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3 Days in Oita: Itinerary 2026
Start your day in Beppu, famous for its hot springs. Visit the Beppu Hells (Jigoku) in the morning; the combined ticket for all seven hells costs 2,200 yen and takes about 2β¦ πΊοΈ Day 1: Beppu Onsen
Start your day in Beppu, famous for its hot springs. Visit the Beppu Hells (Jigoku) in the morning; the combined ticket for all seven hells costs 2,200 yen and takes about 2 hours. Have lunch at a local restaurant near Beppu Station, then take the bus to Kannawa Onsen to try a steam-cooked meal at a jigoku-mushi restaurant. In the evening, enjoy a relaxing onsen bath at one of the many public baths, such as Takegawara Onsen (entrance 300 yen, open until 10:30 PM).
ποΈ Day 2: Yufuin
Take the JR Kyudai Main Line from Beppu to Yufuin (about 50 minutes, 760 yen). Spend the morning strolling along Yunotsubo Kaido, a charming street lined with shops and cafes. Visit Lake Kinrin and the Yufuin Floral Village, then have lunch at a soba or tofu restaurant. In the afternoon, relax at an onsen or visit the Yufuin Art Museum. Return to Beppu or stay overnight in Yufuin.
π― Day 3: Oita City
Head to Oita City by train from Beppu (about 15 minutes, 240 yen). Start at Oita Station and walk to Funai Castle Ruins, a free historical site. Then visit the Oita Prefectural Art Museum (admission 300 yen, closed Mondays). For lunch, try toriten (chicken tempura) at a local restaurant like Toyoken. In the afternoon, explore the Takasakiyama Monkey Park (admission 520 yen) and take the monorail to the top. End your day with dinner and drinks in the Miyako-machi area.
π Getting Around
Oita is well connected by JR trains and buses. The JR Nippo Main Line links Beppu, Oita, and other major stops. Buses are frequent in Beppu and Yufuin, but less so in rural areas. A rental car is useful for exploring off-the-beaten-path spots like Usa Jingu or the Kunisaki Peninsula. IC cards like Suica and ICOCA are accepted on trains and buses.
π Where to Eat
Oita is known for toriten (chicken tempura), dango-jiru (dumpling soup), and fresh seafood. In Beppu, try the jigoku-mushi at Kannawa. In Yufuin, sample the rolled omelet at Yufuin Kinsho. In Oita City, head to the Chuo-machi area for izakayas and local sake. Budget around 1,000 to 2,000 yen for lunch and 3,000 to 5,000 yen for dinner.
π¨ Where to Stay
Beppu offers a range of accommodations, from budget hostels to luxury ryokan. Staying in a ryokan with a private onsen is a highlight; expect to pay 15,000 to 30,000 yen per night with meals. Yufuin has many charming guesthouses and ryokan, but they book up quickly. Oita City has business hotels near the station, typically 6,000 to 10,000 yen per night.
π° Budget Tips
Oita is relatively affordable compared to Tokyo or Osaka. Allocate about 8,000 to 12,000 yen per day for food, transport, and admissions. Consider a JR Kyushu Rail Pass if you plan to travel beyond Oita. Many temples and shrines are free, and onsen entrance fees are usually 100 to 500 yen. Convenience stores offer cheap meals if you're on a tight budget.
πΈ Seasonal Highlights
Spring brings cherry blossoms to places like Funai Castle Ruins and Yufuin. Summer is hot and humid, but Beppu's onsen and the coast offer relief. Autumn colors peak in November, especially in the Kunisaki Peninsula. Winter is mild, with occasional snow in the mountains; onsen are particularly inviting then.
the hells ticket tip is good but nobody warns u the steam at Kannawa is no joke in summer, i went in august and lasted maybe 15 min before i needed to sit in the shade with a cold drink. if ur doing jigoku-mushi there, book ahead on weekends, the popular spots sell out by noon.
one thing the guide misses for day 3: Takasakiyama is great but the monkeys come down to the base station area too, so if u dont wanna pay the monorail u can still see plenty just walking around the bottom. also the walk from Oita Station to Funai Castle is closer to 15 min than people expect, easy to squeeze in before the art museum opens at 10
for onsen, Takegawara is fine but if u want the real Kannawa experience try Hyotan Onsen, the rotemburo there is worth the extra few hundred yen
this is a nice writeup, the day 3 toriten rec is spot on. one angle nobody mentioned yet is the food side beyond toriten. oita's also known for reimen, the cold noodle soup, and seki-aji and seki-saba from the Bungo Channel, which are only in season a few months a year so check timing if thats ur thing.
for Beppu, if u stay at a ryokan with a private onsen, ask about kashikiri (reserved bath) at check-in, some places include it free but dont advertise it. also the Beppu Jigoku Meguri bus pass covers the loop for a full day and saves u buying singles every stop.
one thing the guide gets slightly off: IC cards work on most JR trains but a few rural buses in the Kunisaki area are cash only, so keep some coins on u if u go out that way
been living in Oita for two years and this is honestly one of the more accurate writeups ive seen, most guides oversell stuff. couple things id tweak tho. the jigoku-mushi at Kannawa, the good spots like Jigokumushi Kobo Kannawa let u rent the steamer and cook your own stuff from the market next door for like 500 yen plus ingredients, way better than ordering the set menu at a restaurant. grab some chicken and veggies at the little shop by the bus terminal and DIY it.
for day 3, skip the monorail at Takasakiyama if the weathers clear and just take the free walking trail up, its about 25 min and u get way better views of Beppu Bay on the way. also Miyako-machi is fine but Chuo-machi a few blocks over has the better izakayas, less touristy and cheaper. try a place called Kappo Tonbo if u can find it, no english menu but the dango-jiru there is the real deal.
