Japan is also known for its chicken recipes, and so if clients are meat eaters why not suggest ordering toriten and karaage during their stay? The recipe for both involves marinating or flouring chicken chunks and deep-frying them, before serving with delectable sides and sauces. While the delicacies can be easily found across Oita, Soba Cafe Yuhi is a recommended place to enjoy some of the best tastes paired with a picturesque view of the Seto Inland Sea. The cafe is currently closed for renovation work, but is scheduled to reopen in May.

Meanwhile, the most popular locally brewed liquors in Oita are mugi-jochu, nihonshu sake and a selection of other wines and beers. Move in any direction and visitors will end up in a distillery or brewery, but they can begin with Kuncho, a brewery in Hita town centre and then travel to Sapporo Hita Brewery in its outskirts. Umeshu-gura Oyama, in the countryside south of Hita, is a great place to experiment with top-notch plum wines.

Make sure you tell clients to save space for dessert! Stopping by the roadside shack – and 40-year-old boutique parlour – named Izumiya, they can savour impeccable ice cream home-made by a husband-and-wife team. As well as a wide range of ice cream flavours the couple also serve Kujus – a new type of dairy product that's similar to yogurt and cheese. It originates from Kusumi Kogen, and is based on the traditional production method of the thick Icelandic skyr yoghurt.

There’s a close-knit relationship between food and sustainability in this prefecture (see box), so any traveller who seeks fine food in balance with nature will find Oita beyond perfect.

No matter how long they stay in Oita, they will always be tempted to come back, be it for the variety of food, the tranquillity of the countryside or for learning the sustainable way of life; the destination leaves its visitors yearning for more.

Click here to find out more about sustainable travel in Oita and here for more activities and attractions.