Oita-ken!

Well, thanks to our friends Jared and Steph, we explored a little bit of Oita-ken last weekend, and had a great time. --- thanks guys!!

After a great party at their house...

We headed to old Buddha carvings near the town of Usuki, which, since it's in Oita-ken, is on the eastern side of Kyushu. Most of the carvings were from the 10th - 13th centuries, and many had to be restored, as moss and water seeping through the volcanic rock eroded them over time. Apparently, the area in and around Oita-ken was the site of the beginnings of a strong Buddhist influence in Japan. Either way, the statues were pretty interesting, and the small valley they hid in was a great place to spend the afternoon.

The lovely couple!

Kermit and Serenity with the old one...

The bamboo forest surrounding the area -- Will's great shot!

Here's a good example of the erosion of these beautiful carvings --

The small valley, rice harvest and all. The carvings are all in a small ravine just to the right of those houses, out of the photo.

Statue surrounded by 12 kings.

Heehee!

Rice harvester in the small valley:

A carving holding up the ferns...

We had a great time, and hope to go back to Oita-ken for Onsen and more visits!