I took a four-day summer vacation in Yufuin and Beppu in Oita Prefecture. Both areas are famous for hot springs. Oita has the largest number of spring sources in Japan. Oita is 958 km far south of Haneda. It took 1 hour and a half from Haneda Airport. Although Haneda was rainy because of a typhoon, in Oita the skies were clear.

After I landed at Oita Airport, I went to Yufuin. Generally there is a direct bus from Oita to Yufuin. However, this bus is suspended because COVID-19 has caused a decrease in the number of users. So I went to Yufuin by bus via Beppu Station. It took 2 hours.

After my arrival at Yufuin, I rented a bicycle and went to Hinaya restaurant.

Here you can eat a gyu-bako bento（Oita grilled beef bowl). Oita was called Bungo no Kuni in the Edo era. So this beef is named bungo beef. Between Yufuin and Beppu there are mountains called Kujyu Renzan. This beef comes from cattle raised in these areas. Cows that are pasture grazed have wonderfully tender meat.

Shunsai Hinaya
+81-977-84-5700
2755-2 Kawakami, Yufuin Town, Yufu City, Oita Prefecture
https://tabelog.com/oita/A4402/A440201/44004221/

After this restaurant I checked in the ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn, called Kamenoi-Besso. This ryokan was built 100 years ago. In the area there is a Kinrinko Lake. Blue hot spring water mixes in with the natural water in this lake. So the color of the water is blue and it is a little bit hot. On cold mornings, fog rises up from the lake.

Many maples are planted on the premises.

On the premises there is a cafe called Tenjo Sajiki. It was originally a sake brewery building.
Tenjo Sajiki is on the 2nd floor. From this cafe you can see a maple forest.

The interior of this cafe is wonderful. It’s like a cafe in Europe. The music in this cafe is hymns. It is a cafe during the day and a bar at night.

Kamenoi Besso has a special space. In it, there is a phonograph and the bookshelf filled with books.

At night we can enjoy a lot of Japanese cuisine.
Each dish is presented beautifully. The presentation of each dish is beautiful.

In the morning I ate not only the breakfast at the ryokan but also the breakfast at Tenjo Sajiki.

This is the onsen boiled egg.

This toast was so delicious. Light and fluffy bread. It could well be the best I’ve ever had. This bread is sold near the ryokan.

Bread shop Makinoya
+81-977-84-3822
1098-1 Kawakami, Yufuin Town, Yufu City, Oita Prefecture
https://tabelog.com/oita/A4402/A440201/44003920/
You can buy the bread online.

After this I went to two onsen. One of them is Tsukahara Onsen which is located near a crater.

It is the second most acidic hot spring in Japan and it has a PH of 1.4. The taste of the water was like a lemon.

I left Yufuin and went to Beppu by bus again.
I stayed at Toji Yanagiya. Toji means treating in hot springs. Yanagiya is in the north area called Kannawa of Beppu city. Kannawa is well known for Kannawa Mushi. Kannawa Mushi specializes in providing a bed of herbs to lie on while partaking in the sauna.

This ryokan’s female owner was a music teacher at a local school. After she left teaching she ran a cafe in Oita city and she decided to run this ryokan.
Inside the ryokan is so beautiful. Many Japanese pictures are displayed. Her artistic sense is lovely.

In the Kannawa area many onsen places exist. Anyone can use these onsen. The fee is around 100 yen.

In this area each house’s bath water is onsen water. So you can see steam rising along the street.

The next day I went around Beppu city by bicycle and went to 3 hot springs. After that I ate bungo beef steak.

Steakhouse Somuri is a famous restaurant in Beppu.

Somuri
+81-50-5594-6588
1-4-28 Kitahama, Beppu City, Oita Prefecture
https://tabelog.com/oita/A4402/A440202/44003334/

After this I went to the north area of Beppu to enter Sunayu. Sunayu is a hot “bath” that warms your body by having sand which is heated with warm water poured on your body while you are lying on the sand.

After Sunayu I went back to Yanagiya. Yanagiya’s famous cooking style is jigoku-mushi, or cooking dishes by using the hot steam of onsen. Yanagiya’s onsen water has salt in it, so each dish becomes delicious.

On the last day I went to the foot of the mountain to eat pudding which was boiled by onsen steam. The view from the shop was exquisite.

Beppu is between the sea and the mountain. You can enjoy both of them. I’ll be sure to go to Oita again.