Oita大分県

Places to seeWhere to go in Oita

Start with the first of these. Each is worth half a day.

Beppu Onsen別府温泉

Eight bathing areas in one town, with steam rising out of the streets between them.

A full dayYou can get in

MAP

Yufuin湯布院

A walking town under Mt. Yufu, with a lake, small galleries and one long street.

A full day

MAP

Usa Jingu宇佐神宮

The head shrine of thousands across Japan, in woodland, with an unusual twin-roofed hall.

Half a day

MAP

Yamanami Highwayやまなみハイウェイ

A mountain road over grassland and volcanic plateau, between Oita and Aso.

Half a day

MAP

What Oita is

In Beppu, steam rises out of drains, gardens and hillsides all over the town, and there are eight separate bathing areas within it.

Twenty minutes inland, Yufuin is the opposite: a small town under a twin-peaked mountain, with a lake, galleries and a single long street you walk from end to end. People come to Beppu to bathe and to Yufuin to wander.

When to comeThe same place, four different places

Pick the season first and the days will arrange themselves.

March – May

Grassland is burned in spring and comes back green in May. The best month for the highway.

June – August

Wet in June. The mountains stay cooler than the coast through August.

September – November

Autumn colour on the plateau, and the clearest views of Mt. Yufu.

December – February

The best season for an outdoor bath. Snow on the highway

Find it fastEverything in Oita