If you’re flying into Kyushu, the real question usually isn’t Fukuoka or Oita — it’s which one becomes your base and which becomes a day trip or a drive-through on the way to somewhere else. Here’s the honest comparison, including the flight-route reality that most itineraries skip over.

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The International Flight Reality

This is the part that actually decides it for most travelers. Fukuoka Airport is a genuine regional hub, with direct flights from South Korea (Seoul, Cheongju, and Daegu, across eight different carriers), China (Shanghai, Dalian), Taiwan (Taipei, Kaohsiung), Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia (Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur). Oita Airport, by contrast, has exactly one international route: Jeju Air’s Seoul flight, three times a week. Unless you’re flying from Korea, you’re arriving at Fukuoka whether you plan around it or not.

Getting From Fukuoka to Oita or Beppu

Once you’ve landed in Fukuoka, getting to Oita’s onsen towns is straightforward:

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If Oita ends up being your arrival point instead, we’ve mapped out the airport bus, taxi, and rental car options in more detail in a separate guide.

What Each City Is Actually Good For

Fukuoka is a genuine big city: the Hakata ramen and yatai food stall scene, real shopping, the best transit connections on the island, and the natural jumping-off point for a northern loop through Nagasaki or Kumamoto.

Oita and Beppu can’t compete on any of that, and aren’t trying to. What they have is onsen density unmatched anywhere in Japan, and they’re the gateway to Yufuin, the Kuju Highlands, and essentially everything else this site covers — the kind of places that don’t show up on a Fukuoka-based trip at all.

Our Recommendation

For most first-time visitors: fly into Fukuoka (you likely don’t have much choice on this point), spend a day or two there if it’s your first trip to Japan, then take the Sonic or pick up a rental car and base yourself out of Beppu or Yufuin for the off-the-beaten-path stretch of the trip. See our itinerary breakdown for how to divide the days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I skip Fukuoka entirely and fly straight to Oita? Only if you’re coming from Korea — Oita’s only international route is Jeju Air’s Seoul flight, three times a week. Everyone else connects through Fukuoka (or Kansai or Kagoshima) first.

Is the train or a rental car better from Fukuoka to Beppu? The train is simpler if you haven’t rented a car yet. But if you already know you’re exploring Oita’s countryside, picking up the car at Fukuoka Airport and driving straight there saves a step later.

Does the choice affect my budget or trip timing? Yes, a bit — flight availability shifts by season (see our best-time-to-visit guide), and the city you fly into changes your overall costs (our budget breakdown has the numbers).