What Is Hita? The Edo-Period Merchant Town of Mameda-machi and Its Festivals

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to know what Hita is and why people go there. It follows the English pages of the Oita prefectural tourism site and of Hita City's official sightseeing site, which we read on 2026-10-04. The prefectural pages say that their English text includes machine translation, so a few phrases below are awkward in the original.

A town that prospered in the Edo period

The prefectural site says Hita City flourished during the Edo period, about 400 years ago. The city's own site names the Mameda area as the part where visitors can walk streets that date back to the Edo period, among historical sites, souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels. The Hita guides use the word Tenryo, which one souvenir listing glosses as shogun territory, in the names of two events: the Tenryo Hita Ohina Festival and the Hita Tenryo Festival in November.

Mameda-machi

The prefectural site describes Mameda-machi as a shopping street in Hita City with buildings that date back to the Edo period (1603 to 1868). It lists around 100 shops, with souvenir stores, cafes and restaurants, plus museums and historic sake breweries. You can stroll in a rented kimono or take a rickshaw ride. The street is about 15 minutes on foot from JR Hita Station and about 5 minutes by car from Hita IC, and parking spaces are available.

The city's site adds that Hita is known for beer, sake, shochu, mineral water and soy sauce, all made with its underground water, and for traditional crafts of cedar and bamboo. For food it names yakisoba with crunchy noodles and crisp bean sprouts, and a local sushi made with seasonal pickled vegetables.

The doll festival, February 15 to March 31

The Tenryo Hita Ohina Festival runs every year from February 15 to March 31. About 5,000 hina dolls are displayed at around 20 locations, including historic homes and museums. The Doll Festival itself is held on March 3 to wish for the healthy growth and happiness of young girls. One event listed is the Mameda Nagashibina, where people write wishes on paper hina dolls and float them down the river. Prices vary by venue.

The Hita Gion Festival in July

The Gion Festival is held every July at three shrines in the city: Mameda Yasaka Shrine, Kuma Yasaka Shrine and Takeda Wakamiya Shrine. The prefectural page says it has been celebrated for over 300 years and was recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016. The highlight is the procession of yamahoko, large floats on wooden wheels, accompanied by flutes, taiko drums and shamisen. Some floats reach 10 metres, and at night they are lit with lanterns. The city's own events list puts the festival at the end of July. Watching it is free.

Onta pottery

Onta Pottery Village is in the north of Hita City. The page says pottery has been made there since 1705, with clay crushed by river water and pieces fired in traditional wood-fuelled climbing kilns. The village has 10 kilns, the pottery was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan in 1995, and the sound of clay being prepared was chosen as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. There is also an Onta Pottery Museum. The city's events list includes an Onta Folk Pottery Festival in October.

Attack on Titan Museum

The prefectural page says that Hajime Isayama, creator of Attack on Titan, comes from Hita City. A museum devoted to the manga stands next to the Mizube no Sato Oyama roadside station, and an annex is in the grounds of the Sapporo Beer Kyushu Hita Brewery. Adult admission to the main museum is listed at 500 yen and under-18s are free; hours are 9:30 to 16:00 on weekdays and 9:30 to 17:00 on weekends and public holidays, with irregular closing days. A shared ticket for both sites is offered at a discount.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Current admission fees and opening hours of individual museums other than the one quoted above.
• This year's exact dates for the festivals.
• Which breweries and workshops accept visitors.

Related guides

• How do you get to Hita from Fukuoka and Oita, and get around?
• What is Hita like through the year? Hot springs, cormorant fishing and waterfalls

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Hita Mameda Machi Shopping Street (Visit Oita) — (the old street)
2. Tenryo Hita Ohina Festival (Visit Oita) — (doll festival)
3. Hita Gion Festival (Visit Oita) — (yamahoko)
4. Onta Pottery Village (Visit Oita) — (pottery)
5. Attack on Titan Museum (Visit Oita) — (museum)
6. Access to Hita (Hita City's Official Sightseeing Information Site) — (areas, products, food)
7. Main events (Hita City's Official Sightseeing Information Site) — (event dates)
8. Hita Area (Shopping) (Hita City's Official Sightseeing Information Site) — (the word Tenryo)