Find Your Way
Zen Meditation Retreat, 3462-4, Toyoka, Hiji-machi Hayami-gun, Oita, 879-1507, Japan (view phone number here)
Before You Travel: The Essentials
Best arrival time: 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Acceptable arrival times: around 9:30 am, or between 1 PM and 9 PM.
No new arrivals & check-ins after 9:00 PM, as a general rule.
Please inform us of your intended arrival time in advance.
Pickup: normally available from Bungo-Toyooka Station or the Hiji bus stop. Please send us your intended arrival time.
From Oita Airport: take the airport bus that stops at Hiji, and tell the driver when you board.
Landing at Fukuoka Airport at 2:00 PM or later? We recommend a night in Fukuoka or Beppu first. Get the phone number here.
Find your essential arrival and check-in instructions here.
Arrival & Check-in Times
We are a small family homestay, not a hotel with a 24-hour reception. Our days include zazen, temple duties, cooking and eating together, and family life, so some arrival times are much easier for us than others.
Best time to arrive and check in at the retreat: 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM
Morning arrivals
Arriving before about 9:30 AM can work well, and you can join the morning’s activities. For example, you could come straight from the overnight ferry from Osaka, or stay in Beppu the night before. Please contact us in advance.
9:30 AM to 1:00 PM
This is usually our busiest time, with temple activities, lunch preparation, and eating together with our guests. Arriving in this window is generally difficult.
After 5:30 PM
We’re usually preparing or eating dinner. If you need to arrive after 5:30pm, please notify us in advance.
After 9:00 PM
As a general rule, we don’t accept new arrivals & check-ins after 9:00 PM. If your travel plans get you here later than that, please stay somewhere nearby for the night and come to us the next day.
Depending on temple ceremonies and family commitments, we may not always be available at your preferred time. But we’re happy to be flexible whenever we can. Just talk to us before you travel.
Delayed on the day?
Please call and email us to let us know. If you can’t reach us by 9:00 PM, please make arrangements to stay in Beppu for the night and come to the retreat the next morning.
Pickup
We can normally pick you up at:
JR Bungo-Toyooka Station (for guests arriving by train)
Hiji bus stop (for guests arriving by airport bus)
Please send us your confirmed train or bus arrival time in advance.
Yodo is a working Zen priest. Temple duties sometimes come up unexpectedly, so you may occasionally need to wait a little at the station or bus stop. Thank you for your patience.
If you’d like to walk, the retreat is about 10 to 15 minutes on foot from Bungo-Toyooka Station. See the map above.
We don’t provide pickup from Beppu Station or Oita Airport.
From Oita Airport
By airport bus to Hiji (about 45 to 60 minutes)
Take an airport bus toward Beppu and get off at the Hiji bus stop. We can normally pick you up there.
Two important things:
Not all airport buses stop at Hiji. Before you travel, check the latest timetable and stopping information. If you’re unsure, ask the airport staff before boarding.
Tell the driver when you board that you want to get off at Hiji. Some buses may pass the stop if the driver hasn’t been told. A few guests have missed it in the past.
If you miss the stop
Don’t worry. Stay on the bus to Beppu Station and take the local train to Bungo-Toyooka Station, 3 stops and about 10 minutes away. Let us know, and we’ll pick you up there.
From Fukuoka Airport
Fukuoka is the main international airport for Kyushu. The journey to the retreat takes about 2 to 3 hours.
If your flight lands around 2:00 PM or later
Reaching us the same evening can be difficult, especially after an international flight. Immigration, baggage, and connections to the train or bus often take longer than expected.
We recommend staying a night in Fukuoka or Beppu and coming to the retreat the next day. If you stay in Beppu, you can arrive the next morning by around 9:30 AM and join the morning activities.
If you’d still like to travel to us the same day, please contact us in advance.
By bus
Take the direct airport bus toward Beppu and get off at the Hiji bus stop. As with the Oita bus, tell the driver when you board. If you end up in Beppu, take the local train 3 stops to Bungo-Toyooka Station.
By train
Take the subway from Fukuoka Airport to Hakata Station (about 5 minutes).
At the ticket office, ask for a ticket to Beppu. Staff will find the best route for the time you’re travelling.
At Beppu Station, change to the local train to Bungo-Toyooka Station (3 stops, about 10 minutes).
We’ll meet you at Bungo-Toyooka, as arranged.
From Elsewhere in Japan
By train
Trains are a comfortable and flexible way to reach us. From Osaka the journey takes about 4 hours, and from Tokyo about 7 hours. Ask for a ticket to Beppu, then take the local train 3 stops to Bungo-Toyooka Station.
By ferry
The overnight ferry from Osaka to Beppu is a relaxing alternative. It arrives early in the morning, so you can come directly to us and join the morning activities. Please let us know in advance.
By air
From the Tokyo area, flying to Oita is often the easiest option. Flights from both Narita and Haneda can be quite inexpensive when booked early. Budget airlines also fly to Oita and Fukuoka from Osaka and other cities. Fares change often, so compare current prices.
Oita or Fukuoka: Which Airport is best?
Flying within Japan, especially from Tokyo: Oita is closer and often the easiest choice.
Flying in from another country: Fukuoka is the international hub for Kyushu and usually has better international connections and fares.
Check both on a flight comparison site such as Google Flights.
Connecting through Tokyo or Osaka?
Both these major cities have two airports, and changing between them can take hours. If your connecting flights are on the same day, make sure you arrive and leave from the same airport.
Do I Need to Book Transport in Advance?
Flights: yes, book in advance.
Trains and airport buses: usually not. Trains and buses run frequently through the day, and you can buy tickets on the day of travel. The main exception is Golden Week (around April 29 to May 5), Japan’s busiest travel period.
Japan Rail Pass: it can be excellent value for your trip around Japan as a whole. It’s usually not good value for the days you spend at the retreat, because local trips are short and inexpensive. The pass runs for consecutive days, so on a longer stay it often makes sense to plan around your time with us, for example by starting the pass on the day you leave.
Departure Day
You can check out any time before 5:00 PM, and you’re welcome to stay for lunch. If new guests are arriving, we may ask you to leave your room earlier, possibly from around 10:00 AM. Thank you for helping us get the room ready for the next guest.
Need Help Planning Your Trip?
The best route depends on your priorities (time, cost, comfort) and where else you’re going in Japan. Most questions are easy to answer by email. If you’d like detailed, personal help with your travel plans, you can book a live video consultation with Pierre.
