Oita (大分市 Oita-shi) is the capital city of Oita prefecture.

Introduction

This article is about Oita City, the capital of Oita Prefecture. Oita City Hall, the management center for Oita City, can be found next to the old castle ruins. The old castle ruins now consist of the old moat which surrounds a modern building called Oita Cultural Hall (Bunkakaikan). With Oita Cultural Hall and the Grand Theater and Otonoizumi Hall in the Iichiko Culture Center, Oita City is also the center of activity for events such as musical concerts and other stage events. The area near Oita Station has many shops, restaurants, and bars.

Get in

Despite its reputation as an out-of-the-way city, Oita has multiple points of access.

By plane

Located approximately 25 miles northeast of Beppu, Oita Airport is the main commercial airport in Oita Prefecture and has daily services to and from Tokyo, Osaka (both Kansai and Itami) and Nagoya by both JAL and ANA as well as a single international flight to Seoul, Korea with Korean Air

Travel between the airport and surrounding cities and towns are handled by bus and hovercraft (suspended operations in September 2009), unfortunately lacking any train access as of yet. The bus has an approximate travel time of 45 and 60 minutes to Beppu and Oita, respectively. The hovercraft trip is significantly faster, only taking 25 minutes, and deposits passengers at a landing in Oita just east of the Oita River. Access between this landing and the city's downtown takes approximately 10 minutes via taxi or bus and about 1 hour on foot.

By train

Three JR Kyushu train lines run through Oita Station, located downtown: Nippo Honsen, Hohi Honsen and Kyudai Honsen. The Nippo Honsen could be considered Oita's main rail access line, running JR Kyushu's Sonic trains from Hakata Station and reaching as far south as Miyazaki. Sonic express trains take approximately two hours to and from Hakata Station. The Kyudai Honsen has local service running to the west and reaching as far as Saga Prefecture. Finally, the Hohi Honsen runs local and express service as far as Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture.

By car

Oita is most easily accessed by car via the East Kyushu Expressway, a well-maintained toll highway that runs from Fukuoka and through Oita, as far as the city of Usuki. Though expensive to use the highway is undeniably swift.

By bus

Buses from virtually every major city on Kyushu have service to Oita, the main ones being the multiple highway buses that run to and from Fukuoka. Oita Bus, Oita Kotsu, Kamenoi Bus and a handful of others offer this highway service and travel time is approximately two hours, nearly identical to JR Kyushu's Sonic.

By boat

Diamond Ferry runs a daily ferry between Oita and Kobe/Osaka, making stops in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture and Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture. This service is a "sleeper ship", starting in Osaka in the late afternoon and running through the night until passengers disembark in the morning.

Get around

The Oita Station area hotels, shops, and restaurants can be accessed easily on foot.

You can rent a bicycle for 200yen a day at Oita Station and ride it to scenic spots like the West Oita waterfront (also accessible by train) and Oita River.

Buses leave from Oita Station and Tokiwa Department Store to other points in Oita City.

See

Near the river are the ruins of an ancient castle. There are some cherry trees in the park surrounding the castle.

About half-way between Oita and Beppu is Takasakiyama, where a colony of Japanese macaques can be visted in a pleasant surrounding. At the base of the mountain is the visitors' center and Oita's Marine Palace, an aquarium with a dolphin show and trained fish.

Do

Worth seeing is the Oita Prefectural Library, designed by architect Arata Isozaki, an early Metabolist masterpiece, finished around 1965. A remarkable brutalist concrete building, it was converted into an Isozaki museum in 1998.

Buy

Oita has two large, Western-style malls. You can try out "Wasada Town", a traditional fully-enclosed shopping center with an attached "K`s Denki" for any electronics that you need, as well as a "Tokiwa" that has the latest fashion and clothing for any situation. As you know Japan is one of the most expensive countries in the world, so don't be surprised about high prices even though it's a small city. The other big mall, "Park Place", is newer than Wasada Town, has store entrances within and without its main enclosed area and it is located 20 minutes walking from the "Big Eye" multi-purpose stadium. Here you`ll find another comprehensive shopping experience, plus it has some more attractions for the younger crowds. The movie theater features both domestic and international titles and if you have a student or exchange student ID make sure to show it to get a discount.

Eat

Budget

Oita overflows with cheap and tasty ramen restaurants and stalls, most specializing in tonkotsu (pork broth) ramen that compete in flavor with Fukuoka's famous variety.

Takoyaki aficionados would be wise not to miss the Tettako chain of takoyaki stalls scattered throughout the city.

Chicken nanban, a kind of fried chicken cooked with rice vinegar and served with a tartar sauce-like topping that originally hails from Miyazaki Prefecture, has taken off spectacularly in Oita. This dish can be found at almost any low-budget restaurant around the city

Karaage, that ever-present Japanese answer to chicken nuggets or buffalo wings, can be had on the cheap at any of the Oita Karaage chain stands around the city.

Mid-range

Downtown Oita abounds with mid-priced izakaya, particularly in the Miyako-machi and Funai areas. Notable among these izakaya is Kamifusen, a small, popular chain that caters to groups large and small.

Splurge

For diners willing to pay a premium for authentic Japanese gourmet, a handful of Oita restaurants serve Seki-aji and Seki-saba, special kinds of mackerel caught in and around the swift currents of the Hoyo Channel between Kyushu and Shikoku. Also available in Oita, though in rarer quantities than the special breeds of mackerel, is fugu(blowfish), caught by fisherman in the city of Usuki.

Drink

Like most Japanese cities, Oita has compressed virtually all of its drinking establishments into one general entertainment district called Miyako-machi. Located approximately one kilometer north of Oita Station, Miyako-machi's streets are lined with multi-story buildings packed with countless bars, hostess clubs, snack bars and izakaya.

Sleep

Mid-range

Comodo Hotel (〒870-0026　大分市金池町1丁目2番1号, TEL 097-514-4000, FAX 097-514-3223 ) - Very convenient business hotel, right next to the main train station. Singles 5,190 yen, doubles 7,440 yen. Clean and neat rooms. Price includes breakfast and free use of an amazing onsen hot spring on the top floor. The men's section even has a rooftop rotenburo outdoor bath!

Go next

Routes through Oita

Kumamoto ← Aso ←	W  E	→ END
Kurume ← Yufu ←	W  E	→ END
Kitakyushu ← Beppu ←	N  S	→ Saiki → Kagoshima
into Oita expwy ←	N  S	→ Usuki → Saiki
Tosu ← Beppu ←	W  E	→ into Higashi-Kyushu expwy