Beppu Onsen & the 8 Jigoku
Eight colour-coded 'hell ponds' you visit on a ticket-bound loop — including a bright-blue Umi-jigoku and a blood-red Chinoike-jigoku.
Open in Maps ↗Prefecture profile · 都道府県
Ōita 大分県
The hot-spring capital of Japan — Beppu and Yufuin together account for more hot-spring volume than any other prefecture. Add Usa Shrine (head of the 44,000 Hachiman shrines nationwide), the Kunisaki peninsula's Buddhist landscape, Sony's Ōita semiconductor fab, and the country's only commercially produced kabosu citrus.
Capital
Ōita City
Population
1.10 million
Area
6,341 km²
Region
Kyūshū
History
Ōita has more hot-spring sources than any other prefecture — roughly 4,400 active vents, more than 10% of Japan's national total. Beppu alone has around 2,200 hot-spring sources, more than any other municipality on Earth, and the volume of hot water discharged in Ōita is second only to Yellowstone globally.
Usa Hachiman-gū, founded in 725 AD, is the head shrine of more than 44,000 Hachiman shrines across Japan — the deity of warriors, archery, and protection. The Kunisaki peninsula nearby is home to a rare 'Rokugō Manzan' Buddhist tradition blending Shintō, Shingon, and Tendai practice — UNESCO Japan Heritage 2018.
Ōita Prefecture in 1979 launched the 'One Village One Product' (OVOP) movement under governor Hiramatsu Morihiko — a local-development model later replicated across Asia and Africa, asking each village to pick a single specialty product and market it nationally. Ōita's kabosu citrus, shiitake, and shōchū all owe their national presence to this initiative.
Economy & business
Ōita's prefectural GDP is around ¥4.6 trillion (US$32 billion). Sony Semiconductor (Ōita Technology Center) produces CMOS image sensors; Daihatsu Motor Kyushu's Nakatsu plant builds the Mira and Tanto kei cars; Showa Denko Materials (graphite electrodes); Beppu and Yufuin together draw over 12 million tourists a year; kabosu citrus, shiitake, and bungo-gyū wagyū anchor the agriculture economy.
Key industries
Hot-spring tourism
Beppu (2,200+ vents, 8 'jigoku' hells) and Yufuin (boutique ryokan town under Mt. Yufu) are two of Japan's top-five hot-spring destinations, drawing roughly 12 million visitors annually.
Semiconductors & electronics
Sony Semiconductor Solutions (Ōita Technology Center) — image sensors and small-pixel CMOS — and Toshiba Memory (now Kioxia) Ōita plant for memory test/assembly.
Automotive
Daihatsu Motor Kyushu (Nakatsu plant) — produces the Mira and Tanto kei cars for the Kyūshū-and-export market.
Agriculture & livestock
Kabosu citrus (Ōita produces ~98% of Japan's supply), Hita pear, dried shiitake (Japan's #1 production), bungo-gyū Ōita wagyū, mugi-shōchū (barley shōchū originated here).
Heavy industry
Showa Denko Materials (graphite electrodes for steel arc furnaces); Nippon Steel Ōita (one of Japan's largest integrated steelworks); and the Tsurusaki industrial belt on Beppu Bay.
Notable companies
Sony Semiconductor Solutions (Ōita)Daihatsu Motor KyushuKioxia ŌitaNippon Steel ŌitaŌita BankIichiko Shochu (Sanwa Shurui)Yufuin Onsen Association
Trade partners
ChinaSouth KoreaUnited StatesTaiwanAustralia
Tourism highlights
Yufuin Onsen
Boutique hot-spring town at the foot of Mt. Yufu — leisure-strolling tea-houses, art galleries, and roughly 800 ryokan rooms.
Open in Maps ↗Usa Hachiman-gū
The head shrine of all 44,000 Hachiman shrines in Japan; ancient cedars and a vermilion three-bay main hall (current build 1861).
Open in Maps ↗Kunisaki peninsula
Mountain Buddhist landscape with the unique Rokugō Manzan syncretic tradition — Futagoji and Kumano Magaibutsu cliff-carvings are highlights.
Open in Maps ↗Takasakiyama Monkey Park
Wild Japanese macaque troops fed daily on a forested mountain near Beppu — visitor lookout 5 m from feeding ground.
Open in Maps ↗Harajiri Falls
Often called 'Japan's Niagara' — a 120 m wide, 20 m tall waterfall on the Ogata River, an unusual geological feature for Kyūshū.
Open in Maps ↗Did you know
Ōita has roughly 4,400 active hot-spring vents — more than 10% of every spring in Japan — and Beppu alone has more hot-spring sources than any other city on Earth.
Roughly 98% of Japan's kabosu citrus is grown in Ōita — the small green-skinned citrus served alongside grilled fish or in ponzu likely traces back to this prefecture.
The 'One Village One Product' (OVOP) movement, which became a global rural-development model, was created in Ōita in 1979 — and Kabosu, shiitake, and mugi-shōchū are all OVOP success stories that still anchor Ōita's identity nationally.
About Ōita — Frequently asked
What is the capital of Ōita?
The capital of Ōita is Ōita City.
What region of Japan is Ōita in?
Ōita is part of the Kyūshū region of Japan.
What are Ōita's main industries?
Ōita's key industries include Hot-spring tourism, Semiconductors & electronics, Automotive, Agriculture & livestock.
What are the top tourist attractions in Ōita?
Top attractions in Ōita include Beppu Onsen & the 8 Jigoku, Yufuin Onsen, Usa Hachiman-gū, Kunisaki peninsula.
What major companies are based in Ōita?
Notable companies headquartered in Ōita include Sony Semiconductor Solutions (Ōita), Daihatsu Motor Kyushu, Kioxia Ōita, Nippon Steel Ōita, Ōita Bank.
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