Yufu
Discover Yufu
Yufu (由布市) is a city in Oita Prefecture. The northwest section of the city contains the Yufuin (湯布院) district, which is famous as one of the best hot spring resorts in Japan. A hot spring town with a difference, Yufuin's claim to fame is not just lots of hot water (the town claims the second highest outflow in all Japan), but its arty vibe with avant-garde galleries, traditional crafts and fancy cafés. Consciously planned on European spa towns, there's a frisson of fashionable foreignness to it all and the town is often compared with Karuizawa, the favorite retreat of Tokyo's elite. Add in a scenic location in a lush green valley, with steam bursting from the hillsides and the double-peaked Yufu-dake (1584m) volcano overlooking it all, and it's not hard to see why Yufuin welcomes more than three million visitors annually.
What to Experience in Yufu
Taste of Yufu...
Yufuin is famous for yuzukoshō (柚子胡椒), literally "yuzu pepper", a condiment made from fragrant yuzu citruses and green chilli peppers. Originally a dipping condiment primarily for nabe stews, a brief nationwide boom in the 2000s saw it applied to anything and everything. The frenzy has since died down, but you'll still see plenty of the stuff in town, and it's a very popular souvenir since it travels well and a little jar goes a long way.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsYufuin is in the center of Oita Prefecture, 25 km from its comparatively downmarket spa town twin Beppu. It can be visited as a day trip from Beppu or Fukuoka, or en route to Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture. On arrival in Yufuin, there are large luggage lockers at the front side of the station, and opposite it. However, these are fairly popular and might fill up quickly. Another option is to drop your bags at the Yufuin Chikki in the Tourist Information Center, which will deliver them to any hotel in town (and later back to the station) for ¥500 a pop. It also functions as a baggage storage service for ¥300-500 per bag per day. The nearest airport is in Oita, 55 minutes away by direct bus (on airplane arrivals, ¥1,550). Oita has flights to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Seoul. The nearest major airport is Fukuoka, which also has direct buses to Yufuin (1:45, 11 times/day, ¥2,880). Yufuin Station (由布院駅) is the main train station and serves as a central point for starting off in Yufuin....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Public transport options in Yufu are limited. For the average visitor, the most useful is the roughly hourly Kamenoi bus route 36, which serves the train station, Yufumi-dori, Yunotsubo and the start of the Mt. Yufu hiking trail (由布登山口) on its way to Beppu and back. The JR Kyudai Line lazily loops through the city, but aside from Yufuin station itself does not come close to the hot spring area. Horse carriages (辻馬車 tsujibasha) leave Yufuin station from March to December. Starts 10 times per day from 09:30 to 16:00 (8 times to 14:30 in December). The tour takes about 50 minutes and costs ¥2200 (child \1650). Rickshaws (jinrikisha) also operate around Yufuin station and Lake Kinrinko. Yufuin can fairly easily be covered on foot. It's a leisurely 1.5-km stroll from the train station to Lake Kinrinko via Yufumi-dōri and Yunotsubo Kaidō. The surrounding area boasts many beautiful rural landscapes, and there are many walking routes you can take through them.
Safety Information
Glimpses of Yufu
green grass field near mountain under white clouds during daytime
April 2025
Tenso shrine, next to Kirin lake in Yufuin, Fukuoka
mountains and trees
a body of water surrounded by a forest
"Yufuin no mori" Limited express train, Kyushu, Japan
Yufuin, Japan
Yufuin, Japan
people standing on bridge near body of water during daytime
brown and green trees beside river during daytime
green grass field near mountain under white clouds during daytime
April 2025
Tenso shrine, next to Kirin lake in Yufuin, Fukuoka