Stay in Yufuin or visit nearby cities from Beppu?
After hells and ropeway, stay one night in Yufuin; alternatively, stay four nights in Beppu for separate Usuki Stone Buddhas and Usa Jingu days. Usuki uses a reserved sightseeing taxi, while Usa needs a station-front bus and shrine approach. JR and local transport for both areas are excluded from subtotals.
Choose an itinerary for 5 days / 4 nights
Three Beppu nights, then one in Yufuin
See the hells and ropeway while staying in Beppu, then move to Yufuin on day four. This avoids rushing mountain sightseeing and airport travel together on the last day.
Three Beppu nights, then one in Yufuin →5 days / 4 nights BSeparate Usuki and Usa days from Beppu
Choose this to add Stone Buddhas and shrine history to hot-spring sightseeing. Stay four nights at the same accommodation around Beppu Station, visiting Usuki and Usa on separate days. No Yufuin accommodation move is included.
Separate Usuki and Usa days from Beppu →Three Beppu nights, then one in Yufuin
See the hells and ropeway while staying in Beppu, then move to Yufuin on day four. This avoids rushing mountain sightseeing and airport travel together on the last day.
Day one: airport, five Kannawa hells and Beppu accommodation
Visit Kannawa's five hells, then return to the same Beppu accommodation.
- Oita Airport and Beppu accommodation → Route 5 to Umi Jigoku-mae
Alight at Kitahama from the airport, leave luggage at your accommodation and go to Beppu Station west-side stand 3. Take route 5 towards APU to Umi Jigoku-mae for Kannawa's five nearby hells. Choose your return from the official weekday and weekend timetable first.
Airliner timetableRoute 5 APU-bound timetableRoute 5 return timetable
- Kannawa facility entrance → Five hells and preparing for the bus
Finish walks between entrances and viewing before 17:00. Reduce the number of visits for a late arrival.
- Return to Beppu Station → Dinner and the same accommodation
Return from Umi Jigoku-mae on route 5 towards Beppu Station's west side. Have dinner and rest at your accommodation. Confirmed subtotal is JPY 4,780: combined ticket JPY 2,400, route 5 return JPY 780 and airport JPY 1,600.
Leave luggage at your accommodation after Kitahama arrival, then reach Beppu Station's west-side Kannawa boarding point. Allow walks between facilities and back to the return stop. Reduce viewing to fit your bus after closing.
Day two: Chinoike and Tatsumaki, then Beppu accommodation
Visit Chinoike and Tatsumaki using yesterday's combined ticket, valid through today, then return to your property.
- Beppu accommodation and east-side stand 5 → Route 26 to Chinoike Jigoku-mae
Get today's JPY 1,100 Kamenoi Bus Mini day pass and take route 26 from Beppu-Ekimae east-side stand 5 to Chinoike Jigoku-mae. Return on the route 16 outer loop towards Beppu-Ekimae. Route 26 returns towards Kannawa, so distinguish directions. Check weekday and weekend timetables alongside entrance walks and eruption waits.
Route 26 weekday timetableRoute 16 outer loopOfficial Mini day-pass price and Beppu hell areas
- Chinoike Jigoku-mae → Two unvisited hells
Check both bus services for the day you travel and visit Chinoike and Tatsumaki. Yesterday's combined ticket permits one visit to each facility through today. Allow eruption waits and entrance walks separately.
- Chinoike Jigoku-mae and Beppu Station → Route 16 return, lunch and Beppu accommodation
Return to the station for lunch, then rest at your accommodation. Use today's Mini day pass for the return; hell admission is separate. Day one's route 5 return uses ordinary fares, so today's pass does not apply retrospectively.
Go on route 26 from east-side stand 5 and distinguish route 16's loop direction for the return. Today's JPY 1,100 Mini day pass is included. Allow entrance walks and eruption waits separately. Visit only facilities not yet used on yesterday's combined ticket, then return to Beppu accommodation. You are not going to the airport today.
Day three: ropeway and Beppu accommodation
Visit the ropeway, then rest at Beppu accommodation. You are not checking out or going to the airport today.
- Beppu Station west-side stand 1 → Route 36 and ropeway stop
Take a route 36 service that stops at the ropeway from Beppu Station west-side stand 1 to Beppu Ropeway. Choose both directions from the official weekday and weekend timetable. Some services skip the ropeway, so check its stop marker. Omit the visit for a late arrival or suspension.
- Ropeway stop → Upper-station viewing and Beppu-bound bus
Walk from the stop to the lower station, buy a return ticket and ascend. Leave time for descent queues and walking to the bus stop. The return bus fare is JPY 1,000 and the return ropeway ticket costs JPY 1,800; these are separate fares. After descending, take a west-side Beppu Station-bound route 36 bus from the ropeway stop.
