Sunday, July 19, 2015

Kyushu Spring 2014 九州春季之旅 - Yufuin JR Station 由布院駅



Yufuin JR Station, on Kyudai main line.

(1) Yufuin no mori (ゆふいんの森), commutes between Hakata and Yufuin/Beppu.
Note: There are three round trips per day, but only one commutes between Hakata & Beppu.

(2) Ltd Express Yufu, commutes between Hakata and Beppu. 

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Features:


Top left: Footbath at the station platform; Top right: Mt Yufu in sight when you look out of the train station.
(1) Footbaths: Upon exiting from the train station, you can find hand and foot baths at the first souvenir shop on the left. Moreover, there is a footbath facility located on the station platform, allowing passengers to enjoy a good foot soak before the train arrives!

(2) Design: Aesthetically pleasing wooden structure which was designed by Isozaki Atara, an architect who was born in Oita Prefecture. He wanted to create a image of an Italian chapel of Medieval period. High ceiling in the middle of the building and elevated windows allows natural lighting to illuminate the interior of the train station. A spectacular view of Mt Yufu stands right in front of you, when you look out of the train station.  

What's nearby?

(1) Horse carriage rides:
There are about 15 horse carriage services per day (Mar - Nov) departing from the train station. As these horse carriage rides are very popular, I will recommend making the reservation through the tourist information center (found within the train station) as soon as you arrive in Yufuin. Apart from horse carriage rides, rickshaws and vintage cars (known as Scarborough スカーボロ)  serve as alternative means to tour Yufuin.
Website: http://www.yufuin.gr.jp/meguru.html

(2) Yufuin Ekimae Bus Center:
Approx 1 min walk from train station. 
- Take Bus 36 from here to Beppu JR Station West Exit. Approx 50 mins bus journey, cost 900 yen. Took this bus for a short day trip to Beppu. 
http://www.kamenoibus.com/data/kamenoibus_rosen_yufuin.pdf
- New: Yufurin Bus (ゆふりん) which departs from bus center, stops at Umi Jigoku & Kannawa, the gateway to Beppu's famous Jigoku ("Hells" = hot spring attraction).  
http://www.kamenoibus.com/guruspa/hp/yufurin/index.html

(3) Ekimae dori 駅前通り, Yufumi dori 由布見通り and Yu no tsubo kaido 湯の坪街道:
These three roads made up the main walking route from the train station to Lake Kinrinko. There are plenty of souvenir shops, confectioneries/bakeries, cafes and restaurants lined up on both sides of the streets - enough to spend one good afternoon to tour the area extensively. Will do a brief write up on some of these shops in a separate page.

(4) Lake Kinrinko 金鱗湖:
About 25 mins walk from the train station. Follow the signs along the main walking route to reach this other landmark of Yufuin.

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