Activities & Sports
A stone’s throw from the Ajimu Winery is the pocket-sized Sonic Park, where karting enthusiasts speed up to 80km per hour around its tightly twisting 1,080 metre track.
At a glance
A fun introduction to the motorised sport world.
Himeshima, with its very limited number of vehicles, relaxed and quiet lifestyle, limited hills to climb and very few vehicles, provides a delightful environment for a leisurely…
At a glance
Rental cycles are available to explore this charming island.
Although one of the most picturesque driving experiences in Japan, the Yamanami Highway remains a less-driven way. Running through the heart of Oita from Beppu via Yufuin to the…
Like golf in Japan, Keirin seems at once familiar but also contains a charming, inimitably Japanese essence. A track cycling sport that originated in 1948 in Fukuoka’s Kita-Kyushu…
At a glance
The thrill of Keirin cycling and, if you wish, the chance for a flutter in the heart of Beppu.
Yabakei, is an extensive, scenic area centred on a valley carved over 2.5 million years by the Yamakuni River. Riven by forested valleys and interspersed with numerous cliffs and…
At a glance
An extensive rural area of gorges that are scenic at any time of year but especially beautiful in the autumn.
The Kunisaki Peninsula is imbued with a placid spirituality embodied by 1,300 year-old Rokugo-Manzan, an esoteric Buddhist-Shinto religion now uncommon elsewhere in Japan. Quiet…
For bicycle touring aficionados, Japan, with its varied countryside is a great place to visit. Oita’s many quiet country lanes, lack of vehicle traffic on all but the major…
At a glance
Oita's mostly quiet country roads make it a great place to explore on a cycle.
Midoriso Nada Beach House has a fantastic location in a pine forest only a few steps from the extensive sands of Nata Beach aside the Seto Inland Sea. Its closest neighbour is the…
At a glance
Laidback comfortable accommodation aside a 2km-long sand beach and the pacific Seto Inland Sea.
Rakutenchi is a children’s paradise, a theme land of innocent playfulness and excitement. First opened in 1929, Rakutenchi has long held a special appeal and nostalgia for the…
At a glance
Beppu's delightful theme park for younger children and the young at heart.
The twin-peaked Mt. Yufu-dake soars to 1,583 metres dominating its surroundings. It is also a popular and relatively easy mountain to climb, taking about 2~2.5 hours from the main…
At a glance
Perhaps one of the nicest mountains to climb in the whole of Japan and suitable for almost all ages and abilities.
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…
At a glance
The onsen hot spring capital of the world.
A satellite marine-life of Oita’s highly regarded Umitamago Aquarium, Tsukumi Iruka-jima specialises in dolphins, which live in the semi-wild here. Their performances wow the…
At a glance
Dolphins in a semi-wild environment are the principal attraction at Oita's second largest aquarium.
A number of shipyards are found in the south of Oita around Usuki and Saiki. Although they are not normally open to the public, a ship launch is a cause to celebrate and access is…
At a glance
Pomp & circumstance when ships are launched into the sea.
Kunisaki’s quiet country roads through verdant countryside and aside the Seto Inland Sea are ideal for cycling and each year, over 2,500 cycle enthusiasts enter Oita’s largest…
At a glance
As much a tour of the beautiful Kunisaki Peninsula as a test of sporting prowess.
The Taio-Kinzan was once the largest gold mine in Asia; Oita’s very own El Dorado. Production stopped in 1972 but some 800 metres of the old tunnels have since been opened to the…
At a glance
The gold may have been extracted long ago but this old mine is still a jewel of an attraction.
Hazako is a small settlement about halfway along the Tsurumisaki peninsula where, until relatively recently, access was only possible by boat. Although vehicles have replaced the…
At a glance
A quiet beach near the tip of the Tsurumisaki peninsula where sea turtles arrive each year to layer their eggs.
Electric-assist cycles are available to rent at Innai’s Michi-no-eki wayside station to explore the surrounding picturesque countryside, which boasts the greatest concentration of…
At a glance
A charming region to cycle arouund centred on the local Michi-no-eki.
For a whimsically playful time head to the high foothills of the Kuju mountains and the expansive rolling grasslands of Doshinkaiki Farm. While organic vegetables, blueberries,…
At a glance
Open-air adventure for the young and young at heart in the highlands of Taketa.
With more onsen hot springs than anywhere else in Japan, Beppu takes the crown as the nation’s top onsen hot spring destination. So much hot water wells up from beneath the ground…
At a glance
Legendary onsen hot spring town aside the Seto Inland Sea. Great views, thriving arts scene, great dining and nightlife.
For panoramic views over Beppu and Beppu Bay to the east and Mt. Yufu-dake to the west ride the Beppu Ropeway, which whisks passengers up almost 800 metres to the summit of Mt.…
At a glance
Great views over Beppu Bay while taking the easy way up to the top of Mt. Tsurumi-dake.
Magma Glass Studio has been established in a delightful, period wooden building in a peaceful setting in panoramic countryside on the outskirts of Bungo Taketa. The husband and…
At a glance
The rural surroundings inspire the work of the Magama's talented glassblowers.
The ferry across the placid Seto Inland Sea only takes 20 minutes to sail from Imi to Himeshima, an island lying off the Kunisaki Peninsula’s north coast. Yet, however short the…
At a glance
A charming island off the Kunisaki Peninsula's north coast, where the locals are particularly friendly and the seafood plentiful.
