Smoking Izakaya & Bars in Beppu and Oita (2026 Guide)
Table of contents
About this guide and disclaimer
This is a third-party guide compiled from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (https://jyudokitsuen.mhlw.go.jp/), Beppu City's official site and municipal regulations, Oita Prefecture's official site, and JR Kyushu's official site, reflecting the situation as of July 2026. Whether an individual venue allows smoking depends on its registration and its own policy, so this guide names no specific venues and gives no venue counts. Always confirm with the sign at the door and the venue's official information. This article provides information about smoking environments and does not encourage smoking.
Beppu outdoors: the rule targets littering
Beppu City's Local Environmental Beautification Ordinance has been in force since 1 April 2001. Article 8 lets the mayor designate public places as "litter-prevention districts", and according to the city's official site six areas are designated: around Beppu Station, around the International Tourist Port, around the Beppu Interchange, around Higashi-Beppu, around Sekinoe, and around Beppu Park. Article 9 states that no one may carelessly discard cans, cigarette butts and similar items in a litter-prevention district. Article 21 sets fines of up to 50,000 yen for violating an order under Article 12 paragraph 2, and up to 30,000 yen for violating an order under Article 12 paragraph 3.
What matters is what the ordinance actually targets: discarding butts and cans inside a litter-prevention district. Within the text reviewed for this guide, there is no provision banning the act of smoking itself — unlike the street-smoking bans with on-the-spot fines used by wards such as Chiyoda and Shinjuku in Tokyo. That does not mean you can smoke freely outside the station. Indoors is non-smoking as a rule, consideration for people around you is still expected outdoors, and dropping a butt on the ground falls squarely under the ordinance. Treat a portable ashtray as essential. Oita Prefecture's own beautification ordinance likewise bans littering, with a fine of up to 50,000 yen described on the prefecture's official site; where a municipal ordinance with equivalent provisions exists, the prefecture states that the municipal one takes precedence.
The four venue types for smokers
- Smoking-permitted room (kitsuen kanō ten): cigarettes + food/drink OK. Grandfathered small venues only — the classic "smoking izakaya"
- Smoking-purpose venue (kitsuen mokuteki ten): cigar bars and snack bars that sell tobacco over the counter and serve no staple food (no rice or noodle dishes)
- Sealed smoking room (kitsuen senyō shitsu): cigarettes OK, but no food or drink inside the room
- Heated-tobacco-only room: IQOS / glo / Ploom only, food and drink OK — the common chain-store option
In every case, people under 20 (customers and staff alike) may not enter smoking areas, and venues must display the officially designated sign at the entrance (source: https://jyudokitsuen.mhlw.go.jp/smoking_room/).
How to find one: check the door sign
The most reliable method is the official sticker at the entrance. A "smoking-permitted" or "smoking-purpose" sign means you can smoke cigarettes while eating and drinking. A "smoking room" sign means smoking is separated from dining; a "heated tobacco room" sign means IQOS-style devices only. No sign means the interior is non-smoking. Do not assume heated tobacco is always fine — in a heated-tobacco-only room, combustible cigarettes are not allowed.
Plan the indoor and outdoor rules together
Remember that JR Kyushu made its stations non-smoking apart from a few exceptions on 1 April 2020; the smoking rooms it lists are on the Shinkansen platforms at Hakata and Kumamoto and inside the Shinkansen gates at Kagoshima-Chuo and Nagasaki, and Beppu Station is not among them. Heated tobacco and e-cigarettes may not be used in stations or on trains either, and conventional-line trains are entirely non-smoking. For how municipal fines work across Japan see our street-smoking fines guide, for smoking areas around Beppu Station see smoking areas at Beppu Station, and for spots near you see the MottoSuitai map.
Find smoking-friendly restaurants on MottoSuitai
You can browse smoking-friendly izakaya, bars and cafes on MottoSuitai's smoking-friendly restaurant search. For the nationwide rules see our guide to smoking izakaya and bars, and for cafes see the smoking-friendly cafe guide.
Courtesy inside and outside
Even in a smoking-permitted venue, the revised Health Promotion Act asks everyone to avoid causing unwanted second-hand smoke: mention it to non-smoking companions, choose a well-ventilated seat, and be mindful of where the ashtray sits. Under-20s cannot enter smoking areas at all. Beppu's hot-spring quarters include narrow lanes with steam rising and rows of wooden buildings, where walking while smoking is best avoided both as a fire risk and out of consideration for others. Always put the butt in an ashtray or a portable one.
This third-party guide reflects MHLW, Beppu City, Oita Prefecture and JR Kyushu official information as of July 2026. Individual venues' smoking status and the way the ordinance is applied can change, and this guide does not assert locations for outdoor smoking areas that could not be confirmed in official sources. Always confirm with the sign at the door, the venue's official information, and Beppu City's official website. Smoking under the age of 20 is prohibited by law in Japan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.Can you smoke in izakaya in Beppu?
A.In some, yes. Small venues operating since before April 2020 may keep a registered smoking-permitted room where cigarettes and dining are both allowed. Look for the official "smoking permitted" sign at the entrance, and confirm with the venue.
Q.Does Beppu ban smoking on the street?
A.Beppu City's Local Environmental Beautification Ordinance (in force since 1 April 2001) designates six litter-prevention districts including the area around Beppu Station and prohibits discarding cigarette butts there, but the text contains no provision banning the act of smoking itself. That differs from the street-smoking bans used by wards such as Chiyoda in Tokyo. Check Beppu City's official site for current enforcement.
Q.What happens if I drop a cigarette butt?
A.Article 21 of the Beppu ordinance sets fines of up to 50,000 yen or up to 30,000 yen for violating the relevant orders, and Oita Prefecture's beautification ordinance sets a fine of up to 50,000 yen for littering. Carry a portable ashtray.
Q.Can I smoke at Beppu Station?
A.JR Kyushu made its stations non-smoking apart from a few exceptions on 1 April 2020. The smoking rooms it lists are at Hakata and Kumamoto (Shinkansen platforms) and Kagoshima-Chuo and Nagasaki (inside the Shinkansen gates); Beppu Station is not among them. Heated tobacco and e-cigarettes are also not permitted in stations or on trains.