Kyushu's northeast corner doesn't make many bucket lists. Fukuoka gets the ramen pilgrims, Kumamoto has its castle comeback story, and Nagasaki draws history buffs. But Oita Prefecture — home to more hot spring water than anywhere else in Japan — has been quietly building a case for being Kyushu's most rewarding slow-travel destination. Spring 2026 is a particularly good time to discover it.
OPAM: The Art Museum That Breathes
The Oita Prefectural Art Museum, known as OPAM (大分県立美術館), is the kind of building that stops you in your tracks. Designed by Shigeru Ban — the Pritzker Prize-winning architect famous for his innovative use of materials — OPAM's ground floor is wrapped in massive folding glass walls that open completely, dissolving the boundary between museum and street.
Opened in 2015, the building itself is a bamboo-inspired lattice of wood and glass that feels alive. On warm spring days, the staff opens those enormous glass panels and the museum lobby merges with the outdoor plaza. It's a radical idea for a museum — art that literally opens up to the city.
Starting April 4, OPAM launches its Collection Exhibition I (2026), a special feature on sculptor Tatsuo Tokimatsu and his gaze toward daily life and nature. The collection galleries showcase Oita's surprisingly deep artistic heritage, from Edo-period paintings to postwar abstract works. The permanent collection alone is worth the trip, but the rotating exhibitions consistently punch above what you'd expect from a regional museum.
Practical info: OPAM is a 15-minute walk from JR Oita Station. The collection exhibition runs from April 4 through May 31. Admission to the collection galleries is typically ¥300 (special exhibitions vary). The museum shop stocks beautifully designed goods by Oita-based artisans.
Beppu: Japan's Steam City
Just 15 minutes by train from Oita city, Beppu (別府) is a place unlike anywhere else in Japan — or the world. The city produces more hot spring water than any other city on Earth, and you can see it: steam rises from streets, gutters, hillsides, and seemingly random patches of ground. The effect is surreal, as if the entire city is gently breathing.
Beppu's Jigoku Meguri (Hell Tour) is the classic introduction. Seven "hells" — each a naturally occurring hot spring of extreme temperature, color, or composition — are scattered across the Kannawa and Shibaseki areas. The blood-red waters of Chinoike Jigoku, the cobalt blue of Umi Jigoku, and the bubbling mud of Oniishibozu Jigoku are genuinely otherworldly.
But the real Beppu experience is soaking. The city has hundreds of public bathhouses (sento) and outdoor baths (rotenburo), many costing just ¥100-300. Hyotan Onsen in the Kannawa district is a traveler favorite, with multiple bath types in a beautifully maintained traditional setting. For a wilder experience, Myoban Onsen in the hills above town has rustic thatched-roof huts where sulfur crystals are still harvested the traditional way — and the open-air baths here feel genuinely ancient.
Spring is ideal for Beppu. The weather is warm enough for comfortable outdoor soaking but cool enough that the steam effects are dramatic. Cherry blossoms around the hells and along Beppu's hillside neighborhoods add a surreal beauty — pink petals drifting through columns of steam.
Usuki Stone Buddhas: A Thousand-Year Mystery
About 40 minutes south of Oita city by JR train, the town of Usuki (臼杵) is home to one of Japan's most enigmatic cultural treasures. Carved directly into volcanic cliff faces, the Usuki Stone Buddhas (臼杵磨崖仏) are a collection of over 60 Buddhist sculptures dating from the late Heian to Kamakura periods (roughly 900-1300 CE). They were designated a National Treasure in 1995 — the first stone Buddha sculptures in Japan to receive this status.
The figures are arranged in four clusters across a forested hillside. Some are remarkably well-preserved, with serene expressions that feel contemporary despite their age. Others have weathered into abstract forms, their features softened by centuries of rain and moss. The most famous is the large-faced Buddha whose detached head sat on the ground for centuries before being restored to its body in the 1990s.
Visiting feels like stumbling upon a secret. The site sees nothing like the crowds at Nara's Great Buddha or Kamakura's Daibutsu, yet the artistic quality is comparable. In spring, the surrounding forest bursts with fresh green, and wisteria blooms frame some of the carved niches.
Getting there: JR Usuki Station, then a 20-minute bus ride or taxi. Admission ¥550.
Oita City: Castle Ruins, Street Food & Funai Culture
Oita city itself deserves more than a transit stop. Funai Castle ruins (府内城跡) in the city center are pleasant for a spring stroll — the castle was the seat of the Otomo clan, one of Kyushu's most powerful medieval families and among the first to embrace contact with Portuguese traders and Christianity.
The covered shopping arcades around the station — particularly the Tokiwa and Gaulois streets — are excellent for browsing. Oita is famous for karaage (fried chicken) — the city and neighboring Nakatsu claim to be the birthplace of Japanese fried chicken culture. Don't leave without trying a plate. Toriten (chicken tempura) is another Oita specialty, lighter and more elegant than karaage.
For seafood, Oita's seki-aji (関あじ) and seki-saba (関さば) — horse mackerel and mackerel caught in the fierce currents of the Bungo Channel — are considered among the finest in Japan. Spring is peak season.
A Suggested Spring Itinerary
Day 1 — Oita City & OPAM: Arrive at JR Oita Station. Walk to OPAM for the Collection Exhibition I. Lunch at the museum cafe or in the Tokiwa arcade. Afternoon exploring Funai Castle ruins and the shopping streets. Evening karaage crawl.
Day 2 — Beppu: Morning train to Beppu (15 min). Jigoku Meguri hell tour in Kannawa district. Lunch: jigoku-mushi (hell-steamed) cooking at Kannawa — you literally steam your own food over natural hot spring vents. Afternoon soak at Hyotan Onsen or Myoban Onsen. Return to Oita or stay in a Beppu ryokan.
Day 3 — Usuki & Departure: Morning train to Usuki. Stone Buddhas, then explore Usuki's preserved samurai quarter and try the local fugu (blowfish) — Usuki is one of Japan's top fugu destinations, and spring is the tail end of the season. Return to Oita for your onward journey.
Getting to Oita
- From Fukuoka: JR Sonic limited express, approximately 2 hours from Hakata Station
- From Osaka/Tokyo: Fly to Oita Airport (OIT), then airport bus to Oita Station (about 1 hour)
- From Kumamoto: JR through Aso (scenic mountain route) or highway bus
Oita is also a stop on the luxury JR Kyushu Seven Stars cruise train, though availability is limited.
Why Now?
Oita has always had the raw ingredients — world-class hot springs, genuine cultural depth, incredible food, and natural beauty. What's changed is accessibility and awareness. OPAM put Oita on the contemporary culture map, and the region's onsen towns have been thoughtfully updated without losing their character. Spring, when the weather is gentle and the crowds haven't arrived, is the perfect window.
This is Kyushu at its most authentic — the kind of Japan that's harder to find each year, still here in Oita, steaming gently.
Image: Oita Prefectural Art Museum (OPAM), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
