Nestled in the heart of Kyushu, Yufuin (also known as the ‘Studio Ghibli Village’ of Japan) is a small town overflowing with delicious food and picture perfect moments.
While most international tourists flock to the golden triangle (Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka), the western most island Kyushu is most popular with local tourists and supremely underrated.
Yufuin is a popular 1 day trip from Fukuoka. Last autumn, I spent 1 night and 2 days in Yufuin and here are the best places to eat, explore and shop in this charming little town!
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Solo travel + public transport friendly 🚌
Like almost everywhere in Japan, Yufuin is a great solo travel town and especially so for females! The town is frequently visited throughout the day and I had no issues eating out by myself. If you’re staying overnight, it gets a lot quieter but I felt safe and comfortable walking 15 minutes from my accommodation to a restaurant for dinner.
Yufuin is a great town to visit with public transport or if you don’t want to hire a car rental.
Unlike the the rest of Kyushu where attractions are quite spread out from each other or far from the train station. In Yufuin, the train station is only a 10 minute walk away from the Studio Ghibli Village and all of the attractions, restaurants, cafes and gift shops are within a 20 minute walk of each other.
How to get to Yufuin 🚆
The most popular way to visit Yufuin is to take the Yufuin No Mori train from Fukuoka. The Yufuin No Mori is a gleaming emerald luxury scenic train with exclusive green tea snacks and merch. You can order snacks on board but you’ll need to pre-order their special bento boxes.
The only downside to the Yufuin No Mori is that tickets book out quickly and there’s only a few trains a day. Since this is a sightseeing train (not a super fast Shinkansen), the timetable is also quite tight as the journey from Fukuoka Hakata station to Yufuin takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes one way.
The earliest train of the day arrives in Yufuin around 11.30am and the last train of the day leaves at 5.15pm (please check the Yufuin No Mori timetable as times depending on the season).
This means you’ll have less than 6 hours to explore Yufuin. It’s a decent amount of time to grab lunch and have a leisurely wander around. Just note you'll be there during the busiest hours of the day with lots of tourists and queues for popular restaurants.
Despite the train begin so enticing, I hired a car in Kumamoto and drove 2.5 hours to Yufuin.
Hiring a car gave me more flexibility in my timetable and worked well with my Kyushu road trip plan. With a rental car, I was able to visit Mt Aso on the way to Yufuin then make my way to Takachiho Gorge the next day (which you definitely need a car to visit).
Yufuin day trip from Fukuoka 🧳
Yufuin can definitely be visited in a day trip but brace yourself for the crowds that come with the first Yufuin No Mori arrival. If you want a more relaxing visit, easier photo opportunities and to maximise the meals and treats you can try hehe, I recommend staying in Yufuin for 1 night.
For me, one of the only downsides of being a solo traveller is that you’re limited by how much a single person can eat. Yufuin has so many special themed snacks and treats, you’ll want to stay for days to try everything!
Where to stay 🛏️
Tsurunoyu 由布院 つるのゆ
This beautifully renovated Japanese guesthouse is perfect for solo travellers (although all the rooms fit up to 2 people). This is a tatami style guesthouse, so you sleep on bedding on the floor and each room has a private toilet and sink but no shower. This might sound alarming, but don’t worry 🙂 You reserve the private onsen on the first floor for 1 hour in the evening and you can enjoy the onsen for free in total solitude. It was bliss!
The location of this accommodation is perfectly in between the train station (8 min walk) and the main attractions (10 min walk). For a traditional Japanese breakfast, I recommend trying the morning breakfast at this bed and breakfast.
What to do in Yufuin 🛍️
Yunotsubo Street
The main street in Yufuin full of snacks, souvenirs and Yufuin special goods galore. Normally I’m quite wary of overly ‘touristy’ streets but every single thing I tried from savoury snacks like wagyu croquettes to peach warabi mochi and even homemade Yuzu dressing was so incredibly tasty!
Yufuin Floral Village (a.k.a Studio Ghibli Village)
An array of shops full to the brim of Studio Ghibli items. Each little ‘house’ has a different theme from a Studio Ghibli film (My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away etc.). Best time to visit is the morning at opening. This area is actually quite small and the streets are very narrow so the afternoon rush makes it jam-packed.
