh! I’ve got to hit this at least one time Weee! Oh my gosh! I actually feel like a child again
Apart from the beautiful panorama view of the town There are some outdoor sports you can do here as well Today, I have an appointment to go paragliding My first time to ever fly Now, I’m signing a waiver of liability Because as this is happening in the natural outdoors
There’s always a chance of injury and a risk So this is just me acknowledging that and signing a waiver of liability We’re about to start the paragliding but before we get into it I want to introduce you to my instructor for the day and maybe your instructor when you come out here
– Mr. Toshi, nice to meet you – You too Obviously, I can’t go out like this So Mr. Toshi is going to give me an opportunity to learn how to put on the harness and how to get ready for paragliding I’m so excited but a little bit scared not going to lie to you
It’s my first time ever So let’s jump right in Let’s get ready This is a harness So it’s a harness – OK… – Here I’m so ready for this Oh…Very light, so light Kind of looks like a chair Oh, wow I’m strapped in I don’t think I’ve ever felt this safe before We have to change locations right now because obviously this is very dependent on the wind So for today the best wind speed is going to be in the front of the mountain towards the north of the city and depending on when you come you might start on that side
You might start on the other side of the mountain completely I feel like every time you come you get a unique experience in that sense It could be your landing day or your taking off day from this side So yes let’s see how it goes What Mr. Toshi was just explaining to me is how to take off We have to keep running from here Keep going, going going, going, going, going and make sure not to jump He told me if you jump there’s a much higher chance that you’re just going to go straight down the mountain
So I got to keep running trust my instincts and hopefully, we’ll be able to build up enough wind and flow through the sky – We’re going to run straight down – OK All right! Run, run, run – Go, go, go, go,go – Run, run, run, run run Go, go, go, go Go, go, go, go Go, go Go, go, go, go, go, go, go Flying, flying Whoop! Sit down, sit down Whaooo! Oh my gosh! OK
We’re paragliding Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! You can see everything There’s a forest a big forest over here You can see into the city right all over there We can even start to see a bit of the landing zone That’s the landing zone, isn’t it? Yes, it is
It’s so calm and serene up here This is a dream-come-true Oh my gosh All right, we’re coming in for the landing now So Oh! Oh! Oh my… We did it! Oh my gosh! – I’m going to take this off – OK That was life changing That was one of the most life-changing experiences I’ve ever had in my life I can’t believe what I’ve just experienced
I was in the sky So now that we’re done with paragliding We can move onto our next destination which is actually a very iconic place It served as the model for a scene in a very recent anime If you can figure out what anime it is please let me know in the comments below
So without further ado let’s go Here I am at the abandoned locomotive roundhouse This place is beautiful Let’s take a quick look but first, dramatic music In the 1970s Japan began to phase out the steam engine all across the country This saw a rise in the number of smoke-free trains being used In the island of Kyushu specifically locomotive depots were slowly being closed down but the people of Kusu came together and decided to preserve this very locomotive roundhouse
In order to preserve the memory and to teach future generations about locomotives I’m here at the Bungo Mori Roundhouse Museum and I’m joined with one of the staff, Mr. Kawano – Nice to meet you – You too I’m going to ask him a few questions to get to know a little bit some of the inside details for you guys at home
My first question is when was the Bungo Mori Roundhouse opened for use? In 1934 – Here – Right! Originally it opened in 1934 and then in about 1970 it closed and that was the last time that a train ever left this Bungo Mori Roundhouse And then until about 1984 so from 1970 to 1984
They were using the Bungo Mori Roundhouse to store diesel locomotives but from 1984 they completely stopped using it and it became abandoned This is a model of the Bungo Mori Roundhouse area that we’re at in its prime day As you can see there’s a whole bunch of buildings
And most importantly there was a huge office building where all of the staff used to work I’m a train captain What’s the difference between all the hats? Some have different colors some have different sizes This hat is from the time of Japanese National Railways – And this is from the Japan Railway (JR) time – Oh, OK The difference with all these hats is
These 3 are from the period in time when JR was established However, this is from before the JR era I think what’s really interesting is if you look at some of these hats you can see the JR logo on it However… on the original there’s no logo which is fascinating
At the Bungo Mori Roundhouse Museum just in the other room you can find a beautiful workshop where you can make plastic crafts of any building, car or train Over here, there’s a long collection of different designs that other people have made But my personal favorite is the same train
That I use every day to get to work To wrap up a day full of so many great experiences we have to talk about the marché The marché happens once every month and is a day where the local community comes together to share goods to share games to share food and to have fun together
While we’re here as well there is a mini locomotive train that goes around that you and your kids can have loads of fun The locomotive train is open every Sunday of the month and whenever there is a marché there is also a locomotive train going around So be sure to come around here with your kids
And have the time of your life Thank you so much for turning in today This has been Explore Oita Japan Until next time See you [Explore Oita Japan]
*Subtitles are available in Japanese, English and Korean. Please enjoy the video with subtitles on.
