Yufuin, located in Oita Prefecture, is a small, cute town in Yufu City known for hot springs (onsen in Japanese), boutique shops, and rice fields with views of Mount Yufu.
Many visitors visit Yufuin (湯布院町 in Japanese) town as a day trip from Fukuoka, Beppu, or Oita City. It’s easy to get here by taking the train or bus to Yufuin Station.
Justin and I originally arrived in Yufuin on Thursday evening and spent overnight at a ryokan with an onsen. On Friday, we ran through Yufuin town in the early morning. After breakfast, we spent a full day exploring the charming town before returning to Fukuoka.
So, if you’re interested in how to spend 1 day in Yufuin, continue reading this post to see what we did.
We think one day is the perfect amount of time as this itinerary focuses specifically on the town area near Yufuin train station. The attractions are within walking distance from the train station.
Click on the links below to jump to certain areas of the Yufuin itinerary.
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Map
Click on the image to see a larger view of the places to visit in Yufuin. Credit: Map data: Google
What to Do in Yufuin Town in a Day
Depending on your arrival time, you may need to adjust the itinerary and the number of attractions to visit.
We recommend reading our full list of things to do in Yufuin town here so you can plan accordingly. We didn’t mention some attractions in the itinerary, such as Unagihime Shrine, due to time constraints.
If taking the train, we suggest taking the first schedule to Yufuin Station so you’ll have ample time to explore.
This itinerary starts at Yufuin Station and we walk to all the attractions.
Stop by the Yufu City Tourist Information Center (由布市ツーリストインフォメーションセンターYUFUiNFO).
Located next to the Yufuin Station, the Yufu City Tourist Info Center is a must-visit to start your trip. It’s a beautiful building made out of Y-shaped pillars and wooden beams.
You can chat with the Customer Service representative about what to do in the area and ask questions.
We picked up a map of the town (available in English, Chinese, Japanese, and other languages). There are other brochures for the other cities and attractions in Oita Prefecture.
While the town is walkable, you can sign up for a horse-drawn carriage ride or a ride on the Scarborough, a vintage British bus at the Info Center. It’s a unique way to travel and explore the town.
The second level of the building has a library and seating area where you can relax, read a book, or do some people-watching.
Address: 8-5 Yufuincho Kawakita, Yufu, Oita 879-5114, Japan
Walk around Kinrin Lake (金鱗湖).
About 1.5 kilometers away from Yufuin Station is Kinrin Lake (also known as Kinrinko Lake). It’ll take at least 20 minutes to walk there.
You’ll pass by Yunotsubo-Kaido Street which has all the shopping and food. It’ll be tempting to stop and browse but head to the lake to beat the crowds.
Lake Kinrin is a major attraction of Yufuin. It’s a pretty lake with natural hot spring water flowing into the lake.
Lake Kinrin is a lovely place to explore on your 1 day in Yufuin
In the early mornings, there is a beautiful sight of mist rising from the lake due to the high water temperature.
Once you’re here, take a short walk around the lake. It’ll take no more than 10 minutes, plus extra time for photos.
TIP: Visit the Tenso Shrine (天祖神社) in the back of the lake. From here, you can see a torii in the waters. We went here around 7:00am and had a beautiful reflection of the torii and the water.
I loved seeing this view of Lake Kinrin!
Address: 1561-1 Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufu, Oita 879-5102
Shop and eat snacks along Yunotsubo-Kaido Street.
After visiting the lake, we’re headed back to Yunotsubo-Kaido Street and the surrounding area. This is the main area with boutique shops, museums, cafes, and snack shops.
Yufuin town has many boutique shops for souvenirs and gifts
We visited a few spots along this touristy street:
Yunotsubo Street (湯の坪街道) is a side street with shopping and snacks. We saw yummy sweets for sale and pickles as souvenirs.
We took this photo before Yunotsubo Street opened yet this street has many snacks for you to try.
Miffy Mori no Bakery (みっふぃー森のきっちん＆べーかりー 湯布院店) is an adorable bakery selling Miffy shaped breads and buns. There are also coffee and matcha desserts! After celebrating Miffy’s birthday at Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki, we are fans of the cute bunny.
Address: 1503-8 Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufu, Oita 879-5102
Snoopy Chaya Yufuinten (SNOOPY茶屋 由布院店) is a themed tea house/cafe with Snoopy foods and desserts. We didn’t go inside the cafe as we were full from our breakfast, but we took photos outside of the shop.
There is an interactive comic strip where you stick your head in one of the panels to be a part of it.
On our run through Yufuin, we saw this interactive Peanuts comic strip
Address: 1540-2 Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufu, Oita 879-5102 (There are other locations in Japan such as Nagano, Ise, Kyoto, Hokkaido, and Takayama.)
Yufuin Showa Museum (湯布院昭和館) is a museum that takes you back to the Showa era from 1926-1989. Most of the retro posters, artifacts, and decor are from the 1950s to 1960s so this place is a living time capsule. We just visited the outside and snapped a photo of the retro-looking area.
Yufuin Showa Museum entrance
Address: 1479-1 Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufu, Oita 879-5102 (There is another sister museum in Takayama)
(Optional) Yufuin Floral Village (湯布院フローラルビレッジ) is a popular tourist attraction to visit. It’s a mini version of England’s Cotswold area so it has the whimsical Harry Potter ambience.
