Bulging like a half moon out into the Seto Inland Sea from Kyushu's northeast corner, the Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita Prefecture may be remote and lack rail links to the rest of the country, but since time immemorial it has been a crossroads for travelers in both directions between Japan, the Korean Peninsula and China.
Some 30 km across, the area is said to be the first place where native Shinto folk beliefs coexisted peacefully with Buddhism from mainland Asia, and it still hosts countless temples, statues and other monuments.
In addition, in 1587 it was the birthplace of Petro Kasui Kibe, the first Japanese to visit Jerusalem. He went on to Rome, where he became a Jesuit priest before returning home and being killed by the authorities in 1639.
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