A 100,000-stone castle town in the Nakatsu Domain

Hina dolls brought as a dowry by Kuniko Hime

This castle town is very suitable for the ”Hina Matsuri” festival due to its stylish townscape and historic area, such as old samurai residences.

The collection of ”Ohinasama” in castle town Nakatsu is waiting for your visit

Meet pretty Hina dolls in many locations in the city (former residence of Yukichi Fukuzawa)

Nakatsu is located in the northern part of Oita Prefecture, at the border with Fukuoka Prefecture. It was given as a gift to Kuroda Kambe (later changed his name to Josui) by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After that, the Hosokawa family, Ogasawara family, and Okuhira family became Nakatsu rulers. Nakatsu is known to be rich in history and culture and as the birthplace of Fukuzawa Yukichi. It also has many shops due to its status as a vibrant castle town.
In the “Hinamatsuri Festival of the castle town Nakatsu”, visitors can enjoy the exhibition of rare Hina dolls, such as Yusokubina, Kyohobina, and Kokinbina, as well as 7-cm small Ohina-sama inside a Hina Goten (Palace) that are decorated elegantly, as well as many versatile ”Ohina-sama” from the Edo period to the present age.

Human Hina-kazari

The “Human Hina-kazari” will be held at “Nakatsu Castle” (Okudaira History Museum), one of the venues of this event. In this unique event, visitors can see men and women wearing Hina costumes lining up the stage at the back of the castle.

Nakatsu’s specialty dishes, ”hamo” (sea eel) and ”Kara-age” fried chicken.

Hamo Dish

Hamo is known as a delicious and nutritious fish, which is harvested a lot in the sea around Nakatsu.
Hamo can be enjoyed in many ways, including as sashimi, shabu-shabu, sushi, etc. The flesh is prepared by finely slicing the bones while leaving a layer of skin. Although it is known as a summer dish, visitors can taste it in Nakatsu year-round, especially in winter the season when the eels have much fat.
In Nakatsu City, which is often called the “Sanctuary of Kara-age”, there are more than 60 restaurants that serve kara-age (boneless fried chicken). There are many ways to enjoy this dish deliciously even when it is cold. Please enjoy Kara-age in many ways and find your favorite type of Kara-age dish!