Yufuin, Oita Japan – Sightseeing train, Yufuin Floral Village, Yufuin no mori – these are the words that come into my mind when I hear the word Yufuin. I decided to include it in my Fukuoka itinerary – and it was one of the best things I did!
I can describe Yufuin as a place for girls and women who love cute stuff. But other than that, there’s more to enjoy there than Yufuin Floral Village and Totoro. Surely, you might have heard a lot about them, but I want you to know that there is so much more to do in Yufuin map.
Fukuoka to Yufuin
There are many ways to go to Yufuin from Fukuoka.
The most famous one is the Yufuin no mori, or the JR Kyushu sightseeing train. It’s a train that will take you to the charming hot spring town while passing a picturesque view, so you can enjoy your travel more.
But what sets it apart from any Japan train is the different types of comfort it offers to its passengers. Thankfully, you can use your JR Kyushu Pass to ride the Yufuin no more, so you need not worry about the price. Just take note that you need to pay seat reservation separately.
Below are the Yufuin no mori seat maps you can choose from.
Passenger Cabin
The classic and standard train seating position is the passenger cabin. It’s front-facing and has comfy seats so that’s one thing less to think about if you worry about having back ache from sitting for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Choose train numbers 3 and 4.
Booth Seating
For groups of 3 or 4, it’s best to choose booth seating. Because with this type of seating, you can sit facing each other, plus you get a table for all of you. Of course, you want to sit together with your company that’s why you traveled with them!
Do take note that you have to RESERVE these seats in advance!
Lounge
The 3rd and most aesthetically pleasing among the 3 is the lounge. A cabin will give you travel information shortly after arriving.
Check Yufuin no mori ticket price here!
Yufu vs Yufuin no mori
Don’t be confused about Yufu and Yufuin no mori. Let me tell you the difference between the two.
If you hear the word Yufu, remember that it’s a city in Oita where you’ll find Yufuin. On the other hand, Yufuin no mori is a special train that has 3 stops – Hakata, Yufuin, and Beppu.
We decided to book a Yufuin tour instead, but the next time we go back, we’ll surely enjoy the sightseeing train so I can finally write my Yufuin no mori review.
What to do in Yufuin
Besides visiting Yunotsubo Road, there are many Yufuin things to do that you should add to your itinerary. Check 7 popular things to do in Yufuin below!
Enjoy wonderful scenery on a train ride
One of the most notable things to do in Fukuoka is to ride the famous Yufuin no Mori when traveling from Hakata to Yufuin. The ride will take about 2 hours passing through beautiful scenery and you can relax in the nice seats.
Check out Yufuin Floral Village
The first and most famous among Yufuin places to visit is the Yufuin Floral Village. But it’s actually a long walk from the train station before you can reach the charming and eye-candy place. If you’re a fan of Totoro, Sanrio, Disney, and even Tom and Jerry, you’ll surely have a great time inside Yufuin Floral Village.
While not that big, the stores inside carry so many many goodies that you’ll have a hard time choosing what to buy for yourself or gift for someone. I assure you that you’ll be bringing home something from inside!
Take Instagrammable photos at Kinrin Lake
At the end of Yunotsubo Street, you’ll reach the Lake Kinrin, whose name was given by a Confucian scholar after seeing gold-scaled fish one sunset. The lake is composed of fresh water and hot spring water – so be careful not to fall because you might get burned.
How to get to Kinrin Lake?
After you’ve reached the end of Yunotsubo Shopping Street, you still need to walk about 25 minutes to reach the lake. Don’t worry, though, because you won’t notice the long walk because of the nice view.
Just follow the river path and you’ll soon find yourselves at Lake Kinrin.
Shop Cute Stuff
Snoopy, anime, Sanrio, and many other cute stuff sit comfortably in most souvenir shops – all waiting for you to buy. So what are you waiting for? Add Yufuin to your itinerary so you can get all them because you deserve them!
Dip in Yufuin Onsen
Like Beppu, Yufuin is a famous hot spring resort and is located on a flat river basin with mountains all over its surroundings. Many hotels offer bath even for non staying guests. Below are some hotels that offer onsen in Yufuin.
Yufuin Hotels with Onsen
You can stay at Yufuin hotels to enjoy onsens better. It might not be the cheapest hotels but not many hotels have onsens, so your’re actually paying for the extra service. And who wouldn’t want dipping into hot tubs and having a relaxing night after that tiring day, right?
