Oita local cuisine: Dishes from Beppu, Hita, Yufu and Kokonoe

Oita’s official tourism website introduces 57 dishes. Explore specialties from Beppu, Hita, Yufu, Kokonoe, Nakatsu and Usa, including chicken tempura, cold noodles, steam cooking and karaage.

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  • Oita
  • Food
  • Hot springs

The Oita Prefecture official tourism website introduces 57 regional dishes from across the prefecture. This article selects areas frequently visited by travellers: Beppu, Hita, Yufu, Kokonoe, Nakatsu and Usa, and summarizes the official descriptions of their dishes. It does not recommend individual restaurants, as the official page does not list them. For Oita transport, see Transport from Fukuoka to Beppu and Yufuin.

Key points

  • The official website organizes Oita’s local cuisine by area. The same dish, such as chicken tempura, can be found in more than one area.
  • One of Beppu’s distinctive experiences is jigokumushi, cooking food with hot spring steam.
  • Hita yakisoba and fried chicken from Usa and Nakatsu are local dishes visitors often hear about.

Representative dishes by area (official descriptions)

Area Dish Official description
Beppu Toriten chicken tempura () Chicken fried in tempura batter, served with citrus ponzu vinegar and mustard or yuzu kosho
Beppu Beppu cold noodles () Noodles made from wheat and buckwheat flour in a Japanese-style broth, topped with kimchi and beef chashu; introduced after the war by people returning from Manchuria
Beppu Jigokumushi steam cooking Food cooked with hot spring steam; a facility in Kannawa lets visitors steam ingredients themselves. See Beppu jigokumushi steam cooking
Hita Hita yakisoba () Crispy griddle-fried noodles with bean sprouts, green onions and pork
Hita Ayu dishes () Sweetfish grilled, served as sashimi or simmered sweet; the official site says the fishing season opens in May
Yufu Jidori grilled chicken () Local chicken grilled, lightly seared or served in oyakodon rice bowls
Yufu Yaseuma () Flat wheat noodles boiled and coated with soybean flour and sugar; according to the official site, the dish originated in Yufu
Yufu River fish dishes Eel, carp, sweetfish and soft-shell turtle dishes in Yunohira Onsen
Kokonoe Gokuraku Onkei chicken () A whole chicken stuffed with vegetables and steamed in geothermal heat at Sujiyu Onsen for about 2.5 hours
Nakatsu Nakatsu karaage () Fried chicken seasoned with garlic-flavoured soy sauce, ginger and spices; the official website says there are more than 60 fried-chicken shops in the city
Usa Usa karaage The official site calls Usa the birthplace of specialist karaage shops

How to use this list

  1. Decide which area to visit first, then look at its dishes.
  2. For a hot spring steam-cooking experience, go to Kannawa.
  3. The official page does not list restaurants, prices or opening hours for the dishes; consult the tourism association of each city.

For Oita attractions, see the Beppu Hells guide, Yufuin walking guide and Hita day trip. For a regional overview, see the Kyushu travel guide.

Sources