Written by Greg Lane
If you’re coming from Tokyo, Kansai or South Korea, Oita Airport is your best bet for getting to Oita Prefecture’s famous onsen areas of Beppu and Yufuin cheaply and quickly. As is often the case in Japan, the airport has been put in a slightly far-flung part of the prefecture, so you will need to consider your transport options for getting to your final destination.
What are my options?
If you haven’t arranged an airport transfer, buses are definitely the winner for all three destinations, with regular services and cheap fares. A rental car may also be a budget option for groups if you’re up to the drive, with the roads around Oita being mostly toll-free.
For those with a bit of extra cash to splash, a taxi is the least hassle and takes you right to the front door, but will set you back a good amount. Finally, trains are technically an option, but as the closest station is a 30-minute taxi ride from the airport, we wouldn’t recommend taking them unless they’re your only choice.
Bus
The airport is well-served by buses. If you’re heading to Yufuin or Oita City there is only one route to each. However, if you are heading to Beppu, you can jump on the Beppu bus or you can also hop on to the Oita City bound bus — since it stops in Beppu on the way to Oita City.
If you’re heading to Beppu and staying at a mega resort like Suginoi Hotel, you can catch a shuttle bus from JR Beppu Station, which is the terminus of the Beppu bus, or take a short walk from the Beppu Kitahama bus stop (Oita City bus). If you’re staying somewhere smaller, you’ll need to get a taxi from the bus stop.
Note: the old paper return and multi-ride tickets have been scrapped. For Beppu and Oita City there’s now a discounted two-trip pass (¥3,000), but it’s only sold through the operator’s “Basuchike Oita” mobile app.
Beppu
53 minutes¥1,600 one way
Direct
Direct “Air Liner” buses run to and from Beppu Station around six times a day. On top of that, the Oita City “Air Liner” stops at Beppu Kitahama (a few minutes’ walk from Beppu Station) far more often. Just make sure not to catch an “Airport Express” for Oita City, as those don’t stop in Beppu. Travel time is roughly 53 minutes, and since departures shift with the seasons and flight schedules, check the operator’s timetable before you go. Once you’re in town, local Kamenoi buses are the easiest way to get around — the Hells of Beppu combo ticket bundles entry to all seven jigoku with a 1-day Kamenoi bus pass.
Yufuin
55 minutes¥2,000 one way
Direct
Buses for Yufuin run around five times a day, with a travel time of about 55 minutes. Departure times move around with the seasons, so check the current timetable before setting off.
Oita City
58 minutes or 1 hour 7 minutes¥1,600 one way
Direct
Alongside the frequent “Air Liner” (which stops at Beppu Kitahama on the way) there are nonstop “Airport Express” services that run straight to Oita Station. The Air Liner takes about 1 hour 7 minutes, while the nonstop Airport Express does it in around 58 minutes.
Rental car
Around ¥6,500
Direct
The usual rental car suspects (Toyota, Nissan, Nippon Rentacar, Budget and Orix) are available as well as lower cost, foreigner-friendly option Times Rental Car. Rates start at around ¥6,500/day.
Much of the driving in Oita is also not on expressways, so there are fewer expensive tolls than other prefectures in Kyushu. Since you may be planning to stay submerged in an onsen for a few days, you could rent the car for the day, drop off your gear at your accommodation, whiz around the local attractions and then drop the car off at the local train station – for about ¥6,500 excluding fuel.
Taxi
45 minutes to Beppu, 55 minutes to Yufuin, 1 hour to Oita City¥13,100 to ¥17,300
Direct
There are plenty of taxis lined up outside the airport, but unless there are four of you to fill the seats and split the cost, it’s an expensive option.
Approximate fares (from the airport website) are ¥13,100 to Beppu, ¥15,400 to Oita City and ¥17,300 to Yufuin.
Train
30 minutes by taxi to Kitsuki Station, plus train time.Taxi fare + Limited express fee if taking + basic train fare
Change at Kitsuki Station, change again at Beppu for Yufuin
The closest train station is a 30-minute drive from the airport. Kitsuki Station connects onto limited express and local lines to all three destinations, with a change for Yufuin. However, since it’s so far off from the airport, we wouldn’t recommend it.
Airport transfers
Unless you’re staying at some pretty high class digs, airport transfers will not be offered by your ryokan or hotel – you’ll need to make your own way there, or at least to the main train stations.
