Yufu

Understand

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.

Tourist information center The Yufu City Tourist Information Center (84-2446; 09:00-17:30) beside the train station has some information in English, including a detailed walking map.

Tourist information sites The local tourist associations has a Japanese-only portal site. Tsukahara Highlands area in it has a bilingual guide site. The city site's tourism section contains a guide book in English.

Getting there

Yufuin 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.

By plane 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).

By train

Yufuin Station is the main train station and serves as a central point for starting off in Yufuin. The best way to arrive is by the JR Yufuin no Mori limited express, a destination in itself with retro-styled wood and brass fittings and a buffet car with panoramic windows — book ahead. The train runs 3 times/day to/from Fukuoka (2 hr 15 min; ¥4; 550) and once daily to/from Oita (50 min) and Beppu (1 hour). There are additional direct services on the more ordinary Yufu DX and Yufu expresses, and cheaper local trains (change in Kurume required).

By car Get off at the Oita Expressway Yufuin Interchange. In peak tourist seasons, the most direct route to Kinrinko Lake (Route 206) often experiences severe traffic. Due to this, it's advisable to detour to Minami Yufu and head toward the center of Yufuin instead. Specifically you'll want to get off the Interchange, take Route 210 towards Oita, and get on Route 11 in Minami Yufu. Due to Yufuin's high elevation, you're required to use chains on the highways and mountain roads when there is snow.

By bus Yufuin's

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 on its way to Beppu and back.

By train The JR Kyudai Line lazily loops through the city, but aside from Yufuin station itself does not come close to the hot spring area.

By horse or rickshaw Horse carriages (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.

On foot 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. The Tourist Information Center publishes maps that you can refer to as you walk.

Yufumi-dōri (り) - The name of the street that continues from Yufuin Station to Yufu-dake. You can see Yufu-dake from almost anywhere on this street. Yunotsubo Kaidō (の) - An attractively retro-styled shopping street that goes from Yufumi-dōri to Lake Kinrinko, this is one of the prime attractions in town and packed during the day with tour groups. There are many restaurants and souvenir shops, including a Ghibli store.

See

1 Lake Kinrinko. A small lake (pond; really) at the east end of town, full of fish and flanked with art galleries, tea houses and the Shitanyu bath (below). Walk from the station to here, and you'll have seen most of what the town has to offer. free. (updated Mar 2016) Yufuin Art Museum Norman Rockwell Yufuin Art Gallery (ノーマン・ロックウェル) 2 Oike Yuusuigun. Waterfall deep in the forest ¥100. (updated Mar 2016) Tenso Shrine

Do

1 Hike to Mount Yufu (hop in the hourly bus connecting Yufuin and Beppu stations and get off at Yufutozanguchi, the trailhead). You can hike to the top of this volcano (Yufudake), see the crater and have a very nice view of the surroundings. Allow two hours to reach the crater (from 800m to 1500m). Then there is a junction, the left path leads to the west peak (1583m), the right one to the east peak (1580m). The east peak is an easy, although steep, walk but the west peak requires more climbing, there are chains to help you. There is also a path connecting the two peaks on the north of the crater but be cautious this section is more technical and requires some climbing knowledge, it is highly recommended to use the south trail for beginners. Be prepared for this long exhausting walk, all the common sense of Hiking applies. Allow 4 to 5 hours in total depending on which peaks you climb. There is nothing on the way, be sure to bring your own food and enough water. Hot springs:

Yufuin Station Footbath (の) Yufuin Onsen Yunotsubo Onsen (ゆのつぼ) Shitanyu (ん) 2 Yunohira Onsen. A small traditional hot springs village 15 kilometers away (updated Apr 2016)

Eat

Yufuin is famous for yuzukoshō, 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.

Kinshō Korokke (コロッケ), 1511-1 (Yunotsubo Kaidō). A simple deep-fried snack of minced meat and mashed potato it may be, but this particular "Gold Medal Croquette" was once chosen as the tastiest in all Japan. In addition to the original (¥160), there's a wide range of various flav