Bungo Ono City

Bungo ono Area map

Bungo Ono City is located in southern Oita Prefecture, eastern Kyushu.

It spans an area of 603 square kilometers, and is the third largest city in size in the prefecture.

The city was formed in 2005 through a merger of seven towns and villages from the former Ono County: Mie, Ono, Inukai, Asaji, Ogata, Chitose, and Kiyokawa.

The area has abundant natural scenery, with one of Kyushu's most outstanding waterways, the Ono River, running through the center of the city, and the Kuju Mountains, Mt. Aso, and the Sobo-Katamuki Mountain Range surrounding it.

The entirety of Bungo Ono City was registered as a Japanese Geopark in September 2013.

Memories of a Wild Past

Pyroclasts from eruptions of the Aso volcano 120,000 and 90,000 years ago covered much of the land of Bungo Ono before cooling down and turning into ignimbrite. 

The columnar joints of ignimbrite often formed long, thin, vertical cracks which then collapsed and left spectacular waterfalls and cliffs.

These waterfalls and cliffs are the very locations that serve as tourist destinations in Bungo Ono today.

Harajiri Falls

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These falls are part of the Ogata River, a tributary of the Ono River, and span 120 meters across and stand 20 meters tall.

They formed by the collapse of the ignimbrite resulting from the cooling down of the pyroclasts from the Aso volcano's fourth eruption around 90,000 years ago.

The torii gate located upstream of the falls is that of the second shrine of the Three Shrines of Ogata.

In the annual Kawagoshi Festival, locals carry a mikoshi portable shrine through the gate.

Chinda Falls

The Chinda Falls consist of the greater falls of the Ono River and the smaller falls of its tributary, the Hirai River.

The greater falls span 100 meters across and stand 20 meters tall.

During the Muromachi period, famous painter Sesshu created a work titled the Chinda Falls, inspired by his visit here.

The falls are also home to the remains of a hydroelectric power plant built during the Meiji era.

Chinda Hydroelectric Power Plant ruins

A park was also made near the waterfall.

Beneath the parking lot of the park are the remains of a stone-built, former Chinda Power Plant.

It was built by a railway company in 1909 for trains that run between Oita and Beppu, which became no longer in use and are now kept as a heritage of the modernization era of Kyushu.

Scenery of Iwado

A massive rock wall that stands at the joint between the Ono and Okudake rivers is called the Scenery of Iwado.

The lower half of the cliff was formed by the pyroclastic flows from the Aso volcano's third huge eruption, while the upper half was formed by the flows from its fourth eruption.

A tunnel for the JR Hohi Line runs right into the cliff face, making the location a famous photo spot for train enthusiasts.

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