Oita Tourism Trade Update – Autumn 2026
Updated: Sep 29
Helping travel professionals sell Japan’s onsen prefecture
Welcome to the second edition of the Oita Tourism Trade Update, created for travel
professionals. This issue highlights destination-worthy stays in Yufuin and hands-on craft
experiences that connect travellers with local makers, communities and culture.
Stay in style: Yufuin
Set in a scenic mountain valley, Yufuin is one of Japan’s most sought-after premium
onsen destinations, combining exceptional hot springs, beautiful natural
surroundings, destination-worthy accommodation and a strong food scene.
Three Yufuin properties have been awarded Michelin Keys, recognising outstanding
hotels for their quality, character and overall experience:
● Kamenoi Besso – 2 Michelin Keys
● Enowa Yufuin – 2 Michelin Keys
● Yufuin Tamanoyu – 1 Michelin Key
For a different take on the ryokan experience, Sanso Shikian offers a memorable stay in the forests at the foot of Mt Yufu. Its historic main house is a 200-year-old gassho-style building relocated from Shirakawa-go, giving travellers the rare opportunity to dine in one of Japan’s most sought-after examples of countryside architecture. The accommodation is arranged as individual detached rooms, several with their own private onsen. Food is another highlight, with dinner featuring premium Oita Wagyu and local chicken. Breakfast is served buffet-style, offering a more familiar option for travellers who may find a Japanese set breakfast daunting.
Trade tip: Yufuin works particularly well as a relaxing stop on a Kyushu itinerary,
offering a very different experience from Japan’s major cities. With a hire car, it can
also be used as a base for day trips into the surrounding countryside, including
Kokonoe and the Kuju mountains, historic Hita, and the temples and shrines of Usa
and Kunisaki - giving travellers the opportunity to explore beyond Oita’s better-known
destinations.
Meet the makers: Oita’s craft stories
Try kintsugi in Usuki
In the historic city of Usuki, travellers can learn the traditional Japanese art of
kintsugi. Inevitably, when ceramics are fired there are breakages. This workshops
enables chipped or cracked pottery to be artfully repaired rather than throwing it
away.
At Usuki Sarayama, founder Hiroyuki Usami has revived Usuki-yaki, a local pottery
tradition that disappeared in the late Edo period. During the experience, participants
choose an Usuki-yaki vessel and learn how to repair it using lacquer, before taking
their restored piece home the same day.
The experience includes one Usuki-yaki ceramic piece, all kintsugi tools and
materials, and the finished piece to take home. Additional vessels can be purchased
at the studio.
Practical Information
● Duration: Approx. 1.5–2 hours
● Maximum: 4 participants
● Price: ¥11,400 per person
● Booking: Advance reservation required
● Details & bookings: Visit Japan Travel Enlightened (registration required)
Indigo dyeing in Taketa
At Kouya Somekai in Taketa, visitors can take part in a hands-on indigo dyeing
workshop with artisan Kai Tsujioka. The family-run atelier is housed in a beautifully
preserved former sake storehouse and uses locally grown indigo and Taketa’s
exceptionally pure water. The experience introduces travellers to the history of indigo
dyeing while giving them the chance to create something themselves.
Practical Information
Duration: 1.5–2 hours
Maximum: 10 participants
Handkerchief (cotton): ¥3,300
Stole (linen): ¥8,800
Booking: Advance reservation required
Details & bookings: Visit Japan Travel Enlightened (registration required)
Oita’s Hime Daruma: A craft kept alive by one family
Unique to Oita, Hime Daruma are papier mache red-and-white good-luck dolls made exclusively
in the prefecture. Today, just one family-run studio continues to make them, using a design inspired by the wife of a samurai who lived around 370 years ago.
In the Sobo, Katamuki and Okue Biosphere, visitors can discover the story behind this local craft and meet the people keeping it alive through a visit to the family workshop.
Find out more: Hime Daruma
Onta-yaki: A living pottery village in Hita
In the mountains north of Hita, Onta Pottery Village has been producing pottery since 1705. Nine family-run kilns continue to use river water to power wooden hammers that crush the local clay, while pieces are fired in large wood-fired climbing kilns. The rhythmic sound of the hammers is one of Japan’s 100 Soundscapes, while the village and surrounding area are recognised for their cultural landscape. Visitors can learn more at the Onta Pottery Museum and browse pieces for sale at the individual family-run studios, each with its own gallery-shop.
Trade tip: Onta Village makes a particularly good addition to a visit to Hita, where the charming historic town centre, Mameda-machi, is known for its preserved Edo-period streets, independent shops, cafés and restaurants. If visiting Onta Pottery Village around lunchtime, stop at Yamano Soba Chaya, the village’s only café, for handmade soba served in Onta pottery. No reservation is required.
Oita Media Contact: Kylie Clark — kylie.clark@kylieconsultancy.com
Oita Trade Contact: Michael Stock — michael.stock@japan-san.net
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