Usuki Stone Buddhas 臼杵石仏 by Public Transit
Usuki 臼杵 is a quaint city in Oita 大分 prefecture near to Beppu. Just a stone’s throw away (pun intended) from Usuki are the Usuki Stone Buddhas 臼杵石仏 which are designated as a national treasure.
Getting There
The venue is easily accessible and there is a bus stop right at the entrance. There are two easy ways to get there, either from Oita station or from Usuki station.
From Oita
The bus departs Oita station from berth 4 of the bus terminal. There are slightly different departure times for weekday, Saturday, and Sun & Holidays. The bus ride takes just over 1 hour and costs 1040 yen. There are 6–8 departures a day.
From Usuki
There are two bus routes that depart from Usuki to the stone buddhas, the Oita line 大分線 and the Kyuusan line 臼三線. The ride takes around 20 min and costs 310 yen. Between the two routes, there are around 13 departures a day.
What the timetables don’t show though are the intermediate bus stops. Some of these bus stops are near other Usuki city attractions and these attractions are within walking distance from Usuki station. So it’s possible to explore the city while waiting for the bus, and board the bus at one of the intermediate bus stops instead of at the Usuki station.
These bus stops are of interest:
- Jonan 城南 and Johoku 城北 are near the Usuki castle ruins.
- Tsuji 辻 is right at the tourist information center.
- Sumiyoshibashi 住吉橋 and Hirasozu 平清水 are near the western entrance of the Nioza Historical Road.
