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Voykit pocket guide · Japan
Hita
日田市
Give Hita one night, or two if you want Onta pottery and Amagase onsen: it is a bus-first town, 1 h 30 min from Fukuoka.
Hita is a small river town in western Oita, closer to Fukuoka than to Oita city. Its draw is the Mameda-machi and Kuma-machi merchant streets, the summer Gion floats, Onta pottery village in the hills and the Amagase hot-spring resort. The train is slower and dearer than the highway bus, so most travellers arrive by bus from Fukuoka and leave the same way.
- Country
- Japan
- Local name
- 日田市
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot and humid), mid-August Obon
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- JPY
- Money
- Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥6,000–10,000 excl. bed · Mid ¥10,000–16,000 excl. bed · High ¥16,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119 · Japan Visitor Hotline (24 h, English) 050-3816-2787
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
- Tipping
- Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
- Water
- Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
- Toilets
- Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or a light breakfast | ¥400–700 |
| Ramen or okonomiyaki | ¥700–1,200 |
| Lunch set (chicken nanban or tonkatsu) | ¥700–1,200 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a convenience store | ¥500–800 / ¥250–350 |
| Gion Festival Centre entry | ¥310 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥2,000–4,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FUK · Fukuoka Airport
- Highway bus from Hita Bus Centre stops at the airport on some runs, about 1 h 45 min; check the timetable before you rely on it.
Typical fares
- Hita → Fukuoka (Tenjin or Hakata), highway bus
- about ¥1,750, about 1 h 30 min
- Hita → Yufuin, JR
- about ¥1,080, about 1 h 15 min
- Hita → Oita, JR
- about ¥2,070, about 2 h 10 min
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre is flat and small enough to walk or cycle; you should rarely need a local bus. A car helps for Onta, Amagase and the dam statues, but is not essential for the town itself. Highway buses to Fukuoka leave the bus centre roughly every 20 min; trains run east to Yufuin and Oita and west to Kurume, but are less frequent and cost more than the bus.
See and do
Known for
- Mameda-machi and Kuma-machi merchant streets
- Hita Gion Festival floats
- Onta-yaki pottery village
- Amagase onsen
- Attack on Titan statues
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Onta Pottery Village | Car or checked local bus into the hills, about 30–40 min from central Hita | About 1 h each way |
| Amagase onsen | Car or bus, about 30 min | About 40 min |
| Yufuin | JR Kyudai line east, about 1 h 15 min | About 1 h 30 min |
| Fukuoka | Highway bus from Hita Bus Centre, about 1 h 30 min | About 1 h 45 min |
| Kurume | JR Kyudai line west, about 1 h 15 min | About 1 h 30 min |
Sleep
- Around Hita Station and Motomachi
- The two main hotels sit within 100 m of the station and the bus centre; best for one night with bags.
- Mameda-machi and Kuma-machi
- Old merchant streets with cafés and shops; a few small guesthouses, so book ahead.
- Amagase
- Onsen resort about 30 min by car or bus from central Hita; sleep here if the baths are the point of the trip.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみませんsumimasen |
| Thank you | ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasu |
| This one, please | これをくださいkore o kudasai |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ikura desu ka |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？kādo de haraemasu ka |
| Where is the toilet? | トイレはどこですか？toire wa doko desu ka |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
- Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
- Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
- Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
- Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
- Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
- Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
- Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope
Scams and watch-outs
- The train is slower, dearer and less frequent than the highway bus for Fukuoka: compare before you book rail.
- Onta pottery village and Amagase need a car or a checked bus; do not assume a frequent service.
- Small restaurants and bars often close one day a week and may have no English menu: check hours on the day.
- Summer is hot and humid, and the river-side festival weekends fill the few hotels.
A quiet, low-crime small city; the real risks are summer heat, narrow streets with no pavement in the old quarters, and rural buses that stop early: check the last return before you leave town.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hita yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Mameda-machi and Kuma-machi merchant streets
- Hita Gion Festival floats
- Onta-yaki pottery village
- Amagase onsen
- Attack on Titan statues
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Hita official tourism site (Oide Hita): oidehita.com/
- Hita city — Hagio Park camping ground: www.city.hita.oita.jp/soshiki/doboku/toshiseibika/koenryokuchi/koen/3362.html
- Sapporo Beer Kyushu Hita brewery: www.sapporobeer.jp/english/brewery/kyushuhita/
- Amagase onsen (Okaeri Amagase): okaeriamagase.com/
- Attack on Titan statues in Hita: shingeki-hita.com/
- Wikivoyage: Hita, revision 5310465 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5310465
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Hita日田市
ここまでお願いします
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police110
- Fire and ambulance119
- Japan Visitor Hotline (24 h, English)050-3816-2787
No embassies in Hita; the US consulate is in Fukuoka and most embassies are in Tokyo (check addresses).
Tourist information: Hita Tourist Information Center, 11-3 Motomachi, daily 09:00–17:00.Tourist information: Hita Tourist Information Center, 11-3 Motomachi, daily 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/hita). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.