tourism

【Oita/Beppu】Visit art studios around Beppu! (2hrs)

Meet the Creatives of Beppu with Artist Masamitsu Katsu

Kiyoshima Apartment
Masamitsu Katsu, an artist who has been living in Beppu for 15 years. Photo: Koichiro Fujimoto
Fashion designer, On
Vacant stores converted into studios and workspaces under the elevated railway tracks
Artist workspaces in the roughly 70-year-old Kiyoshima Apartment building
View Masamitsu Katsu’s art at the community center

This is a special town walk around Beppu organized and led by Masamitsu Katsu, a local artist who has lived in the area for 15 years. During this personal art experience, meet Beppu’s creative community and visit their local workspaces.

  • Experience Beppu from an artist’s point of view.
  • Guided by Masamitsu Katsu, an artist who has been part of Beppu’s local community since 2009. Masamitsu has taught as an art instructor and is head of the local hot spring community association.
  • The tour follows in the footsteps of artists from the past and visits studios of current artists where guests meet local creatives firsthand.
  • Visit the Kiyoshima Apartment artist residency, also known as Beppu’s art version of “Tokiwa-sō”.
  • Visit the Beppu Minami Gallery (temporary) and shop for unique artwork created in Beppu.
  • Participants will receive a postcard with a pencil sketch of the tour at a later date. (It is different from the one given during the "Explore Beppu from an Artist’s Perspective (2hrs)” tour.)
Masamitsu Katsu, 勝 正光 Contemporary Artist
Masamitsu Katsu is a contemporary pencil artist born in Osaka in 1981. He graduated from Musashino Art University before moving to Beppu in 2009 where he began working to create a local community. From 2009-2020, Masamitsu stayed at Kiyoshima Apartment, Beppu’s art version of the “Tokiwa-sō” residence. In addition to his work as an artist, Masamitsu is an instructor for local painting schools, is the director of the local hot springs association, and is the chairman of a painting contest’s selection committee.

Recent exhibitions include "Oita Artists CIAO!" (Oita Art Museum, 2016), "3331 ART FAIR" (3331 Arts Chiyoda, 2019), "Masamitsu Katsu Solo Exhibition 2022 (100 Views of Beppu, First Half)” (DABURA.m experimental space "Akiba", 2022), and more. He won the Gold Award for the 1st Oita Godo Shinbun Advertising contest. Masamitsu also received the 2006 GEISAI#10 Bronze Prize, the Kashiwa Sato Award, and the Dentsu Award.
Photo: Koichiro Fujimoto
Program Contents

Walk and Explore Beppu from an Artist’s Perspective

Together with Masamitsu Katsu, a 15-year resident of Beppu, visit the most compelling art spots of the day including exhibitions, talk events, outdoor artworks, and the residencies of overseas artists. Feel the dynamism of the art community, meet artists in their studios, and experience an intimate exchange that is not possible in museums and galleries.

Roughly 70-year-old Kiyoshima Apartment building

Purchase Goods Made by Local Artists

At the end of the tour, you will be able to purchase a unique selection of Beppu-made artwork and goods that are not found in other stores.

Shopping in Beppu, the “City of Art”

A Postcard Memory of the Tour

Participants will later receive a postcard (copy) of a pencil sketch drawn by Masamitsu Katsu himself. (The scene is different from the one given in the “Beppu Town Walk with Artist Masamitsu Katsu (2 hours)” tour.)

Pencil drawing postcard (image)

Artists you may meet

Tokyo Destiny Land

Tokyo Destiny Land is a solo show actor, born in 1975. As a child, they attended school in Tokyo, worked regular jobs, and were without hobbies until the age of 20. After seeing a theater group advertisement in the dating magazine, “Jamaru”, they decided to join. It was the first time that Tokyo Destiny Land took off their glasses, and after being called “handsome”, their soul was ignited. Since then, Tokyo Destiny Land has been traveling throughout Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu, as an actor. They are amazed to have finally found themself in Beppu.

Tokyo Destiny Land

Tomoe Higashi

Tomoe Higashi is a Japanese painter who graduated from a Fine Arts MFA program in the historic city of Bath, England. Through many layers of colors and motifs, she expresses her experiences and feelings through her paintings. Tomoe’s works of art emit an aura that attracts many a viewer’s eye, but it is only the artist herself who knows their true messages.

Tomoe Higashi

Noritaka Munehisa

Noritaka Munehisa is a kiriko (glass-cutting) artist born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1988. After graduating from glass art school, he studied traditional Japanese glass-cutting techniques in Kagoshima and Saitama prefectures. While using traditional techniques, he seeks to create new and unconventional expressions of glass through his work.

