Japan free trip: super detailed travel guide to Kyushu Yufuin Hot Spring!

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🤗 01 Yufuin Hot Spring Transportation Guide

If the first stop on your itinerary is not Yufuin and you need to come from somewhere else, if you are traveling by plane, then generally speaking, you will have to arrive at Oita Airport first, and then transfer from the airport to other means of transportation before finally arriving at Yufuin Onsen.

For example, it takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes from Tokyo Haneda Airport to Oita Airport. Oita Airport is about 1 hour from Osaka Itami Airport. About 1 hour and 15 minutes from Nagoya Airport to Oita Airport.

Once you arrive at Oita Airport, there are two ways to get there by bus. For first-time visitors to Yufuin Onsen who are not proficient in Japanese, I recommend method 1, which is easy and convenient and requires no transfer.

Method 1: Take a bus from Oita Airport to Yufuin Bus Center in about 55 minutes.

Method 2: Take a bus from Oita Airport to Oita Station. Then, take the JR Kyudai Main Line Express Train from Oita Station to Yufuin Station and get off at Yufuin Station in about 45 minutes.

Here is an example of how to get to Yufuin from Fukuoka. If you are traveling from Fukuoka Airport, it takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes by highway bus to Yufuin Station. If you are traveling from JR Hakata Station, you can take the JR train Yufuin-no-mori directly to Yufuin Station. It takes 2 hours and 8 minutes.

🤗 02 Yufuin Hot Spring Town Recommended Attractions

First up, Yufuin Station.

Don't underestimate this small station located in the basin, but it is an all-wooden Yufuin station designed by world-class architect Shin Isozaki with black color as the main color, and it is so impressive from the appearance alone that it is the first thing that all tourists who have been here will remember it, so how about it, is it not a bad first impression of this small town in the basin?

🤗 03 Yufuin Hot Spring Street

Just outside the station is Yufuin's main thoroughfare, Yunotsubo Street, also known as Onsen Street. Along both sides of the street there are small Western-style stores, and as you go deeper, you will find a variety of traditional Japanese souvenir stores, handicraft stores, snack stores and cafes, which are full of specialties and styles that make this not-so-spacious shopping street always bustling during the daytime and quiet in the evening. Whether you are a fan of Western style or Japanese style souvenirs and products, you can enjoy a full day of shopping here.

🤗 04 Golden Scale Lake

At the end of the Yufuin Onsen street is the famous sightseeing spot of Yufuin Onsen town, KINRINKO Lake. The lake is surrounded by specialty restaurants and hot spring pavilions, and the overall visual impression is like a watercolor painting, which makes you want to stay here and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains while leisurely savoring the aroma of coffee. The novelty is that the west side of the lake is actually a hot spring, while the east side is a general spring, so that the difference in water temperature between the east and west sides of the water temperature is prone to make the lake in the winter or early in the morning often rise a cloud of white mist, look very ethereal from afar, very spiritual.

🤗 05 Yufu-dake

Yufu-dake, known as the Fuji of Toyoho, has been an object of worship since ancient times. From the top of Mt. Yufu, you can see the entire Yufuin Hot Springs town, Beppu Bay and the Kujelen Mountain Range, and many hikers come to visit the mountain. The snow-covered summit can be seen on Yufutake's weekdays, and the beauty of the freezing fog in winter, as well as the red maple leaves that cover the mountains in autumn, is something that only those who have been there can truly appreciate.

🤗 06 Hayao Miyazaki's Totoro Shop

Yufuin Onsen Street is said to be the birthplace of Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki's inspiration when he drew Totoro, so Yufuin has a Totoro specialty store with a Totoro bus stop sign, which has a wide range of Miyazaki peripheral goods. Howl's Moving Castle, Totoro, Sen and Chihiro, and more.

Be sure to stop by, where you can find childhood dreams and touches.

Donguri no Mori (どんぐりの森湯布院店)

Address: 3019-1 Kawakami, Yufuin-cho

🤗 07 Yufuin Folk Village

In addition to the original Japanese street architecture, Yufuin Hot Spring Town has a cute little English village. It combines Ghibli's Japanese fantasy style with the English countryside, where you can experience Alice in Wonderland, swim in Peter Rabbit's petting zoo, and even enjoy the Witch Delivery Service from Witch's Home Delivery!

🤗 08 Kyushu Automobile History Museum

In the hot spring town of Yufuin, there is a modest museum, the Kyushu Automobile History Museum, which exhibits more than 70 classic cars that bring together the history of the local car manufacturing industry, including Fords and charcoal cars from the 1920s and 1930s, as well as classic classic vintage car shapes that are often seen in old movies, which is very nostalgic and perfect for taking photos.

🤗 09 Imagine Forest Art Museum

Yufuin Onsen has not only the old town and idyllic Hikarimono, but also many art museums with their own specialties. For example, there is the Musume no Mori Art Museum. It takes about 10 minutes by car from Yufuin Station. You can also get to the Museum in about 20 minutes on foot from Kaname Lake while enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way. In addition to various art exhibits, the museum offers a unique combination of music and art for the eyes and ears. The museum also has a reading room and a café and sweet store.

Mori no Idea Museum of Art (森の空想ミュージアム)

Hours of operation: 10:00-22:00

Closed on Tuesdays

Kinko's Cola Cake Shop (Kinko's Cola Cake)

The Yufuin Onsen street is full of delicious gourmet snack stores, and many of them have long lines to get a bite to eat. This is one of them, and it's very popular because the window is always crowded with people.

Address: 1511-1 Kawakami, Yufuin-machi

🤗 10 Featured Shop Recommendations

This is a super popular ramen restaurant in Yufuin Hot Spring Town. Its specialty is two meals on one side, the noodles and the soup are completely utilized, the noodles are eaten first and then the rice is poured into the noodle soup, kind of like soaking rice, the taste is very special. It is worth mentioning that their rice is really amazing, after the mouth can fully feel the moisture of the rice and fire are just right, sticky texture of the rice and thick ramen soup is more with oh.

Fukusuke Ramen Restaurant

Address: 3052-3 Kawakami, Yufuin-cho

Budget: 1,000-2,000 yen

If you like matcha tea and you're a kid at heart, then Snoopy's Tea House is definitely worth a visit. Light green teahouse decoration reveals a strong matcha wind, the things here are mainly to matcha flavor, such as matcha flavored iced beverages, matcha coffee latte and matcha rolls are the characteristics of this store, and every drink and dessert in the store are styled with Snoopy, walk into the store as if walking into Snoopy's fairy tale world, the closet on the wall displays a variety of Snoopy peripherals, and comic books can be flipped through. There are also comic books to flip through. It's a great experience to sit back and savor the aroma of matcha tea in Snoopy's fairy tale world.

Snoopy Tea House (Snoopy Tea House Yufuin)

Address: 1524-27 Kawakami, Yufuin-cho