Spots in Oita

Each spot shows when its facts were last checked against official sources.

By prefecture:

HokkaidoHokkaido (60)

TohokuAomori (30)Iwate (30)Miyagi (40)Akita (30)Yamagata (30)Fukushima (30)

KantoIbaraki (30)Tochigi (30)Gunma (30)Tokyo (30)Kanagawa (30)

ChubuNiigata (30)Ishikawa (30)Yamanashi (30)Nagano (30)Gifu (30)Shizuoka (30)

KansaiMie (30)Kyoto (30)Osaka (30)Hyogo (30)Nara (30)Wakayama (30)

ChugokuHiroshima (30)

ShikokuKagawa (30)

Kyushu & OkinawaFukuoka (30)Nagasaki (30)Kumamoto (30)Oita (30)Okinawa (30)

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No photo yetBeppu, OitaBeppu Jigoku Meguri (Hells of Beppu)In the Kannawa and Kamegawa districts of Beppu are seven "hells" where steam and hot water from the springs burst out of the ground: Umi, Oniishi-bozu, Kamado, Oniyama, Shiraike, Chinoike and Tatsumaki Jigoku. Umi, Shiraike, Chinoike and Tatsumaki Jigoku are national places of scenic beauty, and a regular sightseeing bus goes round the hells.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBeppu, OitaBeppu RopewayOne of the largest ropeways in Kyushu, carrying 101 people to the top of Mt. Tsurumi (1,375 m) in Aso-Kuju National Park in 10 minutes. From the summit you can see the town of Beppu, Beppu Bay and the Kuju mountains; cherry blossoms and Miyama-kirishima azaleas in spring, a cool retreat in summer, autumn leaves in autumn and rime ice in winter.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBungotakada, OitaBungotakada Showa TownA town where the lively shopping street of the Showa 30s has been revived. Shops display a "treasure" telling their history and sell a speciality handed down through generations, and walking among the retro signs and buildings feels like slipping back to the Showa era. A bonnet bus runs a free loop mainly on Sundays and holidays, and in 2017 the town won the Asian Townscape Award.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBungotakada, OitaFuki-ji TempleA temple founded in the Heian period as the family temple of the chief priest of Usa Jingu. Its Great Hall, a National Treasure, is one of Japan's three Amida halls with the Phoenix Hall of Byodo-in in Uji and the Konjikido of Chuson-ji in Hiraizumi, and the oldest surviving wooden building in Kyushu. The Amida Buddha inside is an Important Cultural Property, and the wall painting of the Pure Land is counted among Japan's four great wall paintings. The grounds are covered in autumn leaves from late November to early December.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKunisaki, OitaFutago-ji TempleA temple of the Rokugo Manzan in the centre of the Kunisaki Peninsula, founded in 718 (Yoro 2) by Ninmon Bosatsu; from the Edo period it oversaw the Manzan temples. The pair of Nio guardian statues at the gate are the largest in Kunisaki and said to represent the peninsula for the beauty of their carving. With a great many maples across the grounds, it is one of the prefecture's leading spots for fresh spring green and autumn leaves.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBungo-ono, OitaHarajiri FallsOne of the main sights of the Sobo, Katamuki and Okue UNESCO Eco Park, known as an unusual waterfall that "suddenly appears in farmland" and chosen as one of Japan's 100 best waterfalls. It falls 20 m across a width of 120 m, and you can see it head-on from the suspension bridge in front, or get close just above and below it. The rock the water slides over is from the pyroclastic flow of the great Aso eruption 90,000 years ago.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNakatsu, OitaHitome Hakkei (Yabakei)Said to be especially scenic even within Yabakei, a place of scenic beauty: along the Yamautsuri River, a tributary of the Yamakuni River, you can see eight views at once - Kaibo-rei, Sennin-iwa, Shoen-zan, Meoto-iwa, Gun-en-zan, Eboshi-iwa, Ojika-nagao-rei and Washinosu-yama - hence the name "Hitome Hakkei" (eight views at a glance). In the autumn-leaf season the streams and rock faces turn red and yellow.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBungo-ono, OitaInazumi Underwater CaveOn the upper reaches of the clear Hakusan River, one of Japan's 100 best waters, the largest underwater limestone cave in Japan, where stalactites can be seen under water - rare even worldwide. It formed over 200 million years ago and is said to have been submerged by the great Aso eruption 83,000 years ago. There are also a museum and a "Showa shopping street", with a campground next door; fireflies can be seen on the Hakusan River from late May to mid June.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKitsuki, OitaKitsuki CastleBuilt as Kitsuki Castle by Kitsuki Yorinao in 1394 (Oei 1). The plateau surrounded by the sea and cliffs was a natural fortress, and its shape like a lying ox gave it the name "Gagyu Castle". The present keep is a mock keep built in 1970 (Showa 45); inside is a history museum with armour used by the lords and a jar of Bungo plums presented to the shogunate. 250 cherry trees bloom along the path in spring, and the keep looks over the city and Morie Bay.