The Kunisaki Hantou Minemichi Long Trail, to give its full name, is a meandering, 134km-long hiking route that weaves through the Kunisaki Peninsula following in the footsteps of…
At a glance
A hiking trail that reaches to the innermost heart, geographic and spiritual, of the Kunisaki Peninsula.
The journey along the Yamanami Highway from Beppu via Yufuin to Aso, in neighbouring Kumamoto Prefecture is one of Japan’s greatest scenic routes to travel in a car, or on a…
At a glance
A three-hour drive through beautiful and multi-varied, rural countryside.
Throughout the ages there are some athletes so accomplished they transcend their sport and establish records so substantial that they are considered unbreakable. Futabayama…
At a glance
The boyhood home of Japan's greatest ever sumo wrestler.
One of Oita’s most spectacular roads skirts the prefecture’s intricate coastline from central Saiki to Oita’s southern borders. It then continues on into neighbouring Miyazaki…
At a glance
One of the great coastal road of Japan.
The quest for beauty often requires an effort, and the journey to one of Oita’s sublimely scenic sites is no different. Found literally at the end of a long and winding road, at…
At a glance
A remote beautiful gorge that fully rewards those who make the journey.
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…
At a glance
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.
In years past, it was common to see the professional Keirin athletes from the velodrome in Beppu training in pelotons on the roads of Kunisaki until fixed-wheeled bikes, which they…
At a glance
A haven for cyclists, from the novice to experienced, to explore.
Maybe exploring Oita’s railway heritage by road does seem to be a little non-sensical but please bear with us and read on.
Electric-assist cycles, available to rent at Nagayu’s information centre, are an ideal way to explore this charming onsen town
At a glance
Ideal village and countryside to explore gently on a bicycle, enjoy the scenery and relax in the many onsen hot springs found here.
Kuju Renzan is a 13km-long massif consisting of more than ten volcanic peaks including Mt. Naka-dake, which at 1,791m is the highest mountain in Kyushu. Each peak is dormant except…
At a glance
Volcanoes atop Kyushu. A variety of trails open around the year for the beginner and seasoned hiker.
Kokopelli riding stables are enviably located in Taketa’s Kuju Kogen, a highland National Park with some of the grandest scenery in Japan. To one side are the towering mountains of…
At a glance
Western-style horse riding in some of Japan's best scenery.
Harmony Land’s ferris wheel is hard to miss as it towers over the surrounding countryside and only heightens the excitement that fans of Sanrio’s characters entertain when visiting…
At a glance
Fun for the family with younger children and the young at heart.
Kitsuki is a compact, quiet and genteel town that still retains the atmosphere it once had as samurai stronghold. The kitadai samurai quarter is reached via a flight of old…
At a glance
Once the strong hold of a samurai clan closely associated with the ruling shogun, this old seaside castle town retains a pleasant air of its past.
At the largest wildlife park in west Japan an exotic and exciting experience is provided for children through to adults alike in the heart of Oita. Visitors come into close –…
At a glance
A great wildlife adventure for the family.
Baien-no-Sato is a small, onsen hot spring resort atop a hill in the centre of the Kunisaki Peninsula. It also has the additional and very unusual attraction for a hotel of a 65cm…
At a glance
Accommodation, onsen hot spring baths and a giant telescope combine in a tribute to a local son who became one of Japan's Edo Period polymaths.
The Tour de Saiki is an annual bicycle event held each October from blue seas via pristine river courses to verdant mountains and back again. Began in 1990, each year 2,000 amateur…
At a glance
Oita's largest event for amateur cycle fans.
The Oita Kotsu bus company runs two regular, scheduled tours to Kunisaki and Yabakei. Both are convenient ways to explore both areas with start and finish points at Oita and Beppu…
At a glance
A convenient way to explore two of Oita's most attractive regions.
Tsukahara, located a short drive from and high above Yufuin, is an elegantly charming village, which is listed as one of Japan’s most beautiful, is tucked into the north lee of…
At a glance
Cycling in the lanes of leaf and rural Tsukahara near Yufuin.
Ranging from the thrilling to the benign, the entertainment at Kijima caters for all the family. The park’s 25-hectare site is dominated by Jupiter, a 1,600 metre long wooden…
At a glance
The Jupiter wooden roller coaster is just one of many thrilling attractions at Kijima Kogen, which also provides amusements suitable for all ages.
The sister circuit to Autopolis, Spa Naoiri specialises in two wheels, both motorised and human-powered.
At a glance
A racing circuit for budding and veteran sportsbikers and cyclists alike.
Resonate Club Kuju, an onsen hot spring resort hotel, has a coveted location cocooned in the natural wonders of the Aso-Kuju National Park. Here, the mountains of the Kuju Renzan…
At a glance
A luxury hotel in a spectacular National Park location.
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…
At a glance
Commemorative sculpture for the 2019 Rugby World Cup held in Japan and Oita.
The Maple Yabakei Cycling Road follows the beautiful Yabakei Gorge from Ao-no-Domon to Morizane Onsen along the old route of the single-track Yabakei Railway, along which steam…
At a glance
Cycling in the gorgeously rural Yabakei gorge.