Heading Out for a Relaxing Getaway? 11 Popular Things to Do in Yufuin (Yufuin Onsen)

The name “Yufuin” can be written in Japanese as either 「湯布院」 or 「由布院」, so many people may wonder which is correct and whether the different spellings refer to different places.
To give the conclusion first, neither spelling is wrong, and both are used interchangeably.
When referring to the hot springs in “Yufuin,” 「由布院」 is commonly used, although 「湯布院」 may also appear.
Strictly speaking, however, 「湯布院」 refers to the former town name “Yufuin Town.”
The reason both spellings came to be used goes back to the fact that the place name changed twice.
In 1955, the former Yufuin Town and the former Yunohira Village merged to become “Yufuin,” and in 2005, Shonai, Hasama, and Yufuin Town merged to form Yufu City.
Yufuin Town, where Yufuin Onsen and Yufuin Station are located, became “Yufuin Town, Yufu City.”
However, even after the town name became 「湯布院」, the spelling 「由布院」 remained in names such as Yufuin Onsen and Mt. Yufu.
In this article, “Yufuin” refers to the wider Yufu City area.

The best season to visit Yufuin is autumn, when the fall foliage colors the landscape.
The views of popular sightseeing spots like Lake Kinrin and Mt. Yufu covered in autumn leaves are not to be missed.
At Lake Kinrin, you can see a beautiful scene of red and yellow leaves from maples and other trees reflected on the lake surface.
If you take an early morning walk, you may also catch the magical sight of Lake Kinrin, colored by autumn leaves, wrapped in morning mist.
Mt. Yufu, covered in pampas grass and autumn foliage and glowing deep red in the evening sun, is another spectacular sight.
Spring in Yufuin is also beautiful, not just autumn.
Along the Oita River, with Mt. Yufu in the background, you can enjoy stunning spring scenery where rows of cherry blossoms and fields of canola flowers appear together.
Choose the season that best matches what you want to see.

When heading to Yufuin, the three most common starting points are likely Oita Airport, Beppu, and Hakata Station.
Below is how to access JR Yufuin Station, the main base for sightseeing, from each of these departure points.

Since the main spots are concentrated around JR Yufuin Station, if you start from the station, you can visit a variety of sightseeing spots within an hour on foot.
However, to reach spots farther from the station, you will need to rent a car from a rental office near JR Yufuin Station or take a taxi.

Yunotsubo Kaido, Yufuin’s main street, is a great place to enjoy a wide variety of sweets.
Be sure to try sweets made with local ingredients, such as the roll cake from B-speak, so popular it sells out even on weekdays, and the egg roll from Yufufu Yufuin Ekimae Main Store, made with fresh eggs and freshly squeezed milk.
It is not just sweets, either, as local specialties like Bungo beef mabushi grilled over charcoal and the Yufuin Burger made with Bungo beef are also not to be missed.
From lunch to after-meal sweets, Yunotsubo Kaido alone offers plenty to enjoy.

Yufuin is also well known as a hot spring destination designated as a National Health Onsen Resort.
Because it has many hot spring sources and an abundant supply of water, each ryokan tends to have spacious grounds, and many offer detached guest rooms.
The location, with views of Mt. Yufu and the surrounding countryside, is another of its charms.
Take some time to unwind at a hot spring ryokan with a spacious, tranquil atmosphere.

One of Yufuin’s biggest draws is its wide range of stunning views, from Mt. Yufu towering as the symbol of the area to Lake Kinrin, where steam rising from the lake surface creates a mysterious scene.
Scenic spots are also scattered a little farther from the station area, including Sagiridai, known for its beautiful views of morning mist enveloping Yufuin, and Tsukahara Highland, a vast grassland of gently rolling hills.
In addition, you can enjoy seasonal scenery such as cherry blossoms in spring and fall foliage in autumn.
Along with the food and hot springs, be sure to take in the landscapes created by Yufuin’s rich natural surroundings.

Yufuin is also home to many art museums and galleries, so be sure to make time to enjoy some art as well.
Scattered throughout the area are museums with different appeals, such as Yufuin Station Art Hall, a gallery that also serves as the waiting room at JR Yufuin Station, COMICO ART MUSEUM, where you can enjoy contemporary art and architecture in harmony with beautiful scenery, Dordogne Museum of Art, which displays works by artists connected to Oita, and Yufuin Artegio, centered on the theme of music.
Why not enjoy sightseeing in Yufuin by soothing yourself with great food and hot springs while also stimulating your senses with a museum-hopping experience?

