Oita! Oita! Oita! What to do/eat on a weekend trip to Oita?

May 30, 2014 3:53 AM

I'm headed to Oita, Japan next weekend for a short trip. Any recommendations on which towns to visit, or suggestions for specific restaurants or non-onsen activities?
posted by spamandkimchi to Travel & Transportation around Oita, Japan (2 answers total)

Best answer: If it were me (and I did not want to go to Oita's famous hot springs), I would head to Kunisaki (another link) because it is close to the airport.

Going the other direction, I would head to (and plan an overnight stay in) Nakatsu, which appears to have all the things people expect from a trip to Japan: a castle, beautiful mountains, rural scenery, good food, temples, that sort of thing.

Nakatsu may be a little harder to get to than Kunisaki (I have never been to Oita, but I have traveled all over Japan, most recently to Kochi, on Shikoku). But I would choose one or the other, and factor in about 30-50% of your time traveling, being sure to stay overnight in a specific destination, in order to save on traveling time. There are likely few convenient rail connections, and you'll be relying on the local bus.

When you do reach your destination, use it as a hub, and ask the tourist info centre (usually in the bus or train station) if there are any local bus excursion trips.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:41 AM on May 30, 2014

Response by poster: Thank you for the advice! I will report back on what I end up actually doing. I'm sure there will be onsen involved, but know nothing of Kyushu except for Fukuoka.
posted by spamandkimchi at 5:42 PM on May 31, 2014 [1 favorite]