We took this photo before the Yufuin Floral Village opened.
This area is surprisingly very small and narrow, so it gets crowded. It will be challenging to take photos unless you get there when it first opens.
There are a few animals such as goats, guinea pigs, and owls for a petting zoo, characters from “The Story of Heidi” animated movie, and lots of shopping of Ghibli and Snoopy merchandise.
I’m waving just like the character, Heidi
Honestly, it’s a bit overrated as you only need a few minutes to go through here. Luckily the main area is free to access.
Guests can stay overnight here for a fairytale experience.
Address: 1503-3 Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufu, Oita 879-5102
Visit the Comico Art Museum.
If you’re an art lover, consider checking out Comico Art Museum. It’s a small museum highlighting contemporary art.
I wanted to come here to see Yayoi Kusama’s paintings (the artist known for the large pumpkin sculptures with black dots) and Takashi Murakami’s artwork (the artist known for the colorful smiling flowers). These didn’t disappoint!
The giant white dog sculpture created by Yoshimoto Nara is another interesting piece. It’s located in a fantastic location with a view of Mount Yufu.
This place wasn’t crowded so we could admire the artwork in peace. It took us an hour to see everything.
Check out our review of Comico Art Museum here.
Address: 2995-1 Yufuincho Kawakami, Yufu, Oita 879-5102
Walk by the rice fields to see Mount Yufu.
Depending on your schedule, we recommend walking a few blocks away from the town area and towards the rice fields.
We walked along Sangu Street and saw gorgeous views of the rice fields and backdrop of Mount Yufu (also referred to as the Mount Fuji of Bungo area). You can’t miss Mt Yufu as it’s the tallest mountain in the area at 1,584 meters (5,197 feet) high. (You can hike it but you’ll need another day here.)
We loved taking photos here.
We did a short run around Yufuin town and Justin loves the rice fields!
Enjoy a free foot bath.
It’s the end of the day and time to return to Yufuin Station area for your train or bus.
Before your departure, we recommend stopping by the Yufuin Confectionery Shop Foot bath (ゆふいん菓子蔵 足湯) to take a break and soak your tired feet in the free foot bath. You deserve the soak as you’ve walked all day!
This foot bath is located in the back of the souvenir shop across from Yufuin Station. You will share the footbath with other people.
Since it’s free, you will need to bring your own towel or buy one from the souvenir shop.
Address: 3-3 Yufuincho Kawakita, Yufu, Oita 879-5114
Other Travel Tips
- Wear comfortable walking shoes to walk around town.
- Have cash on hand as the snack shops do not accept credit cards.
- If visiting for the day, please ensure that you have enough time to visit the attractions. Depending on your departure time, leave plenty of time to catch your bus or train.
- The city doesn’t have free tourist WiFi, so you’ll need to have a Japan SIM card, eSIM, or pocket WiFi device.
How to Get to Yufuin
It’s easy to take the bus or train to get to Yufuin Station.
We have a blog post that highlights the various transportation options to Yufuin from Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Oita, and Beppu. We took the round-trip Yufuin no Mori train from Fukuoka Hakata to Yufuin Station.
How to Travel Around Yufuin
Walking is the best way to travel around Yufuin Town. The main town is flat unless you’re going up the hilly area where there are a few ryokans (guesthouses with onsens).
Bicycling is another option to travel, especially to attractions that are slightly farther away. In the main Yufuin town, it can be congested and crowded so cycling may not be faster than walking. We saw a few tourists riding their bicycle to Kinrin Lake.
Taking a horse carriage or the Scarborough, a vintage British bus, are also available. You can inquire and make a reservation at the Tourist Information Center, located next to the Yufuin Station.
What to Eat
With one day, it’s challenging to eat a variety of food.
We’ll share the snacks and places that we ate in a blog post. So, stay tuned!
Where to Stay
If you decide to stay overnight in Yufuin town, there are ryokans (guesthouses with onsens) available.
We recommend using either Booking.com or Agoda to search for the perfect place to stay. You can choose to stay near the Yufuin Station or further out. You can also filter by price, room accommodations, and more.
Click here to see Yufuin accommodation options on Booking.com
Check availability for Yufuin on Agoda here
Our Recommendation: Yufudake Ichibo no Yado Kirara
Our one night in Kiara was incredible! We splurged with a Western-style room with two beds, a private bath, and our own private onsen.
After walking around for the day, the private onsen was much needed to relax and rejuvenate our skin with the mineral water.
We had breakfast and dinner included in our stay. The dinner was a kaiseki style, a multi-course meal highlighting the local foods and flavors. The ryokan did an excellent job with the meals as they were flavorful and presently beautiful.
Check out availability for Kirara here on Booking.com
Click here to see availability for Kirara on Agoda
Final Thoughts
A full day in Yufuin is a wonderful escape from the busier cities of Japan. Walking through the cute town and trying the local snacks and foods are a memorable part of this area.
If you have the chance, stay overnight at a ryokan with a hot spring and public bath and enjoy the healing properties of the spring water. We loved the onsen water!
If you have any questions about Yufuin, please ask a question in the comment section below.
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