Oita tourism association: ropeway bus stop and stationsBeppu city official tourism: ropeway fares and hoursCurrent combined fare table
Return to the station for lunch, then rest at your accommodation. For bathing, check your booked facility's hours and separate fees.
Choose both directions of a route 36 service that actually stops at the ropeway from the station's west side. The facility is about one minute on foot from the stop; ticketing, boarding and descent queues take extra time. For wind, maintenance suspension or late arrival, omit the visit and rest at Beppu accommodation.
Day four: move to Yufuin and stay
Move from Beppu to Yufuin, walk the onsen town and stay overnight.
- Beppu accommodation → Checkout and Beppu Station west-side stand 1
Check out of Beppu accommodation and allow time to take luggage to Beppu Station west-side stand 1.
- Beppu Station west-side stand 1 → Yufuin bus centre
Take a Yufuin-bound route 36 bus from Beppu Station west-side stand 1 to Yufuin-Ekimae Bus Center. Adult fare is JPY 1,100 one way. Check dated operation below. Temporary direct buses may use another stand, so distinguish them from route 36 and check large-luggage conditions. If full, compare the next bus with accommodation check-in and dinner deadlines and adjust travel.
Weekday route 36Separate timetableCurrent combined fare tableTemporary Beppu–Yufuin direct bus datesTimetable hub
- Yufuin bus centre → Reach the booked property after checking its address and pickup
From Yufuin bus centre, use the actual address route or previously confirmed pickup to reach your property. The bus timetable does not guarantee walking time, property pickup or luggage storage.
- Yufuin accommodation → Meals, walks and return according to luggage-storage conditions
If luggage storage is available, walk from the station to Yunotsubo Street for lunch and shops. If storage is unavailable or arrival is late, check in first and shorten the walk. Return for property dinner. Lake Kinrin is tomorrow, so do not add a Beppu return trip or lake visit today.
Confirm property access, pickup and luggage storage with your booked accommodation. Plan travel around check-in and meals. Choose one actual service, regular route 36 or a temporary direct bus. You are not returning to Beppu today.
Day five: Lake Kinrin and airport
Leave for the airport from Yufuin-Ekimae Bus Center. Walk at Lake Kinrin only if time allows.
- Yufuin accommodation → Lake Kinrin walk and return to station
If luggage storage after checkout and departure time allow, walk through Yunotsubo Street to Lake Kinrin. The official map lists about 25 minutes station to lake, or 50 minutes return walking, plus photos, rests and accommodation access.
Prefectural tourism bodyCity tourism mapOfficial Lake Kinrin guide
- Yufuin accommodation → Yufuin-Ekimae Bus Center
Collect luggage and reach Yufuin-Ekimae Bus Center. Choose walking or transport for your actual property address and allow its time and cost separately.
Check the actual route and time from your accommodation to Yufuin-Ekimae Bus Center.
- Yufuin-Ekimae Bus Center → Oita Airport
Choose an airport bus from the dated official timetable with a margin before airline check-in closes. Adult fare is JPY 2,000 one way. Allow road delays and airport processing beyond scheduled arrival. Reduce or omit final-day sightseeing if you cannot catch it afterwards. Yufuin airport buses do not guarantee flight connections.
Return from Lake Kinrin to your property, collect luggage and reach Yufuin-Ekimae Bus Center. Buses are not timed to guarantee flights; shorten walks or take an earlier bus if check-in time is tight. For an earlier airport arrival than services allow, change the previous night's base.
Included items: Hells combined ticket JPY 2,400, route 5 return JPY 780, ropeway return JPY 1,800, route 36 ropeway return JPY 1,000, Beppu–Yufuin JPY 1,100, airport–Kitahama JPY 1,600, Yufuin–airport JPY 2,000; day-two Kamenoi Bus Mini day pass JPY 1,100 for route 26 outward and route 16 return
Costs outside the subtotal: Accommodation, meals, flights, bathing, private facilities, luggage storage and extra travel between accommodation, Kitahama, stations and bus centres.
This subtotal adds the hells combined ticket and listed transport and admission. Day two's JPY 1,100 Mini day pass is included in JPY 11,780. A day pass cannot be reused on another date and does not replace hell admission. Accommodation, meals, flights and bathing cost extra. If omitting the ropeway, subtract its JPY 1,000 return bus and JPY 1,800 return ticket. The Yufuin accommodation move counts only route 36's JPY 1,100 one-way fare.