Miffy Mori no Bakery + Gift Shop
This Miffy cafe is part bakery, part gift shop with every type of Miffy themed souvenir you can imagine. The bakery is also full of fun miffy shaped items - you can even get Miffy bread in a can!
Snoopy Chaya Yufuiten
A sit down dessert cafe with fluffy Japanese pancakes, perfect for Snoopy lovers.
Kinrin Lake
A small serene lake surrounded my Japanese maple and cherry blossom trees. Visit early and wander around at your own pace. With fog gently rolling over the water, there is something so beautifully magical about this little lake.
To soak up the views you can eat at Restaurant Lamp House for breakfast or lunch or visit Tenso Shrine standing at the edge of the lake.
Comico Art Museum - An intimate art gallery inside a stunningly designed building with views of Mt Yufu.
The themed character shops and cafes are what Yufuin is famous for, however I find the real charm of Yufuin is wandering further out the town and walking along the rivers.
The landscapes and animals in Yufuin look like they’re plucked straight out of a Studio Ghibli film!
Best places to eat in Yufuin 🍽️
Yufuin is a foodie paradise! There is an incredible amount of options from fine dining to small local spots, the majority of places focus on Japanese or Japanese Western cuisine and source their ingredients from the Kyushu region.
In the 36 hours I spent in Yufuin, literally everything I tried was delicious and I ate a lot haha.
Takeo
A true hidden gem! Run by a son and mother, the head chef has superb knife skills and prepares your meal right in front of you. There’s very limited seating and your order comes out slowly, so sit back, relax and enjoy the show 🙂 I ordered the Soba Sarada and Takeo Don both were so fresh and flavourful.
Yufumabushi Shin - This place is very popular and has ridiculous queues that move very slowly. I recommend getting there at opening (10.30am).
They serve clay pot rice bowls and the fun is in adding the sauces and toppings provided. I tried the unagi (eel) clay pot, which was filling, tasty and well cooked. I’d visit if there’s no queue (or less than 10 people in the queue) but I wouldn’t queue hours for it.
Café TABIMUSUBI - Right next to the train station, this place serves onigiri (that you can grill on your own little stove - so cute!) and is a great spot for a Japanese breakfast or set lunch.
Snacks in Yufuin 🍙
The sheer quantity and quality of unique Japanese snacks available in Yufuin is incredible.
The Kyushu region is known for its beef, milk products and citrus fruits. On top of that, within each town/prefecture there are special food souvenirs that you can only buy locally.
Have fun exploring all the different stalls and shops, there’s so much to try!
鍵屋 Kagiya - gift shop is right by Kirin Lake and features beautifully packaged, high quality souvenirs. There’s also an array of freshly made mochi with the red beans on the outside (ohagi).
Cucuchi - A stylish and zen japanese sweet shop with an array of treats ranging from red bean dorayaki, daifuku mochi, mont blanc and wagyu croquettes. You can also watch the employees make fresh sweets!
I tried the yuzu warabi mochi (super flavourful and zesty with a very different taste to normal warabi mochi) and the wagyu croquette (rich, beefy without being oily and a crispy exterior and fluffy potato interior). Yum!
imaizumido - Japanese sweet shop with a dozen dorayaki (mini pancake) flavours and chestnut mont blancs. I visited this shop to tried the fried mini manju, a crispy bread shell filled with a yuzu or red bean paste. If you’re not into the softness and chewiness of mochi, manjus are the treat for you!
茶·いほり - A tea house in a quiet part of town, a few minutes away from Kirin Lake. I was stuffed so I didn’t eat anything but it’s the perfect place to rest after a long day of walking and eating.
There are even more snacks to try in Yufuin from milk puddings, parfaits, baked donuts, matcha soft serve, canelle shops, preserves from local orchards - the list of things you can eat in this beautiful little town is endless!
Take a visit to Yufuin the next time you’re in Fukuoka or Japan or even better add it on to your Kyushu road trip!
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