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Things to Do in Oita (2026)
Beppu is famous for its eight jigoku (hells), and the Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell) is a stunning cobalt blue pool at 98Β°C. The combo ticket for all eight hells costs 2,200 yen foβ¦ β¨οΈ Soak in Beppu's Hells
Beppu is famous for its eight jigoku (hells), and the Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell) is a stunning cobalt blue pool at 98Β°C. The combo ticket for all eight hells costs 2,200 yen for adults, and you can easily spend half a day exploring them. For a more intimate onsen experience, head to Hyotan Onsen, which has a variety of baths and a steam room, open from 9:00 to 21:00 (entry 1,050 yen).
π¦ Meet the Monkeys at Takasakiyama
Takasakiyama Monkey Park in Oita City is home to over 1,500 wild Japanese macaques. The park is open from 8:30 to 17:00 (entry 520 yen for adults), and you can buy monkey food for 100 yen to feed them from inside a designated enclosure. To get there, take the Oita Bus from Oita Station to Takasakiyama, about 30 minutes.
π― Explore Usuki's Stone Buddhas
The Usuki Stone Buddhas are a National Treasure and one of the most impressive ancient sites in Kyushu. There are over 60 figures carved into the cliffs, mostly from the 12th century, and the site is open from 8:30 to 17:00 (entry 550 yen). Usuki is about 40 minutes by train from Oita Station on the JR Nippo Main Line.
π Slurp Oita's Local Noodles
Oita is known for its hearty noodle dishes, and you should try dango-jiru (a miso soup with hand-pulled wheat dumplings) and Oita ramen, which features a rich tonkotsu broth. For a classic bowl, head to Ramen Kokoro in Beppu, open from 11:00 to 22:00 (closed Wednesdays), where a bowl costs around 800 yen. Another local favorite is Toriten (chicken tempura), often served with kabosu citrus.
β©οΈ Wander Through Usa Jingu
Usa Jingu is one of the most important Shinto shrines in Japan and the head shrine of all Hachiman shrines. The shrine is free to enter and open from 6:00 to 18:00 (until 17:00 in winter). It's about 15 minutes by bus from Usa Station on the JR Nippo Main Line, and the approach is lined with ancient trees.
π‘ Ride the Beppu Ropeway
The Beppu Ropeway takes you up Mount Tsurumi for panoramic views of Beppu Bay and the surrounding mountains. A round-trip ticket costs 1,800 yen for adults, and the cable car runs every 15 to 20 minutes from 9:00 to 17:00. On clear days, you can see as far as Shikoku, and there are hiking trails at the top.
π Taste Kabosu Citrus
Oita is Japan's top producer of kabosu, a tart citrus fruit similar to lime. You can visit the Kabosu Kobo in Taketa to learn about its uses and buy products like kabosu juice, dressing, and sweets. The shop is open from 9:00 to 17:00, and Taketa is about an hour by train from Oita Station.
π Try a Sand Bath
Beppu's sand baths are a unique experience where you are buried in naturally heated sand. The most famous is Takegawara Onsen in Beppu, which offers sand baths for 1,500 yen (including a yukata rental) from 8:00 to 22:00 (last entry at 21:00). It's a 10-minute walk from Beppu Station, and the feeling of warmth is incredibly relaxing.
good coverage of the big spots. the one thing i'd flag is that Usuki and Usa are both doable on the same JR day if you plan it right, since they're on the same line going north-ish, but most people burn a whole day on just Usuki when they don't have to. the stone buddhas themselves are a 15 min bus or taxi from Usuki station, not walkable, which the guide doesnt mention and it trips people up. also bring bug spray for the buddha site in summer, the mossy cliff area gets mosquito-heavy after rain.
solid list. one thing i'd add for the Beppu hells: buy the combo ticket at the first one you visit, not online in advance, since the little stamp rally booklet they hand you is half the fun and you collect a stamp at each jigoku. also the Umi Jigoku gift shop sells hell-steamed eggs (jigoku mushi tamago) for like 100 yen and they're worth grabbing.
for Takasakiyama, go early. the monkeys come down from the mountain in bigger numbers before 10am and by midday a lot of them have wandered off. the bus from Oita Station is the Kamenoi bus btw, not just "Oita Bus," platform 6 if i remember right.
and yeah Takegawara is great but the sand bath there gets packed on weekends. if you want a quieter one try the Beppu Beach Sand Bath further along the coast, same price roughly, way fewer people.
appreciate this, saving it for when my parents visit in spring
one thing id add: the takasakiyama monkeys are wild, not a zoo, so keep food totally out of sight. i watched a macaque unzip a guys backpack pocket on the bus platform before he even got to the entrance. dont carry a plastic bag either, they associate the crinkle with food and will chase
also if youve got a car, the yabakei gorge up in nakatsu is criminally underrated and barely on any english list. the aonodomon tunnel was hand chiseled through rock over 30 years back in the edo period, you can still walk through it. about 1.5 hrs from oita city but worth the drive in autumn