Airport faresCombined ticketCurrent combined fare tableBeppu city official tourism: ropeway fares and hoursOfficial Mini day-pass price and Beppu hell areas
Separate Usuki and Usa days from Beppu
Choose this to add Stone Buddhas and shrine history to hot-spring sightseeing. Stay four nights at the same accommodation around Beppu Station, visiting Usuki and Usa on separate days. No Yufuin accommodation move is included.
Day one: airport, five Kannawa hells and Beppu accommodation
Choose Kannawa hells to fit arrival time and closing.
- Oita Airport and Beppu accommodation → Route 5 to Umi Jigoku-mae
Alight at Kitahama from the airport, leave luggage at your accommodation and go to Beppu Station west-side stand 3. Take route 5 towards APU to Umi Jigoku-mae for Kannawa's five nearby hells. Choose your return from the official weekday and weekend timetable first.
Airliner timetableRoute 5 APU-bound timetableRoute 5 return timetable
- Kannawa facility entrance → Five hells and preparing for the bus
Finish walks between entrances and viewing before 17:00. Reduce the number of visits for a late arrival.
- Return to Beppu Station → Dinner and the same accommodation
Return from Umi Jigoku-mae on route 5 towards Beppu Station's west side. Have dinner and rest at your accommodation. Confirmed subtotal is JPY 4,780: combined ticket JPY 2,400, route 5 return JPY 780 and airport JPY 1,600.
Leave luggage at your accommodation after Kitahama arrival, then reach Beppu Station's west-side Kannawa boarding point. Allow walks between facilities and back to the return stop. Reduce viewing to fit your bus after closing.
Day two: Chinoike and Tatsumaki, then Beppu accommodation
Use yesterday's combined ticket for the remaining two hells, then return to Beppu accommodation and rest.
- Beppu accommodation and east-side stand 5 → Route 26 to Chinoike Jigoku-mae
Get today's JPY 1,100 Kamenoi Bus Mini day pass and take route 26 from Beppu-Ekimae east-side stand 5 to Chinoike Jigoku-mae. Return on the route 16 outer loop towards Beppu-Ekimae. Route 26 returns towards Kannawa, so distinguish directions. Check weekday and weekend timetables alongside entrance walks and eruption waits.
Route 26 weekday timetableRoute 16 outer loopOfficial Mini day-pass price and Beppu hell areas
- Chinoike Jigoku-mae → Two unvisited hells
Check both bus services for the day you travel and visit Chinoike and Tatsumaki. Yesterday's combined ticket permits one visit to each facility through today. Allow eruption waits and entrance walks separately.
- Chinoike Jigoku-mae and Beppu Station → Route 16 return, lunch and Beppu accommodation
Return to the station for lunch, then rest at your accommodation. Use today's Mini day pass for the return; hell admission is separate. Day one's route 5 return uses ordinary fares, so today's pass does not apply retrospectively.
Go on route 26 from east-side stand 5 and distinguish route 16's loop direction for the return. Today's JPY 1,100 Mini day pass is included. Allow entrance walks and eruption waits separately. Visit only facilities not yet used on yesterday's combined ticket, then return to Beppu accommodation. You are not going to the airport today.
Day three: Usuki Stone Buddhas return trip and Beppu stay
Use a sightseeing taxi from Usuki Station to the Stone Buddhas and back to the same station. Reserve the vehicle and route by the previous day, then choose trains. If booking fails, replace it with a Beppu meal and rest day.
- Beppu accommodation → Reservation confirmation and JR to Usuki Station
Reserve Usuki Station departure, Stone Buddhas viewing and Usuki Station return with the taxi company by the previous day. Agree the station boarding point, departure, viewing time and return train together. Once confirmed, choose Beppu–Usuki return trains in JR's official search.
Usuki tourism association 2026 sightseeing taxis and previous-day reservationsNichirin 3, 5003MJR Usuki–Beppu train search
- Usuki Station → Reserved sightseeing taxi and Stone Buddhas
Take your reserved vehicle from the agreed station boarding point. The facility's official map lists about 15 minutes by taxi from the station. Allow road conditions and boarding waits separately, and confirm the agreed return pickup location with the driver. Do not assume the same vehicle will be available without a reservation.
Stone Buddhas official station–facility access mapUsuki taxi operator 2026 programme
- Stone Buddhas → Viewing and reserved vehicle return
The Stone Buddhas open 09:00–17:00, last admission 16:30; senior high school students and older pay JPY 550. Buy admission yourself and follow the viewing path. Return to the agreed pickup location for the reserved vehicle's departure.
