Leisure & Shopping
Any gourmet passionate about fish has to make the journey to Saiki, which boasts the widest range of fresh fish found anywhere in Japan. Lying off the intricate coast of Saiki is…
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In a nation known for its seafood, Saiki is a pescatorial paradise.
Yufuin, is a refined, up-market, onsen hot spring town in wonderful rural setting towered over by Mt. Yufu-dake, an extinct volcano. The town boast a wealth of cafes, restaurants,…
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A chic onsen hot spring resort in a beautiful rural setting.
The colourful banners fluttering in the sea breeze will draw anyone’s attention to the quiet and unassuming building that serves as home, studio and gallery for the original and…
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Vibrantly coloured designs closely reflect the cheerful personalities of the husband and wife artists who have set up their studio and shop in Imi.
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.
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…
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Fun for the family with younger children and the young at heart.
Electric-assist cycles, available to rent at Nagayu’s information centre, are an ideal way to explore this charming onsen town
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Ideal village and countryside to explore gently on a bicycle, enjoy the scenery and relax in the many onsen hot springs found here.
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.
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…
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A haven for cyclists, from the novice to experienced, to explore.
Myoho Asari is on a lifetime’s mission to spread knowledge about koji, a key ingredient of Japanese cuisine. Myoho represents the ninth generation of Kojiya Honten, a family-owned…
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A long-established purveyor of an essential ingredient of Japanese cuisine.
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.
For a rural community barely known of in the rest of Oita, Nakatsue drew enormous national attention during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. It hosted the Republic of Cameroon’s national…
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A verdant village in deepest Oita with a strong connection to Cameroon.
Travelling on a cycle, motor bike or car and then pitching a tent for the night or exploring in a recreational vehicles have never been major leisure activities in Japan on the…
The journey to Autopolis along quiet country lanes, past carefully tended farmhouse gardens through the picturesque valley-riven, deeply forested countryside in the west of Oita is…
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A top-class race circuit in the centre of Kyushu.
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…
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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.
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…
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Laidback comfortable accommodation aside a 2km-long sand beach and the pacific Seto Inland Sea.
Touinryo is an unexpected gem; an historic building from the 1880s that has been refurbished and repurposed as a delightful gallery and cafe. Located a short walk from the La…
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An unexpected but popular destination for art, food and good company on the Kunisaki Peninsula's north coast.
Fujimori is probably the least well-known overseas of Japan’s acclaimed architects. However, his portfolio of eccentric, whimsical and very humane structures certainly deserves…
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A Japanese architect who has created some of Japan's most organically-inspired buildings including Lamune Onsen in Nagayu Onsen.
The Showa-no-machi quarter in Bungo-Takada, a small city settled into the north-west shoulder of the Kunisaki Peninsula, seems to have been stopped in a retro time warp centred on…
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Bungo Takada's post-war retro feel makes it quite unique in Japan.
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.
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…
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Cycling in the gorgeously rural Yabakei gorge.
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.
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.
Suncloud Outfitters, which is just off the beaten track in central Yufuin, is widely sort out for its range of lesser-known but quality Japanese and overseas outdoor wear brands…
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Yufuin's oudoor specialist with a great range of goods and friendly advice and information.
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…
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Beppu's delightful theme park for younger children and the young at heart.
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…
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An extensive rural area of gorges that are scenic at any time of year but especially beautiful in the autumn.
Dignity and finesse imbues everything about Kamenoi Besso, which is one of Japan’s finest ryokan inns. Quintessential essences of Japan are embodied in its tranquil surroundings…
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A exquisitely refined ryokan inn in the heart of Yufuin.
Top grade grapes for the table are grown widely in Kyushu and are a staple fruit during the summer months. Grapes for viticulture, the production of wine, are, however, much rarer…
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Oita's first winery and a must visit for anyone wanting aquaint themselves with Japanese wines from the grape.
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…
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The Jupiter wooden roller coaster is just one of many thrilling attractions at Kijima Kogen, which also provides amusements suitable for all ages.
Travel on the railways and roads of Oita Prefecture is usually through verdant forested mountains or occasionally cityscapes. However, the scenery changes in dramatic fashion at…
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The extensive mining of limestone here has added another and very different dimension to Oita's landscape.
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…
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A charming region to cycle arouund centred on the local Michi-no-eki.
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…
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A three-hour drive through beautiful and multi-varied, rural countryside.
Hita, set in deep countryside in the west of Oita, is at the centre of northern Kyushu. Serving as the shogun’s most important stronghold on the island, roads fanned out in all…
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An elegant and historic town surrounded by verdant countryside.
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…
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A quiet beach near the tip of the Tsurumisaki peninsula where sea turtles arrive each year to layer their eggs.
Usuki’s grand temples hints at the power it once held and wealth it accumulated in the Edo Period, when the samurai ruled the land. Today, it is a compact and quiet town of…
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An historic castle town with connections to the Portuguese, Dutch and British that stretch back over 400 hundred years.
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…
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Dolphins in a semi-wild environment are the principal attraction at Oita's second largest aquarium.
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.…
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Great views over Beppu Bay while taking the easy way up to the top of Mt. Tsurumi-dake.
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.
Oga Farm is a bit of a misnomer as it is really a garden and a very pleasant one to boot. Beautifully sited with a southern aspect on a bluff overlooking Beppu Bay, Oga Farm is a…
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A charming rose and herb garden to relax in and leisurely savour.
Umeshu-gura Oyama, which combines a boutique umeshu plum winery and ume plum emporium, is heaven for any ume aficionado. Deep in Hita’s ume orchard countryside and aside the…
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A boutique prize winning umeshu winery adjacent to the wonderful Ume-Hibiki hotel.
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…
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A charming island off the Kunisaki Peninsula's north coast, where the locals are particularly friendly and the seafood plentiful.
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.
A visit to Yunohira Onsen is a step back into an older time. Hidden in the mountains outside Yufuin on an mountainside beside the tumbling Kagono-gawa river, this tiny, atmospheric…
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An olde-worlde feel permeates this quiet hillside onsen hot spring village.
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…
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A convenient way to explore two of Oita's most attractive regions.
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.
An unusual name for an unusually eclectic space. Hi! Yoriyo, which is beautifully located in a small hamlet betwixt Taketa city centre and the Kuju Highlands, has been conceived by…
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An intriguingly pleasant cafe and gallery space found unexpectedly in Taketa's countryside.
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…
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Legendary onsen hot spring town aside the Seto Inland Sea. Great views, thriving arts scene, great dining and nightlife.
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…
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The rural surroundings inspire the work of the Magama's talented glassblowers.
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.