Kumahachi Aburaya was born to a rice wholesaler in Uwajima, Ehine Prefecture in 1863. From a young age, he was known to be a hard worker.Aburaya went to Osaka at the age of 30 and made an enormous fortune speculating on the rice market. His name was “General Aburaya”. He failed in his speculation and lost all his money at the age of 34. He then went to the United States in the smelly and sultry bowels of a ship. Aburaya traveled for 3 years from Canada to Mexico and returned to Japan when he was 38. He was christened when he was in the United States.
Aburaya went to Beppu when he was 46 and started running a hotel. He made it to a first-class hotel which receive wealthy people from all around the world. He promoted large scale advertising projects, like the ones he saw in the United States. He passed out leaflets from an airplane flying around Osaka and put up poles saying ” The best of Japan: Mount Fuji, Seto Inland Sea, and Beppu Hot Springs” on Mt Fuji. He put unique ideas into practice one after another to publicize Beppu. Aburaya was the first in Japan to introduce tour buses with female guides and the hot spring “Hell Tour” gained explosive popularity. Many interesting people wanting to do whatever they do to develop tourism in Beppu came to join Aburaya. All these people liked children so they formed “Otogi Club” or fairy club to provide children with opportunities to enjoy fairy stories, songs, and other music performances. At Christmas, a santa Claus even appeared from a seaplane to surprise the children. Children in the otogi club called aburaya “Shiny Uncle” because of his bald head. Aburaya also developped Yufuin into a hot spring resort. He thought up a tourism plan which covered all areas of Kyushu connecting Beppu, Yufuin, Kuju Highland, Handa Plateau, Aso, and Nagasaki with one route. In 1935, Aburaya died in Beppu at the age of 73. His dream to make this place into a world renowed tourist resort is still alive everywhere in the town of Beppu.”
Aburaya went to Beppu when he was 46 and started running a hotel. He made it to a first-class hotel which receive wealthy people from all around the world. He promoted large scale advertising projects, like the ones he saw in the United States. He passed out leaflets from an airplane flying around Osaka and put up poles saying ” The best of Japan: Mount Fuji, Seto Inland Sea, and Beppu Hot Springs” on Mt Fuji. He put unique ideas into practice one after another to publicize Beppu. Aburaya was the first in Japan to introduce tour buses with female guides and the hot spring “Hell Tour” gained explosive popularity. Many interesting people wanting to do whatever they do to develop tourism in Beppu came to join Aburaya. All these people liked children so they formed “Otogi Club” or fairy club to provide children with opportunities to enjoy fairy stories, songs, and other music performances. At Christmas, a santa Claus even appeared from a seaplane to surprise the children. Children in the otogi club called aburaya “Shiny Uncle” because of his bald head. Aburaya also developped Yufuin into a hot spring resort. He thought up a tourism plan which covered all areas of Kyushu connecting Beppu, Yufuin, Kuju Highland, Handa Plateau, Aso, and Nagasaki with one route. In 1935, Aburaya died in Beppu at the age of 73. His dream to make this place into a world renowed tourist resort is still alive everywhere in the town of Beppu.”
Kumahachi Aburaya was born to a rice wholesaler in Uwajima, Ehine Prefecture in 1863. From a young age, he was known to be a hard worker.Aburaya went to Osaka at the age of 30 and made an enormous fortune speculating on the rice market. His name was “General Aburaya”. He failed in his speculation and lost all his money at the age of 34. He then went to the United States in the smelly and sultry bowels of a ship. Aburaya traveled for 3 years from Canada to Mexico and returned to Japan when he was 38. He was christened when he was in the United States.
Aburaya went to Beppu when he was 46 and started running a hotel. He made it to a first-class hotel which receive wealthy people from all around the world. He promoted large scale advertising projects, like the ones he saw in the United States. He passed out leaflets from an airplane flying around Osaka and put up poles saying ” The best of Japan: Mount Fuji, Seto Inland Sea, and Beppu Hot Springs” on Mt Fuji. He put unique ideas into practice one after another to publicize Beppu. Aburaya was the first in Japan to introduce tour buses with female guides and the hot spring “Hell Tour” gained explosive popularity. Many interesting people wanting to do whatever they do to develop tourism in Beppu came to join Aburaya. All these people liked children so they formed “Otogi Club” or fairy club to provide children with opportunities to enjoy fairy stories, songs, and other music performances. At Christmas, a santa Claus even appeared from a seaplane to surprise the children. Children in the otogi club called aburaya “Shiny Uncle” because of his bald head. Aburaya also developped Yufuin into a hot spring resort. He thought up a tourism plan which covered all areas of Kyushu connecting Beppu, Yufuin, Kuju Highland, Handa Plateau, Aso, and Nagasaki with one route. In 1935, Aburaya died in Beppu at the age of 73. His dream to make this place into a world renowed tourist resort is still alive everywhere in the town of Beppu.”
Aburaya went to Beppu when he was 46 and started running a hotel. He made it to a first-class hotel which receive wealthy people from all around the world. He promoted large scale advertising projects, like the ones he saw in the United States. He passed out leaflets from an airplane flying around Osaka and put up poles saying ” The best of Japan: Mount Fuji, Seto Inland Sea, and Beppu Hot Springs” on Mt Fuji. He put unique ideas into practice one after another to publicize Beppu. Aburaya was the first in Japan to introduce tour buses with female guides and the hot spring “Hell Tour” gained explosive popularity. Many interesting people wanting to do whatever they do to develop tourism in Beppu came to join Aburaya. All these people liked children so they formed “Otogi Club” or fairy club to provide children with opportunities to enjoy fairy stories, songs, and other music performances. At Christmas, a santa Claus even appeared from a seaplane to surprise the children. Children in the otogi club called aburaya “Shiny Uncle” because of his bald head. Aburaya also developped Yufuin into a hot spring resort. He thought up a tourism plan which covered all areas of Kyushu connecting Beppu, Yufuin, Kuju Highland, Handa Plateau, Aso, and Nagasaki with one route. In 1935, Aburaya died in Beppu at the age of 73. His dream to make this place into a world renowed tourist resort is still alive everywhere in the town of Beppu.”
