Yufuin Without the Hype: An Honest Guide to Kyushu’s Onsen Town
Last Updated on November 11, 2025 by Kay
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Located in Oita Prefecture in Kyushu, the southern part of Japan, Yufuin is famed nationwide for its onsen and scenic beauty.
As a longtime Japan resident, I first visited Yufuin over a decade ago with a friend. It was an absolutely magical experience, especially dipping into the various onsen while looking at the rolling green mountains that were occasionally cloaked by mist. Based on this experience, for years whenever someone asked me where my favorite place in Japan was, I would answer without a moment’s hesitation: Yufuin.
So I knew I wanted to visit again when I moved from Tokyo to Osaka with my family. My husband, a Japanese national, had never been, and I had harped on about how much I loved Yufuin that he had high expectations.
But were those expectations met?
In this article, I’ll share my honest experience going to Yufuin with my family on a recent trip. Hopefully, by the end of the article, you’ll be able to decide whether it’s worth your time, and what you should do (and skip) in this onsen town in Kyushu.
Table of Contents
How to Get to Yufuin
Yufuin is easy to reach by train or bus from Fukuoka or Beppu.
By bus from Fukuoka Airport (FUK), it takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes. By train, you can get there from Hakata Station in a little over 2 hours by taking the Yufuin no Mori, a scenic train that takes you through luscious green valleys and mountains. I took this train when I first visited Yufuin many years ago, and I loved the experience.
This time around, we drove a rental car from Beppu, which took us about thirty minutes. (Curious about driving in Japan? Then read my article about helpful tips everyone should know before deciding to rent a car in Japan.)
If you’re curious about what we did in Beppu, make sure to read this article.
Our Yufuin Itinerary: What We Did and Our Honest Thoughts
We visited Yufuin in early March, and arrived there from Beppu at around 9:30 AM on a Sunday. I think perhaps that was our first mistake — visiting on a weekend. Although it was still early, there were so many people, notably tour groups from abroad. So my first piece of advice would be to try to visit on a weekday, preferably sometime between Tuesday to Thursday, because perhaps it will be less busy.
The parking lot was on the opposite side of Yufuin Station and near Kinrin Lake, a famous landmark in the town, so we decided to go there first.
Watching the Mist at Lake Kinrin
Kinrin Lake is known for its white wisps of thermal mist that rise in the morning. The mist can be a little fussy, so if you don’t see it right away, wait a little bit, and it’ll appear eventually. However, if it’s particularly warm outside (such as during the summer)
It’s undoubtedly a beautiful sight, even when there’s little or no mist, as the water is clear and you can see a small stone torii gate floating in the water on the other side.
You’ll also see lots of carp in the water, which delighted our daughter.
There’s a small platform where you can take photos with the lake in the background. It’s fairly wide, so there’s enough space for multiple people to be there at once. When we visited, however, someone from a tour group asked us to move, even though we weren’t near them at all. They wanted an empty shot with only them on the platform, which felt unfair and, honestly, a bit entitled.
The mist over the lake doesn’t last long in the morning, so timing matters. I politely reminded them that it’s a public space and we had just as much right to be there. To their credit, they apologized.
The lake has a small shrine on the other side, so if you have a few moments to spare, it’s worth checking out.
There is also a popular cafe, Cafe La Ruche, that overlooks the lake, so if you want to relax a little while watching the mist come and go in the morning, try to nab a window-facing table here.
In total, we spent about 10 minutes at Kinrin Lake. Perhaps we would have stayed longer had we visited in autumn when the trees were changing color, or if there were fewer people.
Enjoying 3D Latte Art at Cafe Duo
After the lake, we headed to Cafe Duo. This cafe is famed for its adorable latte art featuring animals and Ghibli characters, and to our pleasant surprise, it is not overhyped whatsoever.
We made sure to arrive right at opening (10 AM) so we could get a table, and I’m glad I did because within 30 minutes the place was completely full!
