Yufuin Onsen is my favorite place to visit when I was in Kyushu. I look forward to visiting it if I’m going to Kyushu again. Yufuin Onsen is a hot spring land that spreads across the foot of the Yufudake, which is an active volcano. It has a country-side atmosphere and is a popular area for onsens.
Check out JAPANTWO Blog » Fukuoka/Yufuin/Oita Travel Guide Part1 for a detailed travel iti traveling from Tokyo to Fukuoka airport and then Yufuin Onsen.
The Suikyoutenmanguu where Japanese pray for the Tenjin god became the origin of the Tenjin. In 1612 it was moved to what now is Fukuoka palace’s northeastern gate. It is built quietly between the alleys of the buildings.
Hydrangea blossoming.
A cross Fukuoka is an integrated buildings with concert halls and international conference halls designed by Emilio Ambasz.
The unique part about this building is that it looks like a mountain full of green.
The southern part is designed in a field with steps, and each top of a stair is filled with green. The stair field filled with trees is called step garden.
The former Fukuoka Prefecture Public Hall for public guests is a French renaissance style building from the Meiji period. It is chosen as the country’s important [intangible] cultural properties.
Fukuoka city’s red brick cultural museum, a 19th century style building.
Coming out of Nakasu (sandbank) from Tenjin, we come to Hakata-gawa shopping town. It is a shopping town 400 meters long with continuous arcades, with the longest history in Hakata.
“Kawabata zenzai”’s Zenzais are famous, there is a Zenzai open area in one corner of the shopping town, it is possible to eat Zenzai Fridays Saturdays and Sundays.
Inside of the store, mountains of decorations for Yamakasa are decorated.
After walking through the Kawabata shopping town, we come to Kushida Shrine, which is the deity of Hakata and the protective god. Kushida Shrine holds festivals for the Hakata-gion-yamakasa annually from 1 July for 15 days.
On 1 July, a 10 meter tall mountain of extremely gorgeous ornaments appears in different parts of Fukuoka city. The festival’s peak is on the 15th day at 4:59am. The big Japanese style drum as the sign, a Kakiyama that weighs 1 ton is carried by a crowd of men and runs at full speed through the town of Hakata.
After coming out of Kushida Shrine, we headed towards Hakata station which is about a 10 minute walk. Hakata station is Fukuoka City’s entrance. On 12 March 2011, the Kyushu shinkansen opened.
We will be taking the Tokkyu Yufugo to Yufuin Station in about 2 hours.
A train ride must come with Ekiben. I chose the “Kashiwameshi” (500 yen), which is minced chicken rice. This is a delicious trip while enjoying the view out of the train car window.
As the mountains get steeper, and the train passes through a long and large tunnel before we arrive at Yufuin Station, which was designed by Isozaki Arata, an architect from Oita Prefecture. Yufuin station is designed to be in harmony with the town of Yufuin.
The building is built with Oita cedar. It has a 12 meter high concourse air-well. There is no ticket gate but the platform and concourse are divided with glass doors to make it more spacious.
There is a gallery space in the waiting room in the building, which is a perfect entrance for the Yufuin.
Outside the Yufuin Station, we see the Yufudake (mountain) right in front of us. Today was very cloudy so the mountain could not be clearly seen.
From the shopping town in front of the station, on the way to heading to the hot springs town, we came across a horse-drawn carriage, one of the sights of Yufuin.
The street on the way to Kinrinko are lined with small fashionable accessory stores and art museums.
At the entrance to the springs tsubo highway, is the roll cake store “B-Speak” which is so popular that they run out every day.
As we walk further to the spring’s highway, we arrive at Kinrinko. Kinrinko is a pond at Yufuin hot springs, hot and cold springs gushes out from the bottom of the shore. Due to the temperature difference in the winter, there is fog which creates a mystical view. The gas produced from Kinrinko creates the morning fog that is known for Yufuin basin’s specialty.
After exploring the town in Yufuin, we head for our camp at “Murata Mountain Cottage”.
Blah Blah Bragship 