Noritaka Munehisa

On Nagano

Influenced by her grandmother, On learned to create items she wanted from a young age. Designing the clothes she wore, fashion became a way of expressing her identity. After graduating from college, On pursued a full-fledged career in fashion. In 2012, she set up a workshop and store in the corner of Beppu’s North Elevated Shopping Street (Kita Kouka Shotengai) where she continues her creative activities today.

On Nagano

Masamitsu Katsu

The guide’s own work will be introduced at the Suehiro Onsen Community Center, where he is the head of the association.

Masamitsu Katsu

Art spaces you may visit

Genjitsu

This is an art space under the elevated railway tracks of Beppu Station, run by Naoyuki Hata. Utilizing vacant stores in the shopping arcade, the exhibition sometimes extends into neighboring spaces. As of December 2023, Art Space Genjitsu is only open on the fourth Monday of each month.

Genjitsu

Tour Code

GOBP03

Dates

14:00~

Request type: Please send us your preferred dates using the inquiry form. We will check availability and get back to you as soon as possible.

*Please note that many stores and restaurants in Beppu are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If requested, we can arrange tours these days, but please understand the situation in advance.

Duration

2 hours

*The end time may be extended depending on the day. Please let us know at the start of the tour if you have plans afterward.

Schedule

13:50

Meet Up

Gather at the statue of Kumahachi Aburaya at the East Exit of Beppu Station, check in.

Statue of Kumahachi Aburaya, the father of Beppu Tourism


14:00〜

Walk around Beppu

Start walking tour. Visit artist studios and see programs available on that day.


16:00

Explore the Southern Area

Transfer to the southern area, a model area for immigration and settlement. Visit TRANSIT, Beppu City’s creative exchange launching base, and Kiyoshima Apartment, an art version of Tokiwa-sō. The tour ends at the Beppu Minami Gallery (temporary).

Languages

Japanese

For English: Upon request, we can provide simple, supplementary explanations in English using a translation application. If desired, please let us know in the message box when you register. 

*English interpreters can also be arranged for an additional fee. Please contact us for details.

Participants

Minimum 2 / Maximum 6

Meeting Place
In front of the statue of Kumahachi Aburaya (JR Beppu Station East Exit)
12-13 Ekimae-cho, Beppu-shi, Oita-ken
Train: From Hakata Station to JR Beppu Station, about 130 minutes (Sonic/Nichirin bound for Oita). Get off at JR Beppu Station.

Highway Bus: From Hakata or Tenjin Express Bus Terminal to Beppu (Kitahama). About 2.5 hours. Get off at the Beppu Kitahama Bus stop. 10 min. walk. 

By Car: Approximately 2.5 hours from Hakata. Please use coin-operated parking lots in the vicinity (fee required).

 

Reservation Deadline
10 days before the start of the tour
Payment Method

Advance payment at the time of reservation (VISA, Mastercard, Amex, JCB)

Attire

Please wear clothes that are comfortable to walk in.

Please Note
  • Postcards will be sent out at the end of the month following the month the program takes place.
  • For those attending in Japanese: English speakers may also attend this program. Please understand that some time may be taken to provide supplementary explanations in English.
  • The tour will be held even in the event of rain, barring cases of inclement weather such as heavy rain or a typhoon.
  • All of the photographs displayed on this website are for illustrative purposes only.
  • Guests who are under elementary school age may attend the tour accompanied by a parent or guardian.
  • We advise taking out domestic travel insurance when participating in this tour.
Cancellation Policy

3 to 1 day(s) preceding the tour start date: 50% of the tour fee
Before departure on the tour start date: 100% of the tour fee
After the start of tour or no-show: 100% of the tour fee

Travel Planning: Implementation

  • UNA Laboratories Inc. (Fukuoka Prefectural Governor Registration #2-951)
  • 3-12-22-302 Yakuin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka Prefecture 810-0022
  • TEL: 092-982-7956E-MAIL: tour@unalabs.jp
  • Domestic Certified Travel Supervisors:
    Aya Tamura, Noriko Yahata, Rei Watanabe
  • Business Hours:
    9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (Closed Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays)
  • *Requests received outside of business hours will be processed the following business day.
  • *Domestic Certified Travel Supervisors are responsible for transactions held at the sales office that processes customers’ travel. Please do not hesitate to contact the aforementioned Domestic Certified Travel Supervisors with any questions or concerns regarding the travel contract.

Tour Information

Dates
※14:00~ Tours are held by request. Please send us your preferred dates using the inquiry form. We will check availability and get back to you as soon as possible.
Duration
2 hours
Recommended Age
Suitable for All Ages
Price
5,800yen (tax included)
Remarks
※Includes a postcard (copy) of a pencil drawing by Masamitsu Kastu. If the participant lives overseas, the postcard may be sent digitally.
※Free for those under 6