In this video, we’ll introduce a paragliding experience on Mt. Kirikabu, a famous sightseeing spot in Kusu Town, Oita Prefecture, along with the Bungo Mori Roundhouse, a Cultural Heritage site.
【Contents】
0:21 Mt. Kirikabu
0:56 Paragliding
5:03 Bungo Mori Roundhouse・Railway Turntable
6:20 Bungo Mori Roundhouse Museum
8:40 Monthly Marche near the Bungo Mori Roundhouse
EXPLORE OITA JAPAN【The Official YouTube Channel of Oita Prefecture】
~ Ultimate Guide for Onsen Capital Prefecture Oita ~
We will showcase Oita’s unique tourism attractions for your next trip to Japan.
Please subscribe to our channel!
https://www.youtube.com/@ExploreOitaJapan/featured
Kusu Town, located in the western part of Oita Prefecture, is a naturally rich area surrounded by mountains. In particular, the Kusu Basin is noteworthy for the abundance of tableland mountains like mesas and buttes. It is famous for Mt. Mannen, the largest double mesa in Japan, and Mt. Kirikabu, which is shaped like a tree stump. Mt. Kirikabu hosts the annual West Japan Paragliding Championships in May and more, making it popular with paragliding and hang gliding fans.
This time, our host headed to the top of Mt. Kirikabu! He first challenged himself to try Heidi’s Swing, which is a giant mountaintop swing on blue poles. The exhilaration of flying through the air brought them back to his days of childhood fun.
After warming up on the swing, our host then mustered up the courage for their first-ever paragliding experience! Riding in tandem with an instructor, even beginners can safely glide from the 2249 ft summit of Mt. Kirikabu. Being a first-timer, our host received a brief lecture and signed a contractーhe couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous! His helmet, harness, and the canopy that would be his wings were attached together with the instructor, and he took off by racing full speed down the slope and up into the air. So, how did our host feel after their aerial journey?
Next, he visited Bungo Mori Roundhouse, a fan-shaped steam-engine shed, along with the Railway Turntable. This is the sole surviving roundhouse in Kyushu, and registered as the Tangible Cultural Property of Japan. Here, you can view impressive steam locomotives up close, learn about the roundhouse’s history from the accompanying museum, join a plastic miniature train workshop, and even take a ride on one of the regular mini train services, making it a great place for children.
We hope this video inspires you and your family to come and experience the nature and sights of Kusu Town!
——-
Kusu Town Tourism Association Official Website▶︎http://kusumachi.jp
Mr.Kirikabu Paragliding▶︎https://www.kirikabupara.com
Bungo Mori Roundhouse Museum▶︎http://kusumachi.jp/pg340.html
大分県観光情報公式サイト / Discover Oita▶︎https://bit.ly/37fTNKx
テッパンおおいた / Teppan Oita▶︎https://bit.ly/2T4LtoU
Explore Oita▶︎https://bit.ly/2HjcFNJ
Weibo 日本大分县旅游局▶https://bit.ly/34XtXJB
大分縣觀光資訊官方網站▶https://bit.ly/2TmDELr
오이타현 관광정보 공식사이트▶https://bit.ly/357H0ag
Tourismoita Instagram▶︎https://bit.ly/347b6vg
Tourism OITA Facebook▶︎https://bit.ly/37hEn8w
#Japan #Kyushu #Oita #ExploreOitaJapan #Tourism #Travel #Experience #Activities #Food #HistoryCulture #Accommodation #Paraglider #Train