Local Information # last updated April 23, 2024
The following information is provided mainly for participants from outside Japan. Japanese participants can take their preferred way to get to Beppu and the venue (train, bus, ferry, etc), depending on your location.
About Beppu - the world-famous "onsen" place
Beppu, in Oita prefecture, is one of the most famous hot spring places in Japan. There are eight different springs around the Beppu city - i.e. Beppu Onsen, Kannawa Onsen, Myoban Onsen, Kankaiji Onsen, Hamawaki Onsen, Kamegawa Onsen, Horita Onsen and Shibaseki Onsen. You can enjoy unique types of hot spring baths - e.g "sand bath", steam bath, mud bath, etc. Interestingly, there is a recent Nature paper reporting that the Beppu onsen is good for our health.
The Venue
The meeting will take place in the "International Conference Room" at the B-con Plaza, 12-1 Yamanote-cho, Beppu, Oita 874-0828, Japan. We will show signs to guide you from the main entrance to the meeting room.
Access from Beppu Station to B-con Plaza should be straightforward. It is ~15-20 min on foot (through Beppu Park), or you can take a bus from the Beppu Station west gate "Beppu-Eki Nishi-Guchi" to B-con Plaza bus stop (Route-3 or Route-36, ~5 min). In case you are staying near the Beppu-Kitahama bus stop, you can take the bus Route 16/16A/17 to get to B-con Plaza (~15 min).
Accommodation
There are so many hotels around Beppu Station and along the Beppu Bay coast area. Most hotels in Beppu have their own hot spring bath (onsen) - please find your best place to stay. Summer vacation season (school holidays) in Japan is starting in late July - so we recommend you book your hotels as soon as possible. Please contact the organizers if you need assistance.
Access to Beppu from Oita Airport
The most common gateway to access Beppu is to use Oita Airport. There are direct flights from Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya to Oita Airport - please check the flight information here. After arriving at Oita Airport, you can get to Beppu using bus or taxi:
♨ Airport Bus (Line "K"): It takes about ~45-min from Oita Airport to Beppu city area by bus. You should get off at "Beppu Kitahama" in the case you take the Route "K". You can find a taxi there to get to your hotel, or you may be able to walk to your hotel from Beppu-Kitahama, depending on your hotel location.
♨ Airport Bus (Line "B"): In the case you take the Route "B", you can directly get to "Beppu Station" (the terminal).
Note: You need to buy the bus ticket inside the airport terminal (the ticket vending machine is available in front of the arrival hall). The bus fare is 1,500JPY (~10USD) for one-way ticket. There is some discount if you purchase a round trip ticket. The bus fare is half for elementary school children. For children under the age of 6 years old, one child can travel free when accompanied by one adult - please ask the service counter if you want to know more.
♨ Taxi: Taxi is another choice (~40 min). Normally it would cost ~70-80 USD (assuming the recent JPY-USD exchange rate). Taxi will take you directly to your hotel. You can request flat rate if you wanted - more details can be found here.
Access to Beppu from Fukuoka Airport
In the case you have direct flight to Fukuoka Airport from your country, you can take train or bus to access Beppu.
♨ Train: You first need to take metro to go to "Hakata" Station (~5-min), and then transfer to an express train "Sonic" to get to Beppu Station (~2-hours). Total cost will be ~7,000JPY (~50USD).
♨ Bus: There is a direct bus service "Toyono-kuni" from the bus station at the Fukuoka Airport International Terminal to "Beppu Kitahama" (~2.5 hours). After arriving at Beppu Kitahama bus stop, you can take a taxi to your hotel, or you can walk to your hotel depending on your hotel location.
Climate
The weather in Beppu in summer time is usually very hot and humid (potentially highs of 35°C and lows of about 20°C).
Currency
The Japanese Yen (JPY) is the currency used in Japan. The current exchange rate (as of April 7th) is 1USD=150JPY, 1Euro=164JPY, 1AUD=100JPY, 1TWD=4.7JPY. We recommend you do currency exchange at large airports you arrive in (e.g. Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka). There exist some shops/places where you can do currency exchange in Beppu, but it is not evevywhere and you may feel less convenient. Most hotels and major shops accept credit card payment, but you may not be able to use credit cards at some local restaulants/shops.
Electrical Power
100V AC, 60Hz, "A-type" plug (same as US, Taiwan)
Sightseeing
To be updated soon...
