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Yufuin is only about an hour from Oita, so I went for the day. I took an early train on purpose. Everybody told me the same thing: come before ten, or you will spend the day walking behind a tour group.
They were right.
The main street
When you leave the station, there is one long road called Yunotsubo Kaido that leads towards the lake. It takes about 20 minutes to walk. On both sides there are small shops selling cheese cake, croquettes, honey and roasted chestnuts.
At eight in the morning most of them were still closed and the road was almost empty. Mount Yufu stood straight ahead with snow on both peaks. I stopped several times just to look at it.
Lake Kinrin
The lake at the end of the road is small. You can walk around it in fifteen minutes. What makes it special is that hot spring water and cold spring water both flow into it, so on a cold morning the surface steams.
I sat on a bench with a coffee and watched the mist move across the water. A few ducks. One old man taking photographs. That was all. By the time I walked back, the street was full.
Food
I ate a croquette made with Bungo beef from a stall near the middle of the road, 300 yen. Later I had a toriten set — Oita-style chicken tempura — for lunch. Toriten is the food of my prefecture and I still think it is better than normal fried chicken.
Would I go again
Yes, but next time I want to stay one night. The day trippers all leave on the late afternoon train, and people say the town becomes very quiet again after that. I want to see it.
Getting there
The local train from Oita takes about an hour and costs 1,130 yen. There is also a famous sightseeing train called the Yufuin no Mori from Hakata, but you need to book it early.
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