Things to do in Oita

this was such a fantastic tour. very laid back. good thing i chose tuesday for the tour. luckily there were NO traffic at all! travel to Yufuin from Dazaifu was less than 1.5hrs. WANG our tour guide was such a sweet gal. although if i can suggest one thing - i wish she’d wait a little longer when giving instructions to the group as soon as everyone is outside the bus. i just noticed that she gives instructions to 5-10 people even if most of the group are still on board the bus. we can only hear 1/4 of what she had discussed with the smaller group of people.

Good and organized self-guided tour. The schedule is not too packed which allowed us to visit all the key spots and enjoy our promenade. Our guide Kaku is very nice and shares useful information on the tour sites as well as visit and shopping tips in Fukuoka.

The guide was on time and easy to talk to. We encountered an unforeseen closure or unavailability of an activity in my itinerary, he was helpful to suggest an alternative nearby. And was patient to wait for us to be done at each place.

Staying near Hakata Chikushi Exit. Hiring a private car to the Nature Animal Park, departing at 7:30 AM to arrive at opening time. Purchase Jungle Bus tickets (only available for 12:10 PM, as earlier times were sold out). First, have the driver take us around the safari park for a loop, then visit the petting zoo area, and finally take the Jungle Bus. Around 1:20 PM, depart the zoo for Yufuin. Get dropped off at Lake Kinrin, explore Yufuin while looking for lunch, and then call the driver from the 7-Eleven below to pick us up (around 3:30 PM). Return to the hotel in Hakata. Driving times are fixed, and each attraction requires a significant amount of time, so it is not recommended to cram in too many places. The zoo is not suitable for having lunch. This farthest itinerary is the most relaxing to enjoy.

Our driver and tour guide, Gyu-Yeong Jeon, was very professional. He took me to better spots to photograph Yufuin and the Jumonjibaru Observatory. He also proactively offered to take photos and even picked me up from Tatsumaki Jigoku (Tornado Hell) because the bus was taking too long to return to the Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell) parking lot.

I visited the Umitamago Aquarium with my kids, and it was a really satisfying family travel destination. We used a rental car to get around, and the accessibility wasn't bad. More than anything, there were many hands-on experience spaces where the kids could participate directly, so there was no time for them to get bored. It's not just an aquarium where you simply look around, but there are well-prepared experience zones where you can touch and feel, so the kids' reactions were especially good. Being able to see sea creatures up close naturally aroused their curiosity and interest. Also, there were various programs and performances prepared where you could interact with sea lions, otters, dolphins, etc., so it was great for both kids and adults to enjoy together. The distance from the animals was close, so it felt lively, and it was really good for taking pictures. Overall, the facilities were well-maintained and the flow was convenient, so I thought it was a good aquarium to visit leisurely with children. I would definitely recommend visiting once for family travel, especially with children.

I highly recommend taking a rickshaw ride if you can find one! Even if you don't speak Japanese, they'll mix in a bit of English and Korean and give you witty and humorous explanations, making the whole tour really fun! It was a little rainy the day I went, but they covered us with waterproof fabric to keep the rain from splashing on us, and they stopped at key points to explain the location and take beautiful pictures. My friends and I were all very satisfied that day!!