Yufuin Onsen — photo: Yasuhiro from Tokyo, Japan · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Yufuin onsen: a lot of gentle water, the morning mist, and Yufuin or Beppu or Kurokawa
Yufuin is a farming valley under the twin peaks of Mount Yufu, about 12 km inland from Beppu, that has become one of the best-known onsen towns in Japan. Most guides lead with the shopping street, Lake Kinrin and a list of inns. This one is about the water, which is not what people expect from a famous onsen town; about how the town works by day and by night; and about choosing between Yufuin and its two neighbours on every Kyushu itinerary, Beppu and Kurokawa.
What the numbers say
Yufuin is recorded in our database with a single water type, a simple spring, and a total flow of about 38,600 litres a minute.
- Of the 425 onsen towns we hold a flow figure for, only two are recorded higher, and we do not trust either of those two figures. Yufuin is recorded above Itō (34,000) and Kusatsu (32,300). Flow is counted in different ways in different towns, so read this as "one of the very largest", not as a precise league table.
- Of the 341 towns with a simple spring in our records, 97 have a flow figure, and Yufuin's is the largest.
- Ōita has 40 onsen towns in our records. Yufuin's Wikipedia article is read 2,198 times in our sample, the most in the prefecture, just ahead of Beppu (2,157), and 15th of 1,538 towns nationwide.
We have no source temperature or pH for Yufuin, so we will not give one. The town is a basin with many separate wells, and each inn draws from its own.
What a simple spring means in the bath
"Simple" is the official name for hot spring water that is warm enough to count as an onsen but low in dissolved minerals. In the bath that usually means clear water, no strong smell, nothing that stings and nothing that stains. It is the most common type for first-timers to be comfortable in, and it is the opposite of the cloudy, smelly water many people picture when they think of a famous onsen. Our water types guide explains how to read the sign in the changing room.
So come to Yufuin for the setting, the quiet inns and the sheer amount of water, which lets many inns run their baths straight from the source and keep several of them. If you want strong water, it is a short trip away: Yunohira, 9.1 km southwest, is recorded with chloride and sulfate water; Tsukahara, 7.2 km northeast on the slopes above the valley, with sulfate and iron; and Beppu, over the pass, with five types.
由布院 or 湯布院?
You will see the name written two ways, and both are read Yufuin. The hot spring and the station use 由布院. 湯布院 comes from the town formed in 1955, when Yufuin merged with neighbouring Yunohira and the two names were combined. That town is now part of Yufu City. On a bus timetable or a hotel address, either spelling means the same valley.
The town by day and by night
From the station, the main walking street runs about a kilometre and a half to Lake Kinrin, a small, shallow lake at the east end of the town fed partly by warm springs. On cold mornings in autumn and winter it steams, and the whole basin often fills with morning mist. If you stay the night, that is the reason to get up early.
Between late morning and late afternoon the main street is crowded with day-trippers, many on tours from Fukuoka and Beppu, and it is lined with cafes, snack stalls and small shops rather than old bathhouses. Most of those shops close in the early evening. After that the town is very quiet, and the inns, which are spread around the valley rather than lined up on the main street, are where everything happens.
Nearby sights in our data include the Unaguhime Shrine, 1.1 km from the centre, and Lake Kagurame, 8.9 km away on the road up towards Mount Yufu.
Bathing without staying
Yufuin has no single big public bath at its centre. Instead:
- Inns that take day visitors. Many inns open their baths to non-guests during the day, typically from late morning to mid-afternoon. Hours and prices vary by inn and change; ask at the front desk or look for a sign at the gate.
- Small public bathhouses. There are a few, including a tiny thatched one by Lake Kinrin. They are simple, often with no shower or soap, so wash by scooping water with a basin away from the tub. The general rules are in our etiquette guide.
- Private baths by the hour. Yufuin has many 貸切風呂 (kashikiri-buro), baths you rent for your own group for a set time, and some are open to day visitors. They are also the simplest answer if you have tattoos or would rather not bathe in front of strangers. See private baths and going to an onsen with tattoos.
A day trip from Fukuoka works, but you will share the town with everyone else doing the same. See onsen without staying the night.
Where to stay
The inns are spread over the valley floor and the lower slopes, so "in Yufuin" can mean a short walk from the station or a taxi ride into the fields.
- Near the station. Practical if you arrive by train or bus and leave early. Busy by day.
- Towards Lake Kinrin. The prettiest walk at dawn, and many of the older inns. Still a walk from the station with luggage; many inns will pick you up if you call.
- On the edges of the valley. Quieter, often with views of Mount Yufu and private baths attached to the rooms, but you depend on the inn's car or a taxi.
Because the shops and most restaurants close early, an inn with dinner included is the usual choice here. See what "two meals included" means and what an onsen trip costs.
Yufuin, Beppu or Kurokawa?
These three are the most looked-up onsen towns on the island in our sample: Yufuin 2,198, Beppu 2,157, Kurokawa 2,040. They are close to each other on the map and very different in the bath.
- Yufuin: one gentle, clear simple spring in great quantity; a busy street by day and quiet inns by night; on a railway.
- Beppu, 12.3 km east: a city by the sea with five water types, the hells, cheap neighbourhood bathhouses and plenty to eat at night; on a railway.
- Kurokawa, 29.7 km southwest: a small river valley of inns with sulfur water recorded at 80 to 98 °C; no railway, buses only.
With two nights, Yufuin and Beppu pair easily, one night each, linked by frequent buses and the train. Adding Kurokawa makes it a separate mountain journey; pick two of the three unless you have time to spare. Our Kyushu guide lays out both loops.
Getting there
Yufuin is on the JR Kyūdai line, and you do not need a car. Our transport data puts it about two hours from Fukuoka, and the Japan Rail Pass covers the train.
- From Fukuoka by train. Limited expresses run from Hakata to Yufuin Station, a little over two hours, including the sightseeing train Yufuin no Mori. It is all reserved seats and popular, so book as early as you can, JR Pass or not. Hakata is 95.0 km away in a straight line.
- From Fukuoka by bus. Highway buses run from Fukuoka to Yufuin and take a similar time. Seats are reserved and fill up at weekends and in autumn.
- From Beppu. Local buses run over the pass from Beppu Station, 12.3 km away, in under an hour. The train also works, via Ōita.
- From Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka. Fly to Ōita Airport, 41.6 km away, and take the airport bus to Yufuin, or fly to Fukuoka and continue by train or bus.
- From Kurokawa. The cross-Kyushu buses over the Yamanami highway stop at Yufuin; most need a reserved seat.
Times are rough, and timetables change. Check the current route before you go.
Things not to do
Do not expect cloudy, smelly water. If that is what you want, go to Yunohira, Tsukahara, Beppu or Kurokawa.
Do not plan your quiet onsen moment on the main street at midday. Walk it early or after five.
Do not leave the Yufuin no Mori or the Fukuoka bus to the day of travel.
Do not book an inn on the edge of the valley without checking how you will get there from the station.
Do not assume tattoos are fine. Policies vary by inn and bathhouse; a private bath is the reliable route.
New to this? Start with how an onsen stay actually works and onsen etiquette. For the rest of the island, see our Kyushu onsen guide, Beppu, Kurokawa and the 3 best onsen towns near Fukuoka. For other towns with a gentle simple spring, see Gero and Dōgo.