Hita City is located in the west of Oita Prefecture. Neighboring Kumamoto and Fukuoka prefectures, the city is surrounded by numerous beautiful mountains. The abundant water flowing from these mountains enriches the city's lifestyle. It has long flourished as a transit point connecting various parts of northern Kyushu, and during the Edo period, it flourished politically and culturally as a direct territory of the shogunate. The region is home to numerous festivals, including the Hita River Opening Tourist Festival, which began in 1948 and is now known as an event that attracts over 200,000 people. The Hita Gion Festival, said to have a 300-year history, is the city's largest festival, with numerous portable shrines paraded through the town to ward off wind and flood damage.