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKokonoe, OitaKokonoe "Yume" Otsurihashi Suspension BridgeA suspension bridge 173 m high and 390 m long, "Japan's highest" for a pedestrian-only bridge, at 777 m above sea level. From the bridge you can see Shindo Falls, one of Japan's 100 best waterfalls, and the Kyusuikei gorge, famous for fresh green and autumn leaves; around early November, when the leaves are at their best, it is crowded with visitors.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetTaketa, OitaKuju Flower ParkA flower park at 850 m in Aso-Kuju National Park, one of the largest in western Japan, where about 5 million flowers of about 500 kinds bloom from spring to autumn. There are a restaurant, a gelato shop, a variety shop and a craft workshop.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBungotakada, OitaKumano Magaibutsu (Rock-cut Buddhas)Beyond steep stone steps said to have been laid by a demon in one night are the Kumano rock-cut Buddhas, among the largest in Japan, an Important Cultural Property said to date from the late Heian period. On the cliff are carved a stern Dainichi Nyorai (about 6.7 m) on the right and a seemingly smiling Fudo Myoo (about 8 m) on the left; further up the steps is Kumano Shrine, and below is Taizo-ji.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetKokonoe, OitaKyusuikei GorgeKnown as a gorge where fresh green, autumn leaves and waterfalls are especially fine within the Kusu and Naruko river basins. Sheer cliffs continue for about 2 km on both banks, with primeval forests of fir, hemlock and katsura; its run of hairpin bends gives it the nickname "Jusan-magari" (thirteen bends). Around early November, when the leaves are best, many visitors come, and it can also be seen from the Kokonoe "Yume" Otsurihashi.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBeppu, OitaLake KagurameA lake about 1 km around, toward Mt. Tsurumi from Beppu Station and linked to Lake Shidaka by a path. In season (early June to early July) it is coloured by 300,000 irises (15,000 plants) of 80 kinds, drawing many visitors from inside and outside the prefecture.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetYufu, OitaLake KinrinOne of Yufuin's signature sights, in rich nature. Once called "the pond below the peak" as it lies below Mt. Yufu, it is said to have been named "Kinrin-ko" (golden-scale lake) in 1884 (Meiji 17) by the Confucian scholar Mori Kuso, who saw the scales of fish shining in the setting sun. A path runs round the lake, and on early mornings from autumn to winter the lake is wrapped in morning mist.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBeppu, OitaLake ShidakaA highland lake 600 m above sea level on the southeastern slope of Mt. Tsurumi in Beppu, within Aso-Kuju National Park, famous before the war as one of Beppu's three scenic spots. Boats float on the water, with wild birds and greenery; cherry blossoms in spring and autumn leaves in autumn, a path linking it to Kagurame Lake (famous for irises), and a lakeside campground.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBungotakada, OitaMaki Odo HallSaid to be one of the halls of Majikisan Denjo-ji, a "phantom great temple" that once flourished but burned down. It holds nine Buddhist statues that are Important Cultural Properties, notably the wooden Daiitoku Myoo riding a water buffalo, the largest in Japan, and a seated Amida from the Fujiwara period. Behind the hall is an "ancient park" where stone pagodas and Buddhas once scattered around the area were gathered to protect them.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBungotakada, OitaMatama Coast SunsetKnown as the only place in Oita where you can see the sun set into the horizon; on clear evenings everything turns red and the orange setting sun is reflected on the water. It is chosen as one of Japan's 100 best sunsets. Even at the lowest tide some water remains on the tidal flats, and the flats and the water shining gold in the sunset draw many photographers.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBeppu, OitaMyoban Yunohana HutsThe Myoban hot spring area is a strong geothermal zone where steam of hot-spring gas spurts from the ground. In about 50 thatched huts here, "yunohana" (hot-spring flowers) have been made since the Edo period by a hut method that is the only one in the world: gas rising through stone paving into blue clay crystallises, grows about 1 mm a day, and is collected after 40-60 days. The huts, which look like Jomon-period dwellings, last three years at most because of the steam and are re-thatched each time.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetUsuki, OitaNiozaza Historic Road (Usuki)Niozaza, at the foot of Usuki Castle, is a hill of tuff formed from Aso volcanic ash, where roads were cut through the rock. Its narrow lanes keep the feel of a castle town, with high stone walls, tiled roofs, white-walled buildings and many temples along the slopes; the "kiritoshi" cutting in front of the former Shinko-ji is one of Usuki's signature views. It was chosen among Japan's 100 best urban landscapes in November 1993.