Yufuin
Yufuin, A Hot Spring Town Beneath Mount Yufu In Oita With A Lake That Steams On Cold Mornings, Art Museums And A Crowded Lane Of Shops And Cafes. A Popular Weekend Trip From Fukuoka, Quieter Than Nearby Beppu. · Yufu, Oita
Yufuin is a hot spring town in Oita on Kyushu, set in a small basin below the twin peaks of Mount Yufu, which rises to about 1,583 m. It is a favourite weekend trip from Fukuoka, about two hours away, and it sells itself on mood rather than on any single sight. The main shop street, Yunotsubo Kaido, runs from the station toward Lake Kinrin and is packed with sweet shops, cheese and cream cakes, craft stalls and small art museums. Beside it sits a village-style cluster of English-looking shops and cafes. The lake steams on cold mornings in autumn and winter, and that mist is the best free thing in town. The water is soft and free of sulphur smell, and the best baths are private open-air ones at ryokan, which are costly and need booking. It suits couples and small groups who like strolling and eating. It is worth the detour if you can stay a night; it is not worth it on a crowded holiday afternoon, when the shop street moves at a shuffle.
Yufuin, Yufu, Oita, a short walk from Yufuin Station on the JR Kyudai Line, about 2 hours from Fukuoka, Yufu, Oita, Japan
The town has no gate, and the shop street, cafes and small museums mostly open from mid-morning and close by about 5 pm, so evenings are quiet and many places shut early - confirm times for any shop or museum you want. Museums often close one weekday. Ryokan baths run by the inn's own rules; day-use visits at some inns are offered in the afternoon and need to be confirmed. Getting here: the Yufuin no Mori limited express runs from Hakata in about two hours, and the highway bus from Fukuoka is a cheaper alternative. From Beppu it is roughly an hour by road. Book seats on the limited express and your ryokan well ahead for weekends, holidays and autumn.