was a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in Ōita District,

Ōita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,081,646 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, K ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Yufuin is now a district () within the

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

of Yufu. Its elevation is approximately 400 meters above ground. As of 2003, the town had an estimated population of 11,342 and

density Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the ratio of a substance's mass to its volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' (or ''d'') can also be u ...

of 88.77 persons per km². The total area was 127.77 km². On October 1, 2005, Yufuin, along with the towns of Hasama and Shonai (all from Ōita District), was merged to create the city of Yufu. This controversial decision resulted in the recall of the mayor and a snap election in which he regained office. Located in a green valley beneath the spectacular Mount Yufu ( 由布岳, ''Yufudake''), a short walk from the town centre is a mix of paddy fields, housing and upmarket

ryokan A is a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features ''tatami''-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear nemaki and talk with the owner. Ryokan have existed since the eighth century A.D. du ...

, with a few temples. Mount Yufu, or Yufu-dake, can be hiked in about 90 minutes. A common evening sound is the rhythmic ringing of temple bells. Although still connected to its rural roots, Yufuin is a tourist town and a popular destination for coach tours. There is the picturesque Lake Kinrin and rivers flow down and across the valley. Some hotels have outdoor baths called rotenburo with a view of Mount Yufu.

Hot springs

Yufuin is famous for natural , resulting in a local economy based on domestic tourism,

gift shops A gift shop or souvenir shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs, memorabilia, and other items relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, toys, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collec ...

and hot-spring bathing. Some ''onsen'' are available to day tourists, but many are strictly for overnight guests. There are also " sento", which are the traditional public baths used by locals. One of these, the Shitanyu, can be used by tourists, while the others are for use by local residents only.

Sightseeing

The two- peaked Mount Yufu and Lake Kinrin (金鱗湖, ''kinrin-ko'') are commonly viewed and photographed by tourists. Lake Kinrin is known for its fall leaves and the

steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

that rises from the lake's surface on cold mornings. Yufuin Floral Village's small houses Yufuin Floral Village (湯布院フローラルヴィレッジ) is another well-known tourist attraction in Yufuin. It features many small houses (acting as

) modeled after the

Cotswolds The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedroc ...

region of England. With a suspension in

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

-related travel restrictions and the reintroduction of flights connecting

Incheon International Airport Incheon International Airport is the main international airport serving Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It is also one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. This airport opened for business on 29 March 2001, to replace the old ...

and Oita Airport in 2024 for the first time in five years, Yufuin has seen a large increase in tourism from

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. In December, 2023, 55,000 Korean tourists stayed overnight in Yufuin, more than four times higher than pre-COVID numbers.

Annual events

* July: Yufuin Music Festival ( ゆふいん音楽祭) * August: Yufuin Film Festival ( 湯布院映画祭) * October: Ushikurai Shouting Tournament ( 牛喰い絶叫大会)

Transportation

Railway

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...

– Kyūdai Main Line * Yufuin - Minami-Yufu - Yunohira

Highway

Ōita Expressway – * Japanese National Route Sign 0210

National Route 210

Road Transport

* Highway bus from

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

TV drama

* Yufuin is the setting for the

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

Japanese television drama , also called or J-drama, are television programs that are a staple of Television in Japan, Japanese television and are broadcast daily. Format All major Television networks, TV networks in Japan produce a variety of Drama (genre), drama serie ...

" Kaze no Haruka"

References

External links

Yufu official website
Dissolved municipalities of Ōita Prefecture Spa towns in Japan Tourism in Japan Yufu, Ōita {{Oita-geo-stub