Oita: A Day with Umitamago and Takasaki Mountain – Sea and Monkeys

An ambitious leisure course in Oita City, where animals, nature, and art are packed together along the coast overlooking Beppu Bay. The morning is for Umitamago (うみたまご), a hands-on aquarium. Cheer at the walruses' comic performance and the dolphins' jumps, have lunch at the in-house cafe, then cross the road to Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden (高崎山自然動物園) next door. At the feeding grounds where wild Japanese macaques live in troops, you can watch mother and baby monkeys groom each other up close. After a break in the sea breeze on the white sands of Tanoura Beach (田ノ浦ビーチ), move into the city for a spell of art at OPAM (大分県立美術館OPAM), the glass-walled museum designed by Shigeru Ban. Finish at Amu Plaza Oita (アミュプラザおおいた), directly connected to Oita Station, browsing for souvenirs at Bungo Niwasaki Market (豊後にわさき市場). Sea creatures and mountain monkeys, sandy beach and art, all in a single day: a classic Oita course that will have the whole family smiling.