Yufuin offers not only art museums, but also many unique attractions.
If you add places like Yufuin Showakan, where spaces recreating everyday life in the Showa era (1926–1989) spread out before you, Yufuin Floral Village, a theme park modeled after the streets of the English countryside, and SNOOPY Village, where you can step into the world of Snoopy, your trip will become even more varied and memorable.

Because it is a pond located below Mt. Yufu, it was once called “Takeshita no Ike,” but it is said that in 1884, the Confucian scholar Mori Kusou named it “Lake Kinrin” after seeing the scales of fish swimming in the lake glitter gold in the evening sun.
Fresh water and hot spring water well up from the lake bottom, and because the water temperature stays warm throughout the year, you can see the magical sight of steam rising from the lake surface on early mornings from autumn to winter.

A symbol of Yufu standing 1,583 meters high, located northeast of Yufuin Onsen, one of Japan’s leading hot spring destinations.
It is an active volcano with two peaks, and its beautiful, majestic form has earned it the nickname “Bungo Fuji.”
Revered since ancient times as a sacred mountain, it is a famous peak that appears in both the Bungo Fudoki, compiled in the early Nara period, and the Manyoshu, Japan’s oldest poetry anthology.

Located about a 5-minute walk from Yufuin Station, Yunotsubo Kaido is Yufuin’s main street, stretching for about 800 meters toward Lake Kinrin.
As Yufuin Onsen developed from a small hot spring town into a beautiful resort surrounded by nature, Yunotsubo Kaido was designed to recreate the atmosphere of the Edo period (1603–1868) so as not to disrupt the scenery.
Along the street, you will find many restaurants, souvenir shops, and sweets stores.

A hot spring resort popular with women, known for its many ryokan with a calm and refined atmosphere rather than large hotels.
It is said to have the second-largest volume of hot spring water in Japan, and because it also has many spring sources, the inns are spread out rather than crowded together, giving the whole area a spacious, relaxed feel.
The water is mainly alkaline simple hot spring water, soft on the skin and said to help with neuralgia, sensitivity to cold, and fatigue recovery.

Yufuin Floral Village is about a 15-minute walk from Yufuin Station.
It is a theme park modeled after the streets of the Cotswolds in England, famous as a filming location for the Harry Potter series.
Although the site itself is small, you can enjoy food and shopping while strolling through its cute streets decorated with seasonal flowers.
In the shopping area, a row of stores sells goods featuring popular characters.
There is also a hotel on the grounds, where you can enjoy free-flowing natural hot springs, which is another nice plus.

The Yufuin Stained Glass Museum is about a 15-minute walk from Yufuin Station.
It is Japan’s first full-scale stained glass museum dedicated to exhibiting antique stained glass.
Made up of two buildings, “Neil’s House” and “St. Robert’s Church,” the museum allows visitors to view stained glass in natural light at St. Robert’s Church.
Neil’s House has seven exhibition rooms, a shop, and a café, where you can enjoy displays of various artworks including stained glass, as well as stained glass-making experiences.

At Michi-no-Eki Yufuin, located at the foot of Mt. Yufu, you can buy local specialties as well as souvenirs from Yufuin and Oita.
Among them, Komatsuya’s ohagi, sold only on weekends and holidays, is so popular that it sells out quickly, so if you see it, do not hesitate to buy some.
That is not all, as you can also casually enjoy local gourmet dishes made with regional ingredients.

Yufuin Showakan offers an experience that feels as if you have traveled back in time to the Showa era (1926–1989).
Step inside and you will find streets from the Showa era recreated before you, along with more than 20 exhibition rooms featuring spaces such as a living room, classroom, and electrical appliance store from the time, letting you feel what daily life was like back then.
Since it is not just for viewing and many exhibits can be seen and touched, you can experience life in the Showa era more closely.
Photography is also allowed, so try taking commemorative photos in the retro streets and exhibition rooms.

