Yufuin (湯布院) is a small town 25 km from Beppu (别府) that’s worth a day-trip if you’re spending a few days in Beppu. I found that Beppu wasn’t actually that nice a city and preferred Yufuin instead. Here are some pictures to give an idea of what the town’s like.


The twin peaks of Mount Yufu loom behind Yufuin.


Colourful koi lanterns and toys decorate this tree, adding some charm to the small street where it stands.


A mother and her son soaking their feet in the public foot bath that’s just beside a car park. I love these public foot baths! Such a cool idea!


Afternoon tea – the swiss roll on the right is very popular with the Japanese for some reason. We saw many people eating it so we decided to try it. However we were very disappointed as it tasted really ordinary!


Eggs being cooked in water from the hot spring being sold for 100 yen each.


My favourite shop – a shop selling stuffed toys and other memorabilia of characters from famed director Hiyao Miyazaki’s animated films. I love Totoro the most!!!


A shop specialising in different types of chilli and soy sauce.


I love this glass house which houses a shop selling pottery ware and a cafe.


For fans of Marc Chagall, there is a small musesum with some of his artworks inside. It’s about a 20-minute walk away from the train station. Just follow the signs.


For die-hard Hello Kitty fans, there’s a mini shrine next to the Hello Kitty shop.
Yufuin is somewhat touristy, but it’s touristy in a pleasant way. Many Japanese people like to go there for a weekend getaway and it’s also a place where there are many onsens (hot springs) you can visit.
Getting there: From Beppu take a train to Oita (大分). Then from Oita Station hop onto the Limited Express train on the JR Main Kyudai Line. The whole journey from Beppu to Yufuin will take about an hour.