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOita, OitaOita Marine Palace Aquarium "Umitamago"An aquarium between Oita and Beppu, near Tanoura Beach, in a modern building that blends with Beppu Bay. In the indoor Ocean Zone, about 1,500 fish of some 90 species from the Bungo Channel swim round a large tank recreating the rias coast of southern Oita; outdoors there is a touch pool with rays, starfish and sea cucumbers and the "Umitama Performance" of marine mammals, where the exchange between a walrus and its trainer is a speciality.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetTaketa, OitaOka Castle RuinsSaid to have been built in 1185 (Bunji 1) by the local warrior Ogata Saburo Koreyoshi to welcome Minamoto no Yoshitsune, it became the castle of the Oka domain when the Nakagawa clan arrived in 1594. The remaining ruins, built by the first lord Nakagawa Hideshige, consist of the main, second, third and west enclosures; it is also called "Gagyu-jo" (lying-ox castle) for its shape. From the main enclosure you can see the Kuju mountains, and the second enclosure has a statue of Taki Rentaro by Asakura Fumio. It is one of Japan's 100 best cherry-blossom spots, and the "Oka Castle Cherry Blossom Festival" with a feudal lord's procession is held every early April.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetOita, OitaTakasakiyama Monkey ParkOne of Japan's leading natural zoos at the foot of Mt. Takasaki (628 m), between Oita and Beppu, where you can watch wild Japanese macaques close up. At feeding time many monkeys gather at the feeding ground, and staff explain their ecology and habits throughout the day. The "Sarukko Rail" monorail runs to the feeding ground with a view of Beppu Bay.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBeppu, OitaTakegawara OnsenA public bathhouse rebuilt many times since it was built in Meiji 12, completed as a wooden tile-roofed bath in Meiji 35. It was first roofed with bamboo and then re-roofed with tiles, hence the name "Takegawara" (bamboo tile). Now the symbol of Beppu Onsen, it is a grand wooden building in the karahafu style, with a regular bath and the famous sand bath, where attendants cover you with sand warmed by the hot spring as you lie on your back.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetUsa, OitaUsa Jingu ShrineKnown nationwide as the head shrine of the more than 40,000 Hachiman shrines in Japan. It is said to have begun in 725 (Jinki 2) when the first hall enshrining Hachiman Okami was built, and is closely linked to the Rokugo Manzan culture of the Kunisaki Peninsula. In the vast grounds surrounded by primeval forest stand the three main halls in the Hachiman style (National Treasures), bridges, a Noh stage and a treasure hall; about 100 cherry trees bloom in spring and lotuses in summer.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetUsuki, OitaUsuki Castle Ruins (Usuki Park)A castle built in 1562 (Eiroku 5) by the Christian daimyo Otomo Sorin on Nyu Island in Usuki Bay, and in the Edo period the castle of the Usuki domain (50,000 koku) ruled by the Inaba family. Once surrounded by the sea, it is now joined to the land by reclamation; the ruins are laid out as Usuki Park, and about 300 cherry trees bloom in spring.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetUsuki, OitaUsuki Stone BuddhasRock-cut Buddhas represented by the Dainichi Nyorai of the Furuzono group, said to have been carved from the late Heian to the Kamakura period. For their scale, number and quality they are Japan's leading group of stone Buddhas, and in 1995 (Heisei 7) they became the first rock-cut Buddhas in Japan, and the first sculptures in Kyushu, to be designated National Treasures. They are in four groups: Hoki groups 1 and 2, Sannozan and Furuzono. From June to July lotuses bloom in the park.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetNakatsu, OitaYabakei Bridge (Oranda-bashi)A stone bridge over the Yamakuni River about 500 m downstream of Ao-no-Domon, counted among Japan's 100 famous bridges. At 116 m it is the longest in Japan, and its eight arches are the most in Japan and the only such bridge - two "Japan's No. 1" records; it is a prefectural tangible cultural property. The nickname "Oranda-bashi" is said to come from its stone-laying method, common in Nagasaki, and it is still used as a local road.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetBeppu, OitaYukemuri Observatory (Kannawa)An observatory looking over the hot-spring steam of Kannawa, Mt. Tsurumi and Mt. Ogi, whose colours change with the seasons. Beppu's steam came second only to Mt. Fuji in NHK's 2001 "Japanese scenes to leave for the 21st century", and the night view from here was certified a "Japan Night View Heritage" in 2010. On Saturday, Sunday and holiday evenings (19:00-21:00) the steam is lit up.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
No photo yetYufu, OitaYunotsubo StreetA street at the foot of Mt. Yufu lined with souvenir shops selling Oita specialities such as yuzu-kosho and restaurants serving local dishes such as toriten. One street away, along the Oita River, is a walking route with seasonal scenery and a rural landscape.Official check: 26 Sept 2026