Oita City

The biggest city in the prefecture and the perfect base from which to explore the region by either train or car.

Is about an hour drive from Oita

Airport – which is about a 60-75 minute flight from Tokyo. Oita City has some of the region's best restaurants and local produce.

It is served by good rail links and bus routes can take you wherever you need to go within the city, while it's easy enough to walk around.

It also, curiously, has a Strawberry Shortcake themed public toilet that was built to help Oita host a national toilet festival.