5 Photogenic Scenic Spots in Oita

Oita Prefecture is a "treasure house of photogenic spots" packed with magnificent nature and mystical scenery. We've carefully selected and present photogenic spots known to those in the know. Grab your camera, and let's head out!

(1) Mount Yufu Viewed from Kijima Kogen | The "Bungo Fuji" Floating in Morning Mist

Mount Yufu, with its beautiful gentle ridgeline, is a famous peak representing Oita, also known as "Bungo Fuji." If you aim for it from the Kijima Kogen side in the early morning, white mist drifts at the mountain's foot, and you can capture a fantastical shot like an ink-wash painting. In the autumn foliage season, the mountainsides color as if burning, and it's sure to become a topic on social media.

• Best Time: Early morning in autumn to winter (within one hour of sunrise)
• Angle: Including the grassland in the foreground with a wide-angle lens to create depth is ideal.
• Access: About 15 minutes by car from JR Yufuin Station

(2) The Mossy Garden of Fukiji Temple | A World of Green Spreading Within Stillness

Fukiji Temple, where an Amida hall designated as a National Treasure stands, is a mystical space surrounded by moss and old trees. Especially after rain, the moss glistens freshly, and the deep green beautifully colors the entire photograph. The combinations with spring wisteria flowers and autumn foliage are also superb.

• Best Time: Cloudy days in spring and autumn (light is even and easy to make photogenic)
• Angle: From a low angle with the moss in the foreground and the Amida hall in the background
• Access: About 30 minutes by bus from JR Bungo-Takada Station

(3) Hakusui Reservoir Weir | The "Sky Water Mirror" Wrapped in Early Morning Mist

The Hakusui Reservoir Weir (Hakusui Tameike Entei) is a hidden famous spot where you can capture an "upside-down vista" with the sky and mountains reflected on the water surface. When mist rolls in during the early morning, it becomes a fantastical scene as if floating above the sky. It's a genuine photogenic spot that even local photographers visit repeatedly.

• Best Time: Early morning in autumn to early winter (days with a large temperature difference are the aim)
• Angle: From an ultra-low angle right at the water's surface to make the most of the water mirror
• Access: About 40 minutes by car from the Yufuin IC on the Oita Expressway

(4) Sunset from Sekizaki Kaiseikan | A Golden Vista Dyeing the Bungo Channel

Sekizaki, located at the easternmost tip of Oita City, is a viewpoint where the sun setting into the Bungo Channel is breathtaking. At dusk, when the horizon is dyed orange and purple, it's beautiful no matter where you frame it. Silhouette photos from the observation deck can expect high engagement on Instagram.

• Best Time: Dusk to the magic hour (within 30 minutes after sunset)
• Angle: Placing a person in silhouette with the observation deck's railing in the foreground makes for a cinematic shot.
• Access: About 40 minutes by car from central Oita City

(5) Ao-no-Domon (Yabakei) | A V-Shaped Ravine Dyed in Autumn Colors

Even among the Yabakei gorge where strange rocks tower, the area around Ao-no-Domon shows a beauty of another dimension during the autumn foliage season. The gradation of red, yellow, and green spreading along the Yamakuni River is truly art painted by nature. If you capture the autumn leaves along with the river surface from the bridge, you'll complete a shot that takes everyone's breath away.

• Best Time: A clear morning in early to mid-November
• Angle: From the center of the bridge facing downstream, with the river's flow and the autumn leaves in a vertical composition
• Access: About 40 minutes by bus from JR Nakatsu Station

The charm of Oita's magnificent scenery is that its expression changes dramatically depending on the season and time of day. You're sure to find a place that makes you want to visit again and again. Your next travel destination is decided: Oita, camera in hand!

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Best seasons and times of day: The morning mist on Mount Yufu is best in the early morning from autumn to winter (within one hour of sunrise). Fukiji Temple is best for its moss after rain and its autumn foliage. Hakusui Dam is best during the daytime when the water volume is high. The autumn foliage at Yabakei and Ao-no-Domon is at its best in autumn.
• Opening hours / operating periods: JX Metals Sekizaki Mirai Kaiseikan is open 10:00-18:00 on weekdays and 10:00-22:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (until 22:00 every day in August). It is closed on Tuesdays, and when Tuesday is a public holiday it closes on the following weekday instead. The Hakusui reservoir weir can be visited freely with no restriction on viewing hours.
• Admission: Admission to Fukiji Temple is 500 yen for general visitors and high school students and 150 yen for elementary and junior high school students. Admission to JX Metals Sekizaki Mirai Kaiseikan is free of charge; viewing the astronomical observation room costs 420 yen for general visitors and 210 yen for high school students (free for junior high school students and younger and for those presenting a disability certificate), and the planetarium costs 500 yen for general visitors, 250 yen for high school students and 100 yen for elementary school students, by advance reservation only. Visiting Hakusui Dam is free of charge.
• Access: Mount Yufu and Kijima Kogen = about 15 minutes by car from Yufuin Station on the JR Kyudai Main Line (the station name is Yufuin, not Yufuin written with the characters for Yufuin hot springs). Fukiji Temple = as Bungotakada City has no railway station, about 30 minutes by car from Usa Station on the JR Nippo Main Line, or by the Oita Kotsu scheduled sightseeing bus. Hakusui Dam = about 25 minutes by car from Bungo-Taketa Station on the JR Hohi Main Line, or about 30 minutes from the Taketa interchange on the Chukyushu Odan Road. Sekizaki = about 40 minutes by car from central Oita City. Ao-no-Domon = about 40 minutes by bus from JR Nakatsu Station.
• Parking: Fukiji Temple has a free car park for 30 vehicles. The road leading to Hakusui Dam is narrow and difficult for large vehicles to enter. For other sites, please check each facility's official website.
• Photography rules: The Great Hall of Fukiji Temple is a National Treasure, and photography inside the hall may be restricted. Follow the on-site instructions regarding whether tripods may be used. Ao-no-Domon is still a road used by cars today, so do not take photographs or set up tripods on the roadway.
• Safety notes: Mount Yufu is an active volcano; if you plan to climb it, check the Japan Meteorological Agency's eruption warnings and forecasts and submit a climbing plan. There are no street lights around Hakusui Dam, and the footing becomes dangerous after dark. The riverbank directly below the weir can see water levels rise sharply when the river swells, so avoid approaching it during or after rain. The observation point at Sekizaki is very windy, so take care not to go near the cliff edge.

Note: Prices and opening hours are subject to change. Please check the latest information on the official websites of each facility and local government before your visit.

(Sources: official Bungotakada City tourism website, Fukiji Temple page; Taketa City Tourism Association, Hakusui Dam (Hakusui reservoir weir irrigation facility); official Sekizaki Kaiseikan (Oita City); official Oita Prefecture tourism website; Japan Meteorological Agency)

• Contact: For the current status of the Mt. Yufu climbing restrictions 0977-21-1133