Oita · 大分市

On Beppu Bay in the northeast of Kyūshū lies the prefectural capital, which mostly stands in the shadow of the neighboring spa town of Beppu. If you deliberately start your Ōita vacation here, you'll discover a city with a surprisingly cosmopolitan past, wild monkeys on its outskirts, and a cuisine that all of Japan knows.

Ōtomo Sōrin and the First Europeans

In the 16th century, the city was called Funai and was the seat of the powerful lord Ōtomo Sōrin. In 1551 he received Francis Xavier, and later had himself baptized. Portuguese merchants and missionaries brought music, medicine, and Western goods; the merchant and physician Luís de Almeida founded the first hospital in Japan modeled on European lines here around 1557. Monuments in the city center recall this era. Of Funai Castle, walls, moats, and a few reconstructed towers remain in a park in the center.

Sights in Ōita

On Mount Takasaki-yama, along the coastal road to Beppu, around a thousand wild Japanese macaques live in several groups. At the natural zoo, they come down from the forest at feeding time, and you can observe their social life up close. Across the road is the Umitamago aquarium, with walruses and tanks showing the variety of fish found in the bay. In the city center, Shigeru Ban designed the prefectural art museum OPAM, a glass box whose facade can be opened toward the boulevard. Sports fans know the city's large domed stadium, which hosted quarterfinals during the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Eating in Ōita

If you like chicken, you're in the right place: toriten, pieces fried in tempura batter and served with vinegar-soy sauce and mustard, originated here, as did the karaage variations from nearby Nakatsu. From the port of Saganoseki come seki-aji and seki-saba, horse mackerel and mackerel from the strong currents of the Hōyo Strait, which fetch top prices as sashimi. They are served with kabosu, a green citrus fruit that Ōita uses for almost everything, from fish to highballs. Warming is dango-jiru, a miso soup with wide, hand-pulled strips of dough. The pubs around the pedestrian zones of Funai-machi and Chūō-machi are busy in the evenings.

Onsen, Art, and Festivals

Ōita Prefecture has more hot springs than any other in Japan, and several bubble up within the city limits as well. Public baths and hotels with their own onsen can be found not only in Beppu but also in Ōita itself, often at low prices and without the tourist crowds. Culturally, besides OPAM, the city offers the Iichiko Culture Center Hall, which hosts concerts and theater. In summer, a big fireworks display lights up the bay, and in fall a light installation along the main street draws crowds. One of the highlights is the zoo on Takasaki-yama: research into how monkey groups form hierarchies began here early on, and the keepers know many of the animals by name.

Getting There, Best Time to Visit, and Excursions

Ōita Airport (OIT) is on the Kunisaki Peninsula; buses take about an hour to reach the city center. By train, Ōita is reachable from Fukuoka in about two hours on the Limited Express Sonic. The best times to visit are spring and fall; in winter, the hot springs are especially appealing. Beppu with its steaming hells is only 15 minutes away by train, and Yufuin, with a view of Mount Yufu, is just under an hour away. To the south, the stone Buddhas of Usuki are worth a visit: figures carved from the rock that are considered national treasures.