Timetable · Annual Schedule
大分県 · Calendar 2026
Seasonal windows and dated events, month by month. Entry pages are in Traditional Chinese; event names appear in their original Japanese.
January
3 itemsJanuary in Oita is about baths and hot pots, not events: Kinrinko in Yufuin is at its steamiest, and Ajimu's soft-shell turtle is in season. With no major festival on the calendar, keep the plan slow and stay put around Yufuin.
February
3 itemsFebruary holds the same winter pattern: Kinrinko's steaming water and Ajimu's soft-shell turtle are both still in season, and no major festival is scheduled. Crowds are thinner, but leave slack for winter weather inland.
March
2 itemsMarch is a gap month: Ajimu's soft-shell turtle season closes and Kinrinko's winter look fades, while cherry blossoms only begin at the very end. Better used as a transit day or an extended onsen stay than as a trip built around one event.
April
3 itemsApril restarts Oita's calendar. The anchor is Okajo Sakura Matsuri, with its daimyo and armoured-warrior processions; the Beppu Ropeway up Tsurumi-dake and Kuju Flower Park also open their windows. Coast and highlands run on different seasons, so layer up.
May
6 itemsMay is one of the easiest months to plan here: Kuju Flower Park and the Beppu Ropeway are both open, Kusu holds its fairy-tale festival, shitagarei comes into season, and Hita Onsen's riverboats and hamo at Chikushitei start. Pre-rainy-season weather makes outdoor days dependable.
June
6 itemsJune brings the rainy season, so build in indoor fallbacks. Fukoji's hydrangeas actually suit the wet; hamo is served at Chikushitei and Ruri-kyo in Nakatsu, and shitagarei is still in season. Don't hang a whole day on Kuju Flower Park alone.
July
5 itemsJuly closes out shitagarei season and brings serious heat plus typhoon risk. Hita Onsen's riverboat dining and the hamo restaurants are the sensible daytime picks, with Kuju Flower Park as the cooler option upcountry. Keep a spare day for weather.
August
5 itemsAugust is hot and typhoon-prone, but the Yufuin Film Festival in late August is worth shifting dates for: a long-running local festival, not a tourist show. Fill the hot hours with riverboat dining and hamo, and push outdoor stops to early morning or evening.
September
5 itemsSeptember still sits inside typhoon season, so keep the itinerary flexible. The change is on the table: Oita's dried shiitake comes into season, while Hita Onsen's riverboats and the hamo restaurants are still running. Autumn colour has not really arrived yet.
October
8 itemsOctober is the month to prioritise. The Kokonoe Yume Otsurihashi suspension bridge enters its autumn window, Kuju Flower Park is still open, and Kinrinko returns to form, while dried shiitake, Ajimu turtle and hamo all overlap. Book weekends well ahead.
November
7 itemsNovember is peak autumn colour: Kokonoe Yume Otsurihashi and Futagoji both fall inside their windows, Kuju Flower Park closes out its season, Kinrinko's winter steam begins, and dried shiitake and Ajimu turtle are in season. It is also the most crowded stretch.
December
4 itemsDecember returns to a quiet winter rhythm: Kinrinko's steam, Ajimu's soft-shell turtle and the tail of the dried-shiitake season — an onsen-and-hot-pot month. No major festivals, so the real variable is year-end lodging and transport. Easy to plan, light on spectacle.