Japan’s Yufuin hot spring town is a quaint area that is the perfect getaway in Northern Kyushu. From the cute boutique shopping to the easy walkability to attractions, there are many reasons to visit.
What Justin and I love about Yufuin is how convenient it is to get to from the main cities – Fukuoka Hakata, Kumamoto, Oita, and Beppu. We arrived here in over 2 hours by train from Fukuoka Hakata.
Yufuin town is close enough to spend the day from these cities. But if you have more time, we recommend staying overnight at a ryokan and relaxing at the hot spring (onsen).
So, if you’re looking to get to Yufuin town by public transportation (train or bus), we’ll share the ins and outs of these transportation options.
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Tips for Taking the Trains to Yufuin
Yufuin Station is the only train station that goes to Yufuin town. Japan Railway (JR) manages this station.
We recommend looking into one of these JR passes depending on your travel – JR Wide Area Pass, Regional JR Kyushu All Pass, or JR Northern Kyushu Pass. You can use one of these passes to travel directly to Yufuin by train.
We used the 5-Day JR Nothern Kyushu Pass and it was convenient to travel from Fukuoka’s Hakata to Yufuin Station.
We used these tickets to explore Northern Kyushu in 5 days
Reasons to Consider the Nothern Kyushu Pass
- The passes allow unlimited train usage, including shinkansen (high-speed train), during a certain time frame.
- You can save money traveling long distances, but you’ll need to calculate if it’s worth the pass. We recommend checking the train schedule and ticket cost and comparing the total cost of train rides with the pass. More info about the train schedule is below.
- Non-reserved and reserved seating are allowed with the pass. (You’ll need to check how many reserved seatings you have with the pass.)
- You can reserve seats online (for an extra fee) or at the JR ticket machines several days before your desired departure date. Then, you don’t need to worry about finding a seat in the non-reserved section.
How to Check the Train Schedule
To expedite your travel planning, we recommend visiting the JR Kyushu website or West JR Company website.
Input your starting station, ending station, departure date, and departure time. Then you’ll receive the train schedule and ticket cost (if you decide to buy individually versus using a JR Pass).
You may see other trains to take that we didn’t mention.
From Fukuoka to Yufuin – By Train
Fukuoka’s Hakata Station is the main train station.
Two direct trains go from Hakata to Yufuin Station on the JR line – Yufuin no Mori and Yufu.
Option 1: Yufuin no Mori Train
We took the popular Yufuin no Mori. It’s a gorgeous green train that travels through the forest area and has fun onboard amenities such as a collectible stamp and buying souvenirs.
Read more about our experience riding Yufuin no Mori here.
The route takes 2 hours 14 minutes one-way and travels several times a day. Check the Yufuin no Mori train schedule here.
This train route only has reserved seats so you’ll want to reserve a seat in advance.
During the high travel season, the Hakata to Yufuin train route sells out. So, you can consider taking this train from Yufuin to Hakata Station.
We sat in Car 4 and it has gorgeous leafy pattern seats
Option 2: Yufu Train
Another route is to take the JR Yufu train.
It’s an alternative to the Yufuin no Mori train as it goes along the same route from Hakata – Oita – Beppu. The train is red instead of the emerald green Yufuin no Mori.
The route takes 2 hours 16 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes. It has both reserved and non-reserved seating.
From Kumamoto to Yufuin Station – By Train
Kumamoto Station is the major train station to depart from Kumamoto City.
Taking the train requires some planning as there isn’t a direct train to Yufuin. It requires at least one transfer.
So, you’ll need to take the train from Kumamoto Station to Kurume Station, and then take the train from Kurume Station to Yufuin Station.
Depending on the departure time from Kurume to Yufuin, you can take either the Yufuin no Mori Train or the Yufu Train. It will take at least 2 hours 15 minutes or 2 hours 23 minutes, respectively.
You’ll need to check the availability of the seat reservation for Yufuin no Mori. Otherwise, you can just take the Yufu line on a non-reserved train.
From Oita to Yufuin Station – By Train
There are three trains to consider from Oita to Yufuin. Oita is the main station to depart from.
- Option 1: Take the 1 hour and up to 1 hour 14 minutes local JR train line from Oita Station to Yufuin Station on the Kyudai Line. Since it’s a local train, you do not need any reserved seating.
- Option 2: Take the JR Yufu Limited Express train which will take 45 minutes. There are reserved and non-reserved seating.
- Option 3: Take the Yufuin no Mori train which will take 47 minutes. But this train departs once per day in the afternoon. Reserved seating is required for this route.
From Beppu to Yufuin Station – By Train or Bus
By Train
Similarly to Oita, there are three trains to take from Beppu Station.
- Option 1: This route requires a transfer. Take the train from Beppu to Oita Station, and then take the local Kyudai Line from Oita to Yufuin. Reserved seating is available from Beppu to Oita. This route will take 1 hour 10 minutes up to 1 hour 24 minutes.
- Option 2: You can take the direct Yufuin no Mori train from Beppu Station to Yufuin Station (with a quick stop in Oita). The train will take 1 hour. But it only departs once per day. Again, reserved seating is required.
- Option 3: The Yufu train is a direct train to Yufuin and it’ll take 1 hour.
By Bus
Taking the bus from Beppu Station to Yufuin Station is another way to travel to Yufuin. The Kamenoi Bus has a tourist route or local bus No. 36 that travels between the two stations.
More information is on the website here (in Japanese only). Or, check out the PDF of the schedule in English here.
The tourist bus takes at least 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes for the bus ride. The local bus No. 36 takes 57 minutes.
Note: The JR Pass cannot be used for the Kamenoi Bus.
Final Thoughts
Which of these public transportation options will you take? We hope you feel more comfortable looking at the various train and bus options to get to Yufuin Station.
Have a fantastic time in Yufuin!
We have a few blog posts about Yufuin for you to read further:
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Graphics in Pin & Featured photo from Canva
