There was a piano competition in Oita city on November 25.
I got up at 6:00 in the morning and drove up to Yabakei by rent-a-car.
Driving along Oita Highway, first of all breakfast was bought at Beppu service area.
The Beppu bay has been viewed from there.
The steam of hot spring was rising up in the air at spa streets.
The morning sun has just risen. I saw Mt. Takasaki at the right hand.

Passing through Beppu, when I came upon the Tsukahara plateau
it appeared before my eyes the extensive grand scenery.
It seemed to be humid in those areas, so the glass of the car soon became dim.
Passing through the Tsukahara plateau, Mt. Yubu-dake appeared at hand.
I felt the hugeness would overwhelm me. Autumnal leaves at the foot of the mountain were beautiful.
However, there is no parking place near there, so I could not take photos of the wonderful scenery.

Furthermore, I came upon Yufuin town, where the steam of hot spring was also rising up.
I took Route 387 from Kusu interchange via the Mizuwake pass and Kokonoe interchange.
The brilliant autumnal leaves of the roadside trees Tohkaede caught my eye just then.

And I left for Shin-Yabakei and Hitomehakkei. On the way I met with strangely-shaped-rocks scenery.

These towering cliffs and stone pillars were made through the process
where the lava plateaus have been eroded and formed.
Shin-Yabakei is a canyon about 50m carved at a right angle on the large lava plateaus with an altitude of 400m.

At the peaks of the rocky mountains iwaside creeps mixed with Japanese red pine trees,
on the cliffs grow arakashi(ring cupped oaks) and ibukishimotsuke.
And, urajirogashi and Itayakaede (Acer pictum) also
grow in the woods of southern Japanese hemlocks on the slopes of both riversides.

Let me show you the photograph of Hitomehakkei.

All Irohamomiji (Acer palmatum) planted along roads
grew old but fine trees and showed beautiful autumnal leaves.
There were plants whose leaves were yellow or orange in the slope part
along the roads of this neighborhood.
As I got interested in them, I parked the car and observed them.
They really proved to be Urikaede (Acer crataegifolium).
I was satisfied with my little discovery that Urikaede were playing a role
in the autumnal beautiful scenery of Oku-Yabakei.