Tsukahara Onsen Kakonoizumi is located halfway up Mt. Garan, which straddles Beppu and Yufuin.
It is about 20 minutes by car or taxi from Yufuin Station.
Its spring quality is rare even in Japan, not only highly acidic but also rich in many minerals, and because of its powerful effects, it has been selected as one of Japan’s three great medicinal hot springs.
In addition to indoor baths and open-air baths, there are also private family baths available to rent, which is another nice feature for enjoying the hot spring in a private space.
Because Mt. Garan is an active volcano, a short walk will take you close to the crater.
The steamed eggs infused with hot spring minerals using volcanic steam are also not to be missed.

Sagiridai is a scenic viewpoint at an elevation of 680 meters where you can take in a sweeping view of downtown Yufuin.
If you are lucky in autumn or winter, you may be able to see the magical sight of morning mist wrapping around Yufuin.
It is located on the Yamanami Highway, which connects Yufu City in Oita Prefecture with Aso City in Kumamoto Prefecture, between Yufuin and Beppu.
Along the Yamanami Highway, you can enjoy grand natural scenery from the car window, and there are also many scenic spots along and near the road.
After finishing your Yufuin sightseeing, it is also recommended to stop by Sagiridai and enjoy a scenic drive along the Yamanami Highway.

There is a foot bath on Platform 1 at JR Yufuin Station, which you can use by purchasing a foot bath ticket at the ticket window (adults 200 yen, children 100 yen).
The ticket includes a towel, so it is easy to enjoy even if you have not prepared anything.
Tables are also set up, so you can relax while enjoying drinks and sweets.
It is also recommended as a small healing spot to stop by before or after sightseeing in Yufuin.

This restaurant serves three kinds of “Yufu Mabushi,” created in pursuit of the best way to enjoy delicious rice dishes unique to Yufuin.
The mabushi dishes, made with Bungo beef, Yufu local chicken, and eel, are served in earthenware pots and each comes with appetizers, pickles, condiments, and red miso soup.
The most popular of the three is the “Bungo Beef Mabushi.”
It is a hearty dish with plenty of charcoal-grilled Bungo beef packed over rice cooked in an earthenware pot.

A specialty hamburger shop located in the central area of Yufuin, where many different stores line the streets.
Its signature item is the “Yufuin Burger,” known for its juicy blended patty made with Bungo beef.
Because each burger is made only after you order, the patty is served hot and juicy, while the bacon is crispy and fragrant, earning high praise.

A bakery café standing by the shore of Lake Kinrin, one of Yufuin’s most popular sightseeing spots. The open, airy interior overlooking the lake is filled with the inviting aroma of freshly baked bread.
The signature menu item is a croissant made with natural yeast using raisins. Crispy on the outside and pleasantly chewy inside, it is known for the rich aroma of fermented butter that keeps people coming back for more.

A shop where you can experience the world of the comic PEANUTS, featuring the world-famous beagle Snoopy and his friends, together with the charm of the local area.
SNOOPY Chaya Yufuin, one of the most popular spots in the Yufuin hot spring town, reopened in a new location in 2022. At the café restaurant, where PEANUTS characters are drawn everywhere from the walls and windows to the frames, you can enjoy a cute and varied menu including omurice, curry, sweets, and drinks inspired by Snoopy and Woodstock.
In the same building, there is also a chocolate shop called SNOOPY Chocolat Yufuin.

Ramen Samurai is located along Yufumi-dori, about a 3-minute walk from JR Yufuin Station. In addition to counter seating, the restaurant also has table seating, making it spacious enough for families and larger groups.
Its signature dish, “Samurai Ramen,” is a standout bowl made with a rich broth simmered for a long time using Oita pork, local chicken, and Yufuin’s natural spring water, then finished with a special sauce. Paired perfectly with the house-made thin noodles, it has a light yet rich flavor that is approachable even for first-time tonkotsu ramen eaters.
Another nice point is the wide selection of set meals and side dishes.

This shop uses a traditional house relocated from Hida Takayama in Gifu Prefecture, and its stately appearance immediately catches the eye.
Its specialty is a large dorayaki about the size of a palm, and through the glass you can watch skilled artisans carefully hand-grill each one. The seasonal Mont Blanc dorayaki made with ingredients of the season is especially popular on social media for its photogenic appeal.
At the attached café, you can enjoy freshly made dorayaki. It is best paired with single-origin coffee selected to complement Japanese sweets.