The owners of Cafe Duo are incredibly kind and when my daughter expressed her excitement at seeing their cat, they encouraged her to pet him and shared the kitty’s life story with us. (Keep in mind that this conversation was entirely in Japanese, I’m not sure how well they speak English.)
While our daughter played with the cat, we browsed through the menu. Everything is very reasonably priced, with a 3D Caffe Latte costing a mere 700-750 yen. They also have cakes and sandwiches.
Our daughter ordered a cocoa 3D latte art while I got a chocolate latte and my husband got a regular latte.
You cannot request a character for your 3D latte; it’s completely up to the owner. However, they heard my daughter going on about Totoro and noticed she loves cats, so imagine our pleasant surprise when our latte art featured those! My husband’s latte featured a dog, which he was happy about.
When we got our lattes, the eyes weren’t drawn in. We were given small chocolate pens and were told we could draw in the eyes ourselves, which was really fun! (Maybe a little intimidating for us adults since we are both terrible at drawing.)
They had, however, drawn the eyes on the large Totoro, just not the smaller one.
We did our best, and here’s what the finished latte art looked like!
These were so cute that we had trouble drinking them and we spent over ten minutes taking photos. But alas, we had to drink them and go, as we had a schedule to keep. They were not only insanely cute, but also incredibly delicious.
Exploring Yufuin Floral Village
Yufuin Floral Village consists of many small shops, mostly selling Ghibli merchandise. This is another area that I had fond memories of when I first visited Yufuin, back when it was called Kyushu Yufuin Folk Art Village. It felt like it came straight out of a fairy tale.
In the past, it focused on handmade crafts, and you could see the artisans working. There were art galleries here as well as old traditional Japanese houses.
Imagine my disappointment when I saw it had become dedicated to selling mostly mass-produced Ghibli goods. You can also find Pokémon goods here, as well as Moomin and other characters, which to me made it feel like every other tourist spot in Japan.
There were also way too many people. It was very difficult to get photos without anyone else in them or even to go inside the small shops sometimes.
My daughter found some things here she enjoyed, like ducks swimming in a very small pond (it made me feel a bit sad, to be honest), rabbits, as well as goats. You can also try certified Oita Wagyu beef here, but I can’t say whether it’s any good since I haven’t personally tried it.
There’s a Miffy bakery here as well that sells adorable Miffy-shaped bread.
But overall, despite how cute the little houses look, I think Yufuin Floral Village has lost its charm and it feels like a tourist trap. I would skip it if you’re short on time and don’t care about Japanese character goods. (I actually feel like I’m going to cry remembering how wonderful Yufuin Floral Village used to be and what commercialized garbage it has become.)
Snacking Along Yunotsubo Street
Afterwards, we decided to walk along Yunotsubo Street and eat some sweets (mainly so I could feel better). My daughter had some Amaou strawberries with mochi on a stick, which she enjoyed but the strawberries weren’t as sweet as we would have hoped.
We also had some Cat Dango, which were okay, but I would recommend the Amaou strawberries more.
We also stopped by a shop called Shoyuya that’s only located in Oita Prefecture, as well as Okinawa. This store specializes in soy sauce and dressings, which can be used for salads and meat.
You can try some of the dressings before you buy them. Take a toothpick, dip it into a jar, and taste the dressing. Make sure to throw out the toothpick after using it. (Because double-dipping is clearly gross… not that you need to be told, of course.)
We bought a Kabosu dressing since the citrus fruit is local to Oita Prefecture. On the way out, we also picked up a jar of soy sauce pudding. The pudding has a salty-sweet flavor that’s addictive, and we gobbled it up within five minutes.
If you like Snoopy, you might want to pop into Snoopy Chaya Yufuinten for some matcha and Japanese sweets, but our daughter at the time wasn’t interested in the character. (And now she’s obsessed, go figure.)
While walking, we also came across a Ghibli store, and I couldn’t help but take a photo of my daughter next to the giant Totoro and Jiji plushies there.