Yufuin Onsen Yufuin Kotobuki Hananosho
Just a 5-minute walk from Yufuin Station, you can spend a night enjoying the Mt. Yufu in your room when you stay at Yufuin Onsen Yufuin Kotobuki Hananosho. This hotel is also accessible from African Safari and Hells of Beppu.
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Yufuin Onsen Ryokan Mebaeso
Get to Yufuin Stained Glass Museum in minutes when you stay at Yufuin Onsen Ryokan Mebaeso. More than that, natural hot spring and great food await you there.
Eat yummy food at Yunotsubo Kaido
This post can’t be complete without my Yunotsubo street review. One of the highlights of our Yufuin itinerary is checking out the shops and restaurants at Yunotsubo Kaido.
The first food that we tried is the famous Milch – and we ordered both the hot and cold cheesecake to see which one’s better. To our surprise, both tasted pretty good, the only difference in them is that the cold has a solid cheesecake, while the hot one melts as you scoop them out of the cup.
The second food we tried is the croquette. We bought one with cheese and another one with ground beef curry sauce. In my opinion, I liked the beef curry, but the cheese croquette also tasted good too!
Lastly, we also tried the soft ice cream milk flavor and it was so good. You’ll definitely feel the creaminess in every bite.
Later I found out that a famous Yufuin food to try is their chicken karaage, but we missed to try it out. Anyhow, hopefully we can try it out on our next visit there, because this will definitely not our last time going there!
What stores will you find at Yunotsubo Kaido? Here are some more Yunotsubo street photos.
Take photos of cute displays
Yufuin or Beppu
If you ask me “Which one’s better, Beppu or Yufuin?,” I’d say they’re incomparable because they have their beauty in themselves. While both boast incredible hot springs, you can never go wrong if you go to both.
We stayed at Beppu (full review here) and traveled to Yufuin with ease. But you can always do the other way around if you wish to stay at Yufuin instead.
Yufuin review conclusion
Yufuin might not be a part of Fukuoka attractions, but sometimes it’s nice to take a detour and make a sidetrip since they’re both in Kyushu area. If you’re like me, who wants to make the most out of the trip, you might want to consider visiting Yufuin too.
If you’re making Fukuoka itinerary (5 days or more), you can visit Yufuin for a day or two to know more about other Kyushu tourist spots. I also suggest you check out Beppu too since they’re very near one another.
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More Fukuoka places to visit
If you think Fukuoka is just a province in Japan, think again. There are so many things to do in Fukuoka (at least some are just a ride away) than you can imagine. In fact, we missed to visit some other places even though we went there for 12 days.
Beppu
Hubby was right when he suggested we stay a few nights at Beppu (Oita) because there were many places to visit nearby. Best of all, we were able to maximize the use of the JR Kyushu rail pass we bought.
Stay tuned for my Beppu review!
Huis Ten Bosch
The 2-hour travel from Fukuoka to Huis Ten Bosch is all worth it, you know why? That’s because the stunning Dutch-themed amusement park offers so many eye catching activities and if you stay there until night, you can even enjoy a fully lit place!
Know more about my Huis Ten Bosch review here!
TeamLab Forest
We’ve been to TeamLab Planets in Tokyo, so when I learned there’s another TeamLab attraction in Fukuoka, I had to book it too. The difference between the 2 is that the theme here in Fukuoka is “forest” so called its name.
I enjoyed catching forest animals in my phone (the staff will let you download the app for a better experience), and learning new information about the animals we caught. However, my son enjoyed more in TeamLab Planets because I think the attraction targets your senses more than the Forest.
I’ll be making a separate post about it soon, so better watch out!
Marine World Uminonakamichi
We have been to lots of different aquariums in the past, but I must say that one of the best Fukuoka places to visit with kids is Marine World Uminonakamichi. The place has so many sea creatures not seen in any other aquariums we visited and even I was amazed by the place.
More about my Marine World Uminonakamichi review here.
Dazaifu Amusement Park
Another thing to consider when looking for Fukuoka tourist spot is Dazaifu Amusement Park. Does the name ring a bell? That’s because it’s located near the famous Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine.
So, if you’re traveling to Fukuoka with family and small kids, better to check Dazaifu Amusement Park, because it’s an underrated place, and you might not find it in other Fukuoka reviews and blogs.
Read my full review here.
Nanzoin Temple
One of the nicest places to visit in Fukuoka is Nazoin Temple. However, we didn’t push through with it although it was in my Fukuoka itinerary because we lacked the time. The next time we go back, we’ll definitely visit the reclining Buddha there!
