Public bathhouse · Open
Shitan-yu
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- Unconfirmedno check date
- Hours
- Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Photo information
Save to passport
Official classification
Spring type (therapeutic classes)
Official spring-type name (as recorded)Mostly simple hot springs (varies by source)
- Source temperature
- Unconfirmed
- pH
- Unconfirmed
- Flow rate
- 38,600 L/min
- Radon
- Unconfirmed
Appearance & feel
Water colour · Feel
ClearBrown
Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.
What makes it special
Thirty-eight thousand six hundred litres a minute from 852 sources: Japan's second-largest flow of hot water rises quietly in a basin beneath Mt Yufu.
Why?
Wikipedia gives Yufuin a flow of 38,600 litres a minute and 852 sources, both second in Japan after Beppu.[2]
Facilities in this area
Facilities come from the register (Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, official sites). Those marked "natural spring unconfirmed" are listed on the basis of their name only.
Foot bath · Open
Yufuin Station foot bath
- Day-use bathing
- Yes
- Fee
- Unconfirmedno check date
- Hours
- Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Getting there
Reachable by public transport
From Hakata Station in Fukuoka the JR limited express 'Yufuin no Mori' takes about 2 h 10 min to Yufuin Station; there are also express buses from Fukuoka. Lake Kinrin is about 1.5 km, roughly 25 minutes on foot, from the station. From Oita Station, Kamenoi Bus takes about 1 h 8 min to Yufuin (per Kurokawa Onsen's access guide).
- Getting there
- Yufuin Station · 25
- Checked
- 2026-10-09
About the water
Most of Yufuin's water is a simple spring: mild and low in minerals. With 852 sources, many inns have their own. Usually clear, though the ledger (from Wikipedia) also notes brownish or dark water at some sources. The total flow of 38,600 litres a minute is Japan's second largest, and includes cooler sources such as the 30 °C stream feeding Lake Kinrin.
| Source | Source temperature | pH | Radon | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yufuin (852 sources) | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | no check date |
Three things not to miss
Photo information
Morning mist on Lake Kinrin
About 1.5 km from Yufuin Station, at the end of Yunotsubo Street A small lake about 400 m around. Hot and cold springs rise from its bed and one inflowing stream carries water of about 30 °C, so on autumn and winter mornings mist lifts off the surface. The scholar Mori Kuso named it in 1884 after seeing fish scales glint in the sunset.
The one place where Yufuin's abundance of hot water becomes scenery rather than a bath. Arrive before sunrise.[3]
Photo information
Shitan-yu
On the shore of Lake Kinrin A thatched communal bath on the lakeshore, with an indoor tub opening onto an outdoor one. Fee, hours and whether it is mixed bathing could not be confirmed from official sources.
An old-style communal bath surviving in the middle of a tourist town.[3]
Photo information
Mt Yufu and Yunotsubo Street
The street from Yufuin Station towards the lake Mt Yufu (1,583 m) rises straight ahead of Yufumi-dori and Yunotsubo Street; the latter is lined with snack and souvenir shops.
The streets were laid out to face the mountain; that view is the town's planning made visible. Early and late in the day they are quiet.[2][1]
The story
The basin that refused a dam
The resort took the name Yufuin Onsen in 1924. After the war a plan to dam the basin was raised; the town refused and chose instead to become a quiet health resort. In 1971 Nakaya Kentaro of the Kamenoi Besso inn and Mizoguchi Kunpei of Tamanoyu spent fifty days touring Europe, studying West German spa towns, and set the course that followed.[2]
Horse carriages and home-made festivals
After the 1975 earthquake in central Oita, the tourism association started running horse-drawn carriages to tell the country that Yufuin was intact. That August the Yufuin Music Festival began, and the Film Festival followed in August 1976, both run by townspeople; a beef-eating shouting contest came later. Without big developments, the town drew visitors with small museums, food and festivals: a new model for an onsen resort.[2]
Where the hot water meets the lake
Lake Kinrin is about 400 m around and 2 m deep. Springs both hot and cold rise from its bed and five streams feed it, one carrying water of about 30 °C, which is why mist forms on cold autumn and winter mornings. The town's 38,600 litres a minute become visible here. On the shore stands Shitan-yu, a thatched communal bath.[3][2]
Going solo
Easy for solo travellersUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerMany snack shops on Yunotsubo Street; most close by early evening
Private bathUnconfirmed
checked 2026-10-09
Through the year
Recommended months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Months open
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
"Recommended" and "open" are recorded separately. Check the season for seasonal springs.
Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb — Mist on Lake Kinrin forms on autumn and winter mornings; be at the shore before sunrise
Aug — The Yufuin Music Festival (since 1975) and Yufuin Film Festival (since 1976) are both in August (Wikipedia)
Oct · Nov — Autumn colour on Mt Yufu
Food, culture & experiences
Lake Kinrin and Tenso Shrine
A shrine on the shore whose torii is reflected in the lake[3]
About 25 minutes' walk from the stationYufuin Chagall Museum and other lakeside galleries
On the lakeshore; the density of small museums is a mark of how the town was built[2]
On the lakeClimbing Mt Yufu
1,583 m; English Wikipedia gives about 90 minutes from the trailhead[2]
Trailhead by car or busYufuin Film Festival and Music Festival
Home-grown festivals begun by townspeople in the 1970s[2][1]
In townUnaguhime Shrine
An old shrine of the basin, its great torii framing Mt Yufu[1]
About 20 minutes' walk from the stationEditors' guide
Yufuin's advantage is the train. Step off the 'Yufuin no Mori', soak your feet at the station foot bath, then walk Yunotsubo Street towards Mt Yufu. In autumn or winter, be at Lake Kinrin before sunrise the next morning to see Shitan-yu's thatched roof in the mist. The street is crowded at midday, so save the museums and inn baths for late afternoon. Check day-bathing terms at the inns and at Shitan-yu on the spot.
The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.
Photo gallery
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Overview
Yufuin Onsen (由布院温泉, Yufuin Onsen) is an extensive hot spring system in the city of Yufu, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. Yufuin is famous for natural hot springs (温泉, onsen), resulting in a local economy based on domestic tourism, gift shops and hot-spring bathing. Some onsen are available to day tourists, but many are strictly for overnight guests. There are also sentō, which are the traditional public baths used by locals. Some of these, soaplands, can be used by tourists, while the others are for use by local residents only. 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, with a few temples. Mount Yufu, or Yufu-dake, can be hiked in about 90 minutes. Although still connected to its rural roots, Yufuin is a tourist town and a popular destination for coach tours, especially am
This overview is based on the lead section of the English Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0). View original page
Onsen areas nearby
Unconfirmed & notes
- Shitan-yu's fee, hours and mixed-bathing status could not be confirmed from official sources
- Station foot bath fee and hours unconfirmed
- Source temperature, pH and mineral figures unconfirmed (they differ among 852 sources)
- Inn solo terms and train/bus frequency and fares unconfirmed
Sources
- 由布院温泉観光協会 公式サイト(YUFUINFO)由布院温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 由布院温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · 2026-10-09
- 金鱗湖 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · 2026-10-09
- 由布院温泉観光協会 アクセス由布院温泉観光協会 · 2026-10-09
- 黒川温泉 アクセス(大分駅〜由布院駅のバス所要時間)黒川温泉観光旅館協同組合 · 2026-10-09
Register sources
- 由布院温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-10-09
- Wikidata Q11264855Wikidata · CC0 · 2026-10-09
Data status
Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished
Updated 2026-10-09
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