2025 Hiji Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in February)

#newyearnewtrip At Grand Mercure Beppu Resort & Spa, they provide an all inclusive stay at their hotel. This means hotel guests get access to their lounge every night at 8.30pm and there is also breakfast in the morning. I love the hotel's lounge access as it's a great to end off the day with drinks and snacks or some light refreshments and kids are granted entry into this lounge as well. Drinks include both alcoholic and non alcoholic and there's a great variety of snacks every night. We also loved that there's a hot spring/onsen for us to use at the hotel's basement. A great way to relax by soaking in the warm onsen waters. For kids, there's even a reading corner with colourful kids furniture. As the hotel is located by the sea, there's even a walking trail by the sea area and you can take your morning or evening walks there admiring the sea views. I got to say we really enjoyed our stay at Grand Mercure Beppu because of all these perks, it's been an amazing one!

#newyearnewtrip There is only one word to describe our stay at Grand Mercure Beppu Bay Resort & Spa and that would be, 'Fantastic'! The hotel is situated on top of a small hill and located right beside the sea. Our room was an ocean view superior twin and it comes with 2 double beds and another single bed - perfect for my family of 4. The room was modern and spacious and we love the sea view outside especially. There's not much to the room with simple designs and a bathtub with shower toilet, but we appreciate that we had a comfortable good night's rest here. The hotel lobby look aged and perhaps need a face-lift. Service at the hotel is great, with staff being able to converse in English and always being helpful. The ocen view room is highly recommended if you are planning a stay here.

#newyearnewtrip Fans of Hello Kitty, My Melody and all of the other cute sanrio characters, you will definitely enjoy your time at Sanrio Harmonyland in Beppu Japan. Let your inner child go wild here, as it is the cutest place on earth and you can find the most child friendly rides here. Spot hello kitty and friends here as they make their way through parades, meet and greet, and different performances. You get to be upclose to your favourite kawaii characters, take pictures with them and shake their hands. As for rides, the park is rather small and there isn't a lot of rides but still it is a fantastic place for families and little kids. Hours can be spent here as you take on a mini roller coaster, carousel, train rides and many more. All in all, you will have a blast at sanrio harmonyland. Don't forget to drop by the souvenir shops as you will go gaga over all of Sanrio's cute gifts!

#newyearnewtrip I always love a good breakfast buffet spread, during a hotel stay. I got to say i was hugely impressed by the breakfast buffet at Le Sensoriel restaurant, during my recent stay at the Grand Mercure Beppu hotel. Their restaurant is located on the 2nd floor of the hotel and just like a big food hall, there were plenty of seatings available and it's row after row of delicious food for breakfast. There was an international selection of eggs Benedict, pancakes and pastries and a Japanese selection where you can get soba, miso soup and much more. The kids section had nuggets, fries and pasta, etc - food that were appealing to kids. Then, there's also yoghurt and soft serve with muesli and so much more! You will eat till you drop for breakfast here. Choose a seat near the windows, as the outside is the view of the sea. What a pretty view, as you sit and enjoy your breakfast!

There are two Sanrio theme parks in Japan, and Harmony Land is located in Beppu, Oita Japan 〒879-1502 Oita, Hayami District, Hiji, Fujiwara, 5933 ハーモニーランド To get there, first take the JR from Beppu to Kitsuki Station, and then there is a bus to the park entrance. The entrance of the park is very attractive, full of childlike wonder, with many photo spots. The park is not very large, but the facilities are basically very suitable for children to play (more suitable for younger children). Among them, the Sanrio Ferris wheel is the most eye-catching, with each gondola featuring different cartoon characters. There are also a carousel, a mini roller coaster, and boats, etc. One special feature is that you can drive a track car to enjoy the scenery of the park. There were also different performances on the day, mainly song and dance shows. There are two restaurants in the park, the prices are not too expensive, and the children's meals even include a cartoon ceramic cup. Personally, I think a visit to Beppu is a must, and the ticket prices are cheap (I bought mine on Trip.com this time!)

Getting There - You need a rental car to reach this place. Almost 2 hours from Fukuoka Attractions - Everything is Pink and Kitty 🩷 All the activities are fun like in Disneyland but this is smaller. #Hello kitty #japan #oita #Japan travel #Japan experience #travel #Oita travel #kyushu #Kyushu japan