Japan Guide
Kyūshū
Obi
An old castle town 45km south of Miyazaki, OBI is a pristine little place with a number of samurai houses and a fine collection of traditional whitewashed warehouses, many of them immaculately restored, clustered under the castle walls. Obi's heyday was under the Itō family, who were granted the fiefdom in 1588 and then spent much of their time feuding with the neighbouring Shimazu clan of Kagoshima.
Central Obi lies in a loop of the Sakatani-gawa, with its historic core concentrated north of the main east– west highway. Here you'll find a few streets of samurai houses, carp streams and the castle, Obi-jō, on the low hill behind. The white-walled history museum (daily 9.30am–4.30pm; ¥600 including Yoshōkan and Komura Memorial Hall) has a small but impressive collection of Itō family heirlooms. On the hill behind stands the Matsu-no-maru (same ticket and hours), an exact replica of the rambling Edo-period buildings where the lords once lived, including the reception rooms, women's quarters, tea-ceremony room and a lovely "cooling-off" tower, where the lord could catch the summer breezes after his steam bath.
The rest of the castle grounds are now just grass and trees, take a quick look at Obi's largest samurai house, the Yoshōkan (same ticket and hours), immediately west of Ōte-mon gate. Though you can't go in, the house is a lovely, airy building surrounded by a spacious garden that's looking a bit worse for wear.
Obi Station lies on the east side of town, about fifteen minutes' walk across the river from the castle – staff at the ticket office can provide a sketch map. Alternatively, buses from Aoshima and Udo-jingū stop on the main road five minutes' walk south of the castle; ask for Obi-jō.
Obi has its own speciality food, Obi-ten, which consists of minced flying fish mixed with tofu, miso and sugar, rolled into a leaf shape and deep fried. Obi-ten chaya (daily 9am–5pm), a nicely rustic restaurant in a garden immediately south of the Komura Memorial Hall, has a good-value teishoku, including rice, soup and pickles for ¥950.