- Agreed Stone Buddhas taxi pickup → Usuki Station and Beppu-bound train
Return to Usuki Station in the reserved vehicle with time before your Beppu train. Agree station arrival when booking; if viewing takes longer, check extra hire time and fees. Have dinner in Beppu and rest at the same accommodation.
Usuki tourism association 2026 sightseeing taxis and previous-day reservationsJR Usuki–Beppu train search
The flexible city taxi programme described by the tourism association and operator runs 1 July 2026–31 March 2027, requires booking by the previous day and has a daily vehicle limit. Two-hour hire costs JPY 7,000 per vehicle, excluded from this per-person subtotal. Return JR costs extra. Confirm station departure, Stone Buddhas viewing and station return fit your chosen duration. Outside the programme dates or without a booking, replace it with a Beppu rest day.
Day four: Usa Jingu return trip and Beppu stay
Choose Usa Jingu viewing after confirming local return buses and Beppu trains. Visit on a different day from Usuki.
- Beppu accommodation → JR Usa Station
Travel north from Beppu Station to Usa. Choose dated return trains in JR's official search. Visit on a different day from Usuki and choose the shrine–station return bus.
- Usa Station → Bus, Usa-Hachiman and shrine
Take a Yokkaichi-bound bus from Usa-Ekimae to Usa-Hachiman. Walk towards Usa Jingu entrance intersection on National Route 10 and cross towards the shrine. Follow the city map through Nakamise shops, Shirobashi and Omotesando to Usa Torii and the main sanctuary area. Follow on-site signs and restrictions.
Tourism association access and operationOperator weekday/weekend Usa-Ekimae–Usa-Hachiman return timetablesUsa city official Usa-Hachiman stop and shrine approach map
- Shrine → Worship, lunch and return to Beppu accommodation
After worship at the main sanctuary, retrace the approach through Nakamise to Usa-Hachiman stop. Take a Bungotakada-bound bus via Usa-Ekimae and your chosen Beppu train. Allow walking, worship, meals and bus waits separately. JR, local buses, paid exhibitions and parking are excluded from the subtotal.
Tourism association access and operationOperator weekday/weekend Usa-Ekimae–Usa-Hachiman return timetablesUsa city official Usa-Hachiman stop and shrine approach map
Check Usa city's map for Usa-Hachiman stop, Usa Jingu entrance intersection, Nakamise, the approach and main sanctuary. Follow the marked walking route in and retrace it to the stop. Usa-Ekimae–Usa-Hachiman uses the Yokkaichi direction; return towards Bungotakada via Usa-Ekimae. Check weekday, weekend and public-holiday timetables and on-site walking restrictions, allowing time for walks, worship and buses.
Day five: ropeway and airport
See mountain views only with time to collect luggage in Beppu and reach the airport. Go directly to the airport for a morning flight.
- Beppu accommodation → Route 36 to the ropeway stop
Take a route 36 service that stops at the ropeway from Beppu Station west-side stand 1 to Beppu Ropeway. Choose both directions from the official weekday and weekend timetable. Some services skip the ropeway, so check its stop marker. Omit the visit for a late arrival or suspension.
- Ropeway stop → Observation deck and Beppu-bound bus
Walk from the stop to the lower station, buy a return ticket and ascend. Leave time for descent queues and walking to the bus stop. The return bus fare is JPY 1,000 and the return ropeway ticket costs JPY 1,800; these are separate fares. After descending, take a west-side Beppu Station-bound route 36 bus from the ropeway stop.
Beppu city official tourism: ropeway fares and hoursOita tourism association: ropeway bus stop and stationsCurrent combined fare table
- Beppu accommodation → Kitahama airport-bound boarding point
Collect luggage and reach Kitahama's airport-bound boarding point. Choose walking or transport for your actual address and budget its time and cost separately. The airport-bound boarding location differs from where you alighted on arrival.
Check the actual route and time from your accommodation to Kitahama's airport-bound boarding point.
- Kitahama airport-bound boarding point → Oita Airport
Choose an airport bus from the dated official timetable with a margin before airline check-in closes. Adult fare is JPY 1,600 one way. Allow road delays and airport processing beyond scheduled arrival. Reduce or omit final-day sightseeing if you cannot catch this service afterwards.
Choose both directions of a route 36 service that actually stops at the ropeway from the station's west side. The facility is about one minute on foot from the stop; ticketing, boarding and descent queues take extra time. Omit the ropeway if returning to Beppu, collecting luggage and reaching Kitahama still leaves insufficient airport check-in time.
