An Onsen Town in Kyushu Countryside
Yufuin, located in Ōita prefecture and a 30 min drive away from Beppu, is a lovely town where you can enjoy many outdoors activities: hiking, sighseeing, shopping, and bathing in natural Onsens. You can easily plan a day in Yufuin, to make the most of what the city has to offer !
Start the visit by walking down the Yunotsubo Street, the commercial and cultural center of the city. You can try local specialities, go to themed coffee shops and buy local craftsmen goods. The buildings are picturesque and the street offers a great view of Mt Yufu.
There are many hikes starting from Yufuin, and if you have enough time, I would recommend to hike to Mt Yufu summit (1584m), the symbol of the area. The hike takes few hours (5-6h) on a mountain path. Unfortunately, we didn’t had time to do it but I would have love to see the view from up there in the sky !
After a long hike, you can finish the day with a moment of relaxation by going to one of the numerous onsens (Tsuka no Ma, Baien, Musoen…) that are located in the area, or spend the night in a traditionnal ryokan.
Down the Yunotsubo Street, you must take a little walk around lake Kinrin. The lake is famous for its morning mist, but we weren’t there at this time and it was still interesting to see. The Tenso Shrine (天祖神社) is located next to the lake and there is a beautiful torii in the water (see the first picture). We were surprised by a bird drying its wings in the sun on the Torii, making the scene magical. You can also see a lot of fish swimming in the water. This place was very poetic !
Informations :
You can easily access Yufuin from Beppu by bus with the company Kamenoi Bus (50min for 900 yen).
