If you want to take a decent walk while enjoying the fresh air in the mountains of Beppu, APU University (or Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University) is the perfect choice for you.
APU University is located amongst the high mountains of Beppu and only takes around 40 minutes from Beppu Station to reach by bus. Due to its mountain range location, the university is surrounded by incredible views and is definitely a great place to visit if you like wandering around mountains without the effort of climbing and scrambling.
The university itself is a great combination of Western and Japanese styles and there are a lot of beautiful spots worth taking photographs from. If you happen to visit during semester, there is great chance that you will find yourself in the middle of diversity since you will encounter a lot of international students coming from different cultures and backgrounds from across the globe.
Whenever you find yourself tired from the walk and would like something to eat, you will find a variety of food options for you on campus to satisfy your stomach. You could either choose to have some delicious dishes from the cafeteria, grab some fast food from the university's convenient store or enjoy some hot and freshly made street food from the food trucks stopping by on campus during the day.
In addition, if you go up some stair steps from the university, you will reach Beppu Wan bus station where you can catch another great overall view of the area, have a rest and enjoy a meal from the services available there.
If you have time during your stay in Beppu, APU University is most definitely a good choice for your trip.
Getting there
Buses from JR Beppu Station take around 35-40 minutes to reach the university while buses from JR Kamegawa Staiton take around 15-20 minutes.
