OITA PREFECTURE

Kyushu Island JAPAN

OITA CITY Population: 470,000

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

About an hour’s drive from Oita Airport – which is about a 100-105 minute flight from Tokyo. Oita City has some of the region’s best restaurants.

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

Oita Stadium is a 20-minute drive outside the city but free buses will be provided during the World Cup.

BEPPU CITY Population 120,000

Beppu City is twinned with Rotorua and it is easy to see why. There are hot springs and geothermal attractions everywhere.

The city is also on the doorstep of the Mount Takasaki National Park and about a 50-minute drive from Oita Airport.

Is not hosting any games but is likely to be used as a training base by some teams. Is about 25-minute drive to Oita Stadium.

YUFUIN Population 8000

The holiday town of Yufuin is about an hour by train from Oita City. It is a shopping mecca for tourists from South Korea, China and other parts of Japan and also the perfect place to suck in Kyushu Island’s clean air as Yufuin is nestled in the shadow of Mount Yufu.

Another resort with ample hot springs and extraordinary food options.

OITA STADIUM Capacity: 40,000

Hosting: New Zealand v Repechage Winner [ Will also host two quarterfinals but All Blacks have been drawn to play their quarterfinal, should they make it,in Tokyo] When: October 2, 2019 On the outskirts of Oita, the stadium has a retractable roof and will be able to, therefore, guarantee a dry ball and surface regardless of the weather conditions.

Oita should be warm – 20-27 degrees Celsius during the World Cup – but when it rains, it really rains. Organisers say buses will be available to take fans to and from the stadium.