Included items: Hells combined ticket JPY 2,400, route 5 return JPY 780, Stone Buddhas JPY 550, ropeway return JPY 1,800, route 36 ropeway return JPY 1,000, Kitahama airport buses return JPY 3,200; day-two Kamenoi Bus Mini day pass JPY 1,100 for route 26 outward and route 16 return
Costs outside the subtotal: Essential Usuki return JR and reserved sightseeing taxi access are excluded. The limited-period JPY 7,000 two-hour taxi rate is per vehicle; confirm extra time, parking and other conditions when booking. Usa return JR and local buses cost extra, as do accommodation, meals, flights, bathing and property-specific access.
This subtotal adds the hells combined ticket and listed transport and admission. Day two's JPY 1,100 Mini day pass is included in JPY 10,830. A day pass cannot be reused on another date and does not replace hell admission. Accommodation, meals, flights and bathing cost extra. If omitting the ropeway, subtract its JPY 1,000 return bus and JPY 1,800 return ticket. Calculate Usuki sightseeing taxi fares, plus JR and local bus fares for Usuki and Usa separately.
Airport faresCombined ticketCurrent combined fare tableBeppu city official tourism: ropeway fares and hoursFacility admission and accessOfficial Mini day-pass price and Beppu hell areasUsuki tourism association 2026 sightseeing taxis and previous-day reservations
Choose your final-day airport service
Frequently asked questions
Does one option include both a Yufuin night and Usuki and Usa visits?
Option A stays three Beppu nights followed by one in Yufuin. Option B keeps a Beppu base for Usuki and Usa on different days. Usuki uses a reserved station–Stone Buddhas taxi; Usa follows Nakamise and the approach from Usa-Hachiman, returning the same way. Option B's JPY 10,830 includes day two's Mini day pass but excludes Usuki and Usa JR and local transport.
Facility admission and accessNichirin 3, 5003MJR Usuki–Beppu train searchTourism association access and operationSonic 16, 3016MSonic 31, 3031MCombined ticketAccess to both hell groupsOfficial Mini day-pass price and Beppu hell areasStone Buddhas official bus/taxi access and feesOperator weekday/weekend Usa-Ekimae–Usa-Hachiman return timetablesUsuki tourism association 2026 sightseeing taxis and previous-day reservationsUsa city official Usa-Hachiman stop and shrine approach map
Does a Northern Kyushu JR pass include airport buses and hell transport?
It covers eligible JR trains, excluding airport buses, Kamenoi buses, ropeways and hell admission. Compare ordinary tickets for eligible routes from Hakata to Beppu or Yufuin, and between Beppu and Usa. Oita–Usuki is outside Northern Kyushu. Both outward and return dates must fit three or five consecutive days. Eligibility requires a non-Japanese passport, residence outside Japan and tourism entry under Temporary Visitor status. Check your passport's entry stamp or sticker and carry your passport when using the pass. If using automated immigration gates, ask airport staff for an entry stamp or sticker.
JR Northern Kyushu eligible trains, excluded transport and consecutive daysCombined ticketAccess to both hell groupsAirliner timetableRoute timetableAirport fares
Official sources and checked dates
- Airport fares ·
- Route timetable ·
- Combined ticket ·
- Access to both hell groups ·
- Prefectural tourism body ·
- City tourism map ·
- Facility admission and access ·
- Tourism association access and operation ·
- Route 5 APU-bound timetable ·
- Route 5 return timetable ·
- Route 26 weekday timetable ·
- Route 16 outer loop ·
- Official airport-bound timetable, 1–24 October ·
- Kamenoi Bus official My Beppu Free ·
- Weekday route 36 ·
- Separate timetable ·
- Airliner timetable ·
- Nichirin 3, 5003M ·
- JR Usuki–Beppu train search ·
- Sonic 16, 3016M ·
- Sonic 31, 3031M ·
- Current combined fare table ·
- Timetable hub ·
- Official Lake Kinrin guide ·
- Temporary Beppu–Yufuin direct bus dates ·
- Beppu city official tourism: ropeway fares and hours ·
- Oita tourism association: ropeway bus stop and stations ·
- JR Northern Kyushu eligible trains, excluded transport and consecutive days ·
- Official Mini day-pass price and Beppu hell areas ·
- Stone Buddhas official bus/taxi access and fees ·
- Stone Buddhas official station–facility access map ·
- Operator weekday/weekend Usa-Ekimae–Usa-Hachiman return timetables ·
- Usuki tourism association 2026 sightseeing taxis and previous-day reservations ·
- Usuki taxi operator 2026 programme ·
- Usa city official Usa-Hachiman stop and shrine approach map ·
- JR Yufuin no Mori operations and all-reserved seating ·