B-speak opened in 1999, when roll cakes were still not widely known.
It is run by the long-established Yufuin ryokan Sanso Murata.
As a pioneer among specialty roll cake shops, it quickly became a hot topic, and even more than 20 years after opening, it remains a hugely popular store with lines that never seem to end.

A specialty matcha gelato shop produced by Aso Chaho, a Japanese tea specialty store founded in 1976.
The gelato, made with carefully selected tea leaves chosen by tea professionals and Aso Jersey milk, comes in 12 varieties including matcha, hojicha, and gyokuro, offering plenty of variety.
For the matcha flavor, you can choose from five levels of richness, and the strongest, “5x concentration,” lets you directly enjoy the original flavor of the tea leaves.
Also worth noting is the ultra-rich premium matcha gelato, limited to just three servings a day.
The gelato is topped with gold leaf and served in a custom-made cup, and another nice plus is that you can take the cup home with you.

Yufuin Gold Prize Croquette Main Store, located along Yunotsubo Kaido, is so popular that there is always a line.
Its specialty is the “Gold Prize Croquette,” which also gives the shop its name.
The crispy coating and the creamy filling, where the flavor of Japanese beef blends perfectly with the potatoes, create an exquisite harmony.
In addition, they also offer croquettes with a variety of fillings such as cheese and curry.
Another appeal is that you can also enjoy local specialties like Oita’s famous toriten and the Yufuin Coarsely Ground Dog.

A luxury ryokan considered one of the three great inns of Yufuin Onsen, alongside Yufuin Tamano Yu and Kamenoi Besso. Located on high ground about 2 km from the center of Yufuin Station, it consists of a main building with the front desk and dining area, 12 detached guest rooms each with a different design, a bar filled with soothing classical and jazz music, a chocolate shop, a soba restaurant with a great view, an art museum themed around music, and a select shop offering stylish Oita souvenirs.
In this quiet setting away from the town center, you can spend time surrounded by refined aesthetic sensibilities.

Kamenoi Besso, one of the three great inns of Yufuin Onsen, is a long-established luxury ryokan standing by Lake Kinrin.
Spread across a vast property of about 10,000 tsubo, it features 11 detached villas and 6 Western-style rooms, and every guest room comes with free-flowing natural hot spring water.
Another appeal is that the entire grounds are beautifully maintained like a garden, allowing you to enjoy seasonal scenery from the detached villas.
Inside the property, you will also find distinctive facilities such as Sankaryo Yunotakean, serving dishes made with ingredients from the mountain village, BAR Yamaneko, where you can enjoy drinks together with the nighttime garden in a space making use of an Edo-period building, and Saigoku Miyage Kagiya, a shop offering Oita specialties.

Located near Yunotsubo Kaido beyond a grove of mixed trees, Yufuin Tamano Yu is a charming long-established ryokan.
Within the grounds spreads a tranquil garden where the only sounds are birdsong, the murmur of a stream, and the rustling of leaves.
Scattered through the garden are 16 detached guest rooms, all equipped with indoor cypress baths fed by free-flowing natural hot spring water.
Another highlight is the dining room, Sankai Ryori Budoya, where you can enjoy nourishing mountain village cuisine made generously with local ingredients and seasonal blessings.
Through the scenery seen from your room, the natural sounds reaching your ears, and the meals made with local ingredients, you can relax while enjoying Yufuin with all five senses.

A hot spring ryokan on elevated ground a little away from the center of the Yufuin Basin, known for its spectacular views.
The view from the open-air baths is especially stunning, allowing you to soak at leisure while looking out over Mt. Yufu and the natural scenery of the Yufuin Basin. Its kaiseki meals rich in local character are also highly praised.

Yufuin Onsen is famous as a “beauty bath” thanks to water that contains bicarbonate.
This inn lets you enjoy those hot springs together with views of Mt. Yufu from a spacious open-air rock bath.
In addition to the large public bath, the property also has private family baths that guests can use free of charge during their stay, making it easy to spend a leisurely time immersed in hot springs.

