Oita City
It is easy to overlook and walk past Inase, which seems to be hiding in the shade of the surrounding establishments in central Oita. Oita is a slick modern city and Inase’s…
At a glance
An atmospheric and popular restaurant in the centre of Oita City.
Azul, found in Oita City’s central Takemachi shopping arcade, generally caters to clubbers with an appetite for left of field electronic music, but depending on the night can also…
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A popular night club with one of the best sounds systems in west Japan.
Oita has long been a popular destination for Japanese visitors and, as a consequence, the choice of accommodation found around the prefecture is plentiful and varied. These include…
Kurokawa was a contemporary of Arata Isozaki, work includes the Nakagin Capsule Hotel in Tokyo, Central Plaza 1 in Brisbane; Melbourne Central; Lane Crawford Place and Republic…
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Famed architect responsible for the Nakagin Capsule Hotel in Tokyo's Ginza district and Showa Denko Dome Oita.
Michi-no-eki wayside stations are a popular institution in Japan and, with 24 of them, Oita Prefecture has more than its fair share. Locals proudly run these shops, akin to…
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Locals and visitors alike flock to these wayside stations for local good-value produce and meals.
For an intimate European-style ambiance and menu head to Bar Ponte, which is found on the edge of Oita City’s Miyako-machi nightlife district. Almost all seating is along the…
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A cozy restaurant specialising in Mediterranean cuisine.
Oita City has developed at the expense of its history and unfortunately little remains of its past as a samurai stronghold. The ramparts and moat of Funai-jo castle can still be…
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These castle remains allude to the once powerful samurai that ruled Funai, the original name for Oita City.
Tatsuno was one of Japan’s celebrated western-style architects of the Meiji Period, when Japan rapidly changed from a feudal, samurai-led society into a modern society modelled on…
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The architect who designed Tokyo Station and Oita Bank's headquarters, both elegant buildings from the early 20th Century.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup held in Japan is widely regarded as a great success both as a sporting event and introduction to Japan. Even the cancellation of some matches caused by…
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Commemorative sculpture for the 2019 Rugby World Cup held in Japan and Oita.
Little original remains of Oita City’s samurai heritage but in 2020 the long lost landscaped garden of the Otomo family residence was opened to the public after a painstaking…
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A fascinating long-term project recreating the villa of Otomo Sorin.
Step through the doorway of Kamoshika Shoten, in central Oita City, and it is apparent that the owner, Shinsaku Iwao, has a passion for the printed word and a knack of creating…
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A discreet gem of a bookshop and cafe.
Marathons are a popular spectator and participatory sport in Japan with events held across the country. Each year in early February Oita Prefecture’s two principal cities, Beppu…
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An international field compete in this annual and popular event.
The Monkey Mountain Craft Beer brewery is one of those pocket-sized delights that Japan as a whole excels in. Except that in this case an American is the source of its life and…
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A charming boutique craft beer brewery producing award-winning craft beers.
Mt. Takasakiyama for is a reserve for wild Japanese macaques that is famous throughout Japan. The dominant monkey’s personalities and the dynamics of the troops they lead make…
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A haven for Japanese macaques, which are famed throughout Japan.
Oita’s rich natural environment provides a wealth of produce and resources. Add in the locals’ creative talent and you have Oita Made, which brings the best of Oita’s foods, drinks…
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A curated selection of some of the best of Oita Prefecture's produce, arts and crafts.
Born in 1931 in Oita City, Isozaki, who initially worked with Kisho Kurokawa under Japan’s greatest post-war architect Kenzo Tange, is one of Japan’s celebrated architects with…
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Pritzker Prize winning architect and Oita native.
The 9th Rugby World Cup came to Japan in 2019, the first time in the history of the sport that the event had been held in Asia. Between 20th September and 2nd November 2019, 20…
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When the Rugby World Cup came to Japan and Oita.
Ban caught the attention of the architectural world through his innovative use of cardboard tubes in construction in creating temporary structures that can be quickly and cheaply…
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A lauded Japanese architect with several projects in Oita Prefecture.
Trinita, Oita’s local football team, once led a roller coaster ride in Japan’s three division soccer series. In 2008, while competing in the J1 top division, it won the J. League…
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Oita City's professional soccer club.
Mid-summer every year, Funai Pacchin brings a visually extravagant and wonderfully crashing soundscape to Oita City when thousands throng the streets to celebrate Tanabata, a…
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Oita City's wonderfully vibrantly vigourous and popular mid-summer festival.
Golf has a long history in Japan with the first golf course established in Kobe in 1903 by a British expatriate yearning to play his favourite sport. Ever since the game’s…
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Enjoy Oita's natural scenic attractions from the fairways of 23 courses spread throughout the prefecture. An unrushed day's play for beginners and experienced players alike.
The seas of the Hoyo Straits are squeezed into narrows between Oita City’s Saganoseki and Sadamisaki, Shikoku’s distinctive peninsula that stretches out like a long limp finger…
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Prized mackerel from Oita's fertile seas.
The Oita International Wheelchair Marathon, which began in 1981 in commemoration of the International Year of the Disabled, is a top international event and the first of its kind…
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Annual wheelchair marathon through the streets of Oita attracting athletes from around the world.
Commonly known to the locals as Umitamago, which has the literal meaning of ‘sea egg’, this well-designed and popular aquarium is an immediate neighbour of the Takasakiyama Natural…
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A seaside aquarium introducing Oita's rich sealife and much more besides.
PEI, the acronym for Prince Edward Island, was for many years the sole western-style pub in the whole of Oita. Found in the heart of Oita City’s Miyako-machi nightlife district…
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A lively watering hole attracting Oita's mostly younger clientelle of foreign residents and local Japanese.
Uchii began his career in the offices of the influential architect Kiyonori Kikutake. Most of his work is found in Tokyo including the Setagaya Art Museum in Tokyo, a private…
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The architect of the Oita City Art Museum.
The Hive has joined the long-established PEI pub in providing a western-style pub experience to both a Japanese and non-Japanese clientele. Unlike PEI, however, the Hive places an…
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An Irish-style sports pub.
The seat of the Oita’s Prefectural Government and its economic powerhouse. Oita is the birth place of Arata Isozaki, one of Japan’s top architects and the winner of the 2019…
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Oita's vibrant and thriving prefectural capital.
Onsen are a feature found throughout the length and breadth of Japan. Oita, however, boasts the largest concentration of hot springs and they in turn are fed by the greatest volume…
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The onsen hot spring capital of the world.
Located in a quieter corner of Oita City’s lively Miyako-machi nightlife district is Nanbantei, a locally cherished teppanyaki restaurant. This unpretentious establishment with its…
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An iconic teppanyaki restaurant specialising in Bungo-gyu, Oita's prized wagyu beef.
Oita’s 775 kilometre (482 mile) long coastline is intricately varied and strung with myriad highlights including tremendous sea views, one remote beach after another, and unique…
Maybe exploring Oita’s railway heritage by road does seem to be a little non-sensical but please bear with us and read on.