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Before you go
Your trip to Yufu.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Yufu – Oita Destination Beppu and Yufuin
How to get there
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Aeroporto de Oita (OIT) Kunisaki · 56 km
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Estação de Yufuin 1 km
Approximate distances. Check flights and bus, train or boat schedules before you travel.
The sightseeing train Yufuin no Mori connects Hakata in Fukuoka to Yufuin Station in just over 2 hours, with only a few departures per day; there are also express buses from Fukuoka. From Beppu, the bus via the mountain road takes about an hour. Oita Airport is about 55 km away.
How many days
Half a day is enough for Yunotsubo Street and Lake Kinrin. One night in a ryokan lets you see the lake in the morning mist and enjoy the baths. With a second day you can climb Mount Yufu.
When to go
Autumn, from October to November, brings foliage and cold mornings when mist often covers the basin and the lake. Spring, from March to May, is mild. Winter is cold, with occasional snow on Mount Yufu. June and July are rainy, and summer is humid.
The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.
Do you need a car?
No need for a car for the village itself, which can be walked from the station to the lake in about 20 minutes. More remote inns often pick up guests at the station. A car helps to reach the trailhead for Mount Yufu or to continue along the Yamanami Road toward Aso.
Suggested itinerary
An order that works
Built with the places on this page. No rush: it's paced so you have time to see them.
One day in Yufu
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Morning
Lake Kinrin in the mist
Walk early to Lake Kinrin, when mist often rises from the water in the cold months. Circle the lake and see the small shrine and the thatched-roof bathhouse.
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Afternoon
Yunotsubo Street
Return toward the station along Yunotsubo Street, with craft shops, sweets and cafés, and detour along the side streets among the rice paddies.
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Late afternoon
View of Mount Yufu
Find one of the bridges over the Oita River near the station to see Mount Yufu in the afternoon light. Then check in at your ryokan.
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Evening
Bath and dinner at the ryokan
Take the inn’s hot-spring bath and dine on a kaiseki meal featuring Bungo beef and local vegetables.
Check before you go. Opening hours and days change, and places may close for renovations, holidays or events. This itinerary is a suggestion from Cidade Turismo, not a commitment: plan yours by checking directly with each place you intend to visit.
Before you go
Frequently asked questions
Are Yufu and Yufuin the same place?
Yufuin is the hot-spring village and Yufu is the municipality that includes it, formed by the merger of three towns. For travelers, the destination is Yufuin, with the station, Lake Kinrin and the ryokan.
Do I need to reserve the Yufuin no Mori train?
Yes. All seats are reserved and the train has only a few departures per day, so book in advance, especially on weekends and in autumn.
What to do in Yufuin on a rainy day?
Yunotsubo Street has shops and small museums, and many inns allow non-guests to use the hot-spring baths for a few hours. The mist over the lake and the mountain also tends to thicken after rain.
Is Yufuin worth staying overnight?
If you like ryokan, yes: the village empties in the late afternoon when day-trippers leave, and the morning at Lake Kinrin is quieter.
Beyond the guide
