Making Umeshu and Plum Blossom Viewing in Oita

Hello everyone, and a big hearty welcome to our spring season!

This year, signs of spring arrived well before the March 21st spring equinox, with a revitalizing breath of fresh air and plum blossoms arriving on the scene throughout Oita and the rest of Japan. Among Oita’s popular hanami
blossom viewing is the Hita Oyama Plum Festival. This month-long event from mid-February to mid-March is one of the prettiest times you’ll see Hita city’s Oyama mountainous region when its 6,000 plum trees come into full
bloom.

If you’re arriving outside of this month-long season, there’s another ume experience you can try that’s available all year round. At Okuhita Onsen Umeshuzo Oyama, there’s an umeshu-making workshop where you’ll pair the
local ume with gold-flecked sugar cubes to make your very own hand-made ume aperitif to take home.
No matter when you visit, this umeshu factory will always have ume on hand, either fresh or pristinely frozen,
so that you can participate in this springtime activity any time of the year.

*Please take care to check in advance your home country’s list of restricted liquids and fruits before traveling.

To make umeshu, first wash the local plums, dry them, then remove any remaining stem ends. Next, select the
regular white rock sugar or decorative sugar stars with gold leaf, then layer them with the ume plums in
a pre-sanitized container. Finally, pour Japanese distilled liquor, also known as “white liquor,” where your
concoction will steep for an entire year, allowing time to take on the sweet-and-sour plum flavors.

As we wait for good news for travel in the future, we hope that you’ll add Hita’s Oyama region to your list of
springtime activities to your following itinerary to Oita. Until then, stay safe, everyone!