Relaxation | Oita, Japan | Tourism Information

Beppu: Onsen hot springs, art & much more

With more onsen hot springs than anywhere else in Japan, Beppu takes the crown as the nation’s top onsen hot spring destination.

At a glance

Legendary onsen hot spring town aside the Seto Inland Sea. Great views, thriving arts scene, great dining and nightlife.

Relaxation

Onsen Hot Springs

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 of hot spring water.

Tsurumisaki

Tsurumisaki is, at its furthest extent, the most easterly point in Kyushu. A quiet 30 kilometre road gently winds its way aside the sea, past bays and through one fishing hamlet after another.

Kamoshika Shoten bookshop and cafe

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 comfortable environments.

Accommodation in Abundance & Variety

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.

Yunohira Onsen

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 village is a far cry from the modern, high-tech image of Japan.

Yufuin

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, shops selling high-quality locally-made handicrafts, boutiques, art galleries and small museums. A compact town it is ideal to stroll around.

Ume-Hibiki

Ume Hibiki draws its name from the ume plum orchards it is surrounded by and the glorious views it affords over the Hibiki Gorge.

Tsukumi Iruka-jima Marine-life Centre

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 crowds and there are also opportunities to swim with them.

The Onsen Experience

Onsen are enjoyed for their therapeutic, relaxing qualities and are one of Japan’s great attractions; a perennial favourite among both the Japanese and overseas visitors. Buddhism, which first arrived in Japan in 552, used onsen for purification rites.

At a glance

The art & etiquette of Japanese bathing in onsen hot springs

Sapporo Hita Brewery

Introduced to Japan in the 19th Century, beer has long been the nation’s favourite tipple and today accounts for approximately two-thirds of alcohol consumption.

At a glance

Visit Sapporo's Hita brewery to learn about the origins of the company and to savour some of Japan's classic beers.

Rakutenchi

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 Japanese, especially if they have visited as a young child.

Nagayu & Lamune Onsen

Nagayu is one of the most charming onsen resorts anywhere in Japan. A small town aside a river, it has a lovely and particularly unspoilt charm.

At a glance

One of the nicest onsen resorts, which is really a village, in Japan. A wonderful example of contemprary Japanese architecture houses a carbonated hot spring.

Michi-no-eki Wayside Stations

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 idiosyncratic convenience stores on steroids, selling a large variety of produce and dishes from the immediate area.

Kijima Kogen Amusement Park

Ranging from the thrilling to the benign, the entertainment at Kijima caters for all the family.

Himeshima beach

Himeshima is a homely island and, amongst other attractive qualities, sports one of the nicest and least visited beaches in all Oita. The ferry from Imi on the Kunisaki Peninsula’s north coast arrives in a short 20 minutes at Himeshima’s port, which is cheek-by-jowl with the island’s main settlement.

Hatotsu beach

At the very southern limit of Oita’s coastline, just on the boarder with Miyazaki, is Hatotsu Kaigan, a sandy beach settled into a lovely, secluded bay fringed with pine trees.

Baien-no-Sato & Miura Baien Museum

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 reflecting telescope used for star gazing into our Universe and far beyond into deep space.

Ajimu Winery

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 in the region.