An adults-only inn for two with just 14 rooms on a vast property of 3,300 tsubo.
Detached guest rooms are scattered across the spacious grounds, and every room comes with both an open-air bath and an indoor bath filled with 100% free-flowing natural hot spring water from the property’s own source. You can fully enjoy the hot springs in a quiet, private Yufuin setting.

A hot spring ryokan on elevated ground at 550 meters above sea level, offering sweeping views of Mt. Yufu and the townscape of Yufuin.
One of its main attractions is the open-air bath in the large public bath area, where you can soak in the hot spring while taking in the spectacular view of majestic Mt. Yufu.
From the wood deck in the lobby lounge, you can also enjoy a grand panorama of Mt. Yufu, and when weather conditions are right from autumn through spring, you may see Yufuin’s famous morning mist.
The grounds are divided into the Yume no Sato Area and the Hanayoshi Area, and many of the guest rooms are in detached-style buildings, allowing you to enjoy a more private stay.
At the dining area, Japanese kaiseki meals made generously with Oita ingredients are served. The colorful dishes are beautiful to look at and a delight to eat.

“Beans Chocolate” by theomurata is a sweet made by coating carefully selected nuts and dried fruits in high-quality chocolate. Its appeal lies in the rich aroma and flavor you can enjoy.
Available flavors include pistachio, almond milk, hazelnut, espresso, and macadamia, each offering its own distinctive character.
The colorful packaging, inspired by the tube of a hanging scroll, is also striking.
In addition to sets combining different flavors, there are also special assortments featuring three kinds of Beans Chocolate with an original dish, as well as gift sets pairing an aroma diffuser with four kinds of Beans Chocolate.

Founded in 1958, Akashi Kashiho is a long-established confectionery shop that has continued making sweets in Yufuin for decades.
Its “Shittori An Potato” is a product perfected in pursuit of the best possible taste and texture, using sweet potatoes from Miyazaki and sweet red bean paste.
Whole red bean paste made from carefully selected azuki beans is enclosed inside sweet potato dough and baked to create a moist, fluffy texture.
Another appeal is that you can enjoy it in different ways depending on the season, chilled in summer for a refreshing taste or warmed in the microwave in winter for a soft, comforting bite.

At Jazz to Yokan, a shop located in Yufuin Town, you will find products created by makers filled with a love of music.
The signature item, “Jazz Yokan,” is especially popular as a new kind of Japanese-Western fusion sweet.
It was created from the wish that people would encounter music that never fades even 100 years from now, and was designed as a way to spark interest in music.
When you open the package, a yokan shaped like piano keys appears, with the black keys hand-finished using the traditional Japanese surikomi technique.
The standard “classic” flavor is based on dark red bean paste made with domestic azuki beans and Okinawan brown sugar, blended with black and white dried figs soaked in red wine for a full day and night, creating a taste that is not overly sweet yet rich in flavor and texture.
Served chilled, its sweetness becomes more defined, and it pairs perfectly with wine or coffee.
It has become popular as an innovative and stylish Japanese sweet.

Carandonel is a specialty canelé shop located along the main street, about a 5-minute walk from JR Yufuin Station.
Each canelé is carefully baked one by one in a copper mold, giving it a crisp exterior, a chewy interior, and a beautifully refined appearance.
The lineup always includes six varieties, such as the “Classic,” scented with Madagascar vanilla and dark rum, “Chocolate,” with a rich flavor made using ingredients from a high-end Vietnamese chocolate brand, and “Japanese Tea,” which lets you enjoy the pleasant bitterness and rich aroma of tea leaves.
Although they keep for only two days at room temperature, they are perfect as a treat for yourself or a souvenir for family.

Soan Cosmos Shiki Kobo is a specialty pickle shop dedicated to ingredients from Yufuin.
Its “Yufuin Pickles,” which lock in the flavor and texture of seasonal ingredients, are so colorful they brighten your mood just by looking at them.
There are both vegetable and fruit pickles, each slowly marinated in a special pickling liquid designed to bring out their best qualities.
Unusual pickles made with Yufuin-grown shiitake mushrooms and wild mountain vegetables are especially popular as souvenirs.
Fruit pickles, on the other hand, can be enjoyed as they are, mixed into yogurt, or blended with sparkling water or milk to make drinks, giving you plenty of ways to enjoy them.