There’s a playground across from the Ghibli store, so we let our daughter play while my husband and I took turns using the washroom. I liked how we could see Mount Yufu in the background of the park.
Next to the playground, there’s an art museum called COMICO ART MUSEUM YUFUIN, which we would have visited had we not been traveling with a five-year-old who gets bored easily.
After our kid burned off some energy, we continued on our way and came across a shop selling Oita sake. You can try some of the sake for a small fee, so I did so and I enjoyed one so much that I decided to buy a bottle to take home as well. The shop kindly kept the bottle for me to pick up on my way back so I wouldn’t have to carry it.
We continued to walk all the way to Yufuin Station, which is retro-style and quaint.
There’s an Information Center next to the station where you can see a nice view of Mount Yufu from the second floor.
If you look at the picture below, you’ll see a white shop with a sign reading Coin Lockers, written in blue. You can store luggage here for only 500 yen, which is helpful if you’re coming to Yufuin on a day trip or you need somewhere to keep your things before checking into your accommodation.
We didn’t spend much time at the Information Center. It was around noon at this point, and our daughter was getting hungry, so we picked up some toriten, Oita’s local food that consists of tempura-battered and fried chicken, from a shop called Fukuya.
There’s nowhere to eat inside the store, so we ate our “meal” on a bench outside and then made our way back up Yunotsubo Street.
Taking a Trip Back in Time at Yufuin Showa Museum
My daughter wanted to go to the Yufuin Showa Museum after seeing its interesting and inviting exterior. For those who may not know, Showa is a period in Japan that lasted from 1926 to 1989 and was named after Emperor Showa.
I am a huge retro and nostalgia nerd, so this kind of place is right up my alley. However, the entrance fee at 1400 yen per adult and 500 yen for our kid seemed a little steep to me.
My kid, though, kept saying she wanted to go, since she saw it before 10 AM up until the time we passed it again at about 1:15 PM, so my husband and I caved.
And let me tell you, I am really glad we did. Out of all the touristy things in Yufuin, this was our favorite.
Spending the Night at Yama no Hotel Musouen
After the museum, we decided to get the car and check into our ryokan early. On the way, we made a quick stop at a Shinto shrine called Unagihime Shrine (Eel Princess Shrine). There weren’t many people here since it’s off the beaten path, although when we left, a small tour group showed up.
This shrine is small but I loved it nonetheless. It had lots of beautiful details, like a dragon spout spewing water, moss-covered statues, and stone lanterns. I also loved hearing the water quietly flowing along the shrine grounds. It felt so peaceful. There were also plenty of carp to keep my daughter occupied.
We spent about 30 minutes here before going to the ryokan.
We arrived at Yama no Hotel Musouen about five minutes before our 3 PM check-in time and the staff were already outside and waiting for us when we drove up, a hint at the spectacular service to come.
This ryokan is among the best I have ever stayed at, and considering I’ve lived in Japan for over two decades and been to multiple ryokan across the country, this is not something I say lightly. Even my picky Japanese husband was impressed. One of the best things is that there are multiple private open-air onsen that you can use for free. This is just one of many reasons why this ryokan is a must-stay if you’re in Yufuin. Read about why Yama no Hotel Musouen was the best part of our Yufuin trip.
After spending the night at the ryokan, we checked out at around 9 AM so we could make our way back to Beppu and enjoy Harmonyland before heading home to Osaka.
So, Should You Visit Yufuin?
I think the Yufuin now pales in comparison to the one that existed over a decade ago. Apart from my ryokan stay, I felt sad during my visit there because there were so many people and it no longer felt like a clandestine and relaxing little place in Japan.
However, as I pointed out before, my ryokan stay was remarkable, and I would suggest going just to experience one night there. I also believe I would have enjoyed my visit to the city more had I gone off the beaten path and ridden a bicycle through the mountain valleys like I did during my last visit.
At the end of the day, I would suggest going with the expectation that there might be crowds, and try to venture off the main road to see quieter spots, and above all, stay at Yama no Hotel Musouen (you won’t regret it!).