Hitoyoshi is a small city in southern Kyushu. It is not the most accessible city in Kyushu, taking several hours from the major cities of Kumamoto and Kagoshima, but it has its unique charm.
It is called the Little Kyoto of Kyushu. Hitoyoshi is a castle town where various industries prospered, such as knife smiths with 800 years of history and Kuma Shochu.
Surrounded by mountainous terrain, 75% of the city's area is covered with forests, and the Kuma River, the largest river in the prefecture, flows through the city, boasting a rich natural environment. Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, such as rice cultivation and other agriculture, and fishery, especially river fishery, have been operated in harmony with nature.
Hitoyoshi's unique food culture has been handed down from generation to generation because of its history surrounded by nature. That is the real appeal of Hitoyoshi.