Chojabaru Visitor Center (長者原ビジターセンター)

Flow of the course

About this spot

A visitor center in Chojabaru (長者原), known as a climbing base for the Kuju Mountain Range within Aso-Kuju National Park. Inside, exhibits and videos let you learn for free about how the Kuju mountains were formed, the flora and fauna living on the highlands, and the nature of the adjacent Tade-hara Marsh, making it an excellent preview for your afternoon marsh walk. Shops and rest houses cluster around the area, and it's a pleasure to enjoy a mountain lunch of Oita specialties like dango-jiru (だんご汁, dumpling soup) and tori-ten (とり天, fried chicken). Eating lunch while gazing out the window at the peaks of Kuju, including Mt. Mikoshi (三俣山), is a luxurious moment unique to a highland drive.

Tips

The rest houses get crowded with climbers and tourists around noon, so shifting your timing slightly lets you eat more leisurely. It's recommended to pick up a map of the marsh's highlights at the center before heading to the boardwalk. The highland, at about 1,000 meters above sea level, is cooler than the lowlands, so having a jacket to layer on is reassuring.

Best time to visit

About 1 hour 15 minutes. Outside the lunchtime peak, you can enjoy both the meal and the exhibits at a relaxed pace.

Access & map

〒879-4911 大分県玖珠郡九重町田野２５５−３３