Travelling to Yufuin’s Yunotsubo Street

To say the truth, Yufuin is not the easiest place to visit by yourself. For me, it took an 80 minutes long train ride through one of the most beautiful countrysides, with mountains, forest and farmlands.

And I am not disappointed with my first sight out of the train station.

It almost feels like I’m in a European country, maybe the Swiss~

Famously known for its onsen, which is said to contain minerals good for the skin. Yufuin is house to over 50 registered Onsen operators in the small town on just over 2000 residents.

The main shopping street is, of course, Yunotsubo street.

Yunotsubo Street

It’s the street parallel to the main road and only about 10-15 minutes walk from the station. Walking along this street, you can find all the local specialities as well as various cafes, one of my favourites is definitely the Snoopy Cafe~

If you are a Ghibli fan, the shop here is something you cannot miss.

Try out the local speciality,  

Yufuin Cheeze Factory, making use of the milk produced locally, the factory creates its line of delicious omiyage like cheesecake and tarts. The brand has no other outlets, so its products can only be found fresh there.

Yufuin Milch, the main store of the milk company that produces Milch pudding, Kase Kuchen(Cheesecake), Rollen Kuchen(roll cake), Milch Soft cream, and W KASE. Also another award-winning outfit. One must try their special version of CheeseCake, the Kase Kuchen, it can be eaten either warm or cold.

Snoopy Cafe!

Visitors are greeted with a menu of Snoopy themed drinks as well as a whole series of Peanuts comics from the 1990s. The comic books were published in English with Japanese subtitle, so it’s a perfect place to relax and enjoy.

You would be able to bring home your experience by shopping in the Snoopy speciality shop attached to the cafe. There you can find many more products unique to the Yufuin store.

Most rustic Studio Ghibli shop in Japan! 

It even comes with an authentic looking watch tower from the movie Princess Mononoke!

The shop takes the shape of a traditional single story house with sliding doors. Inside, the forest look takes over, with the use of wooden logs. For Ghibli lovers, the shop is stocked with some of the most interesting Ghibli themed products, including seasonal products.

Visit Yufuin Floral Village, 

The park and petting zoo takes the look of a European styled village. It has a row of small houses that includes a bakery modelled after Miyazaki’s Kiki Delivery Service, a true to life representation.

Various animals can also be spotted around the hamlet, with Monkey, Owl, Sheep, Squires and more. Feel free to donate money or purchase food for the animals.

Overall,

I really like my trip to this remote part of Japan, It is a change of pace needed to tackle the constant stress of daily work. Not to mention the Onsen here is heavenly, even the one at my homestay style hostel is awesome. That would be a topic for another article.

If you have the chance to visit Japan, please do skip Tokyo and visit these other very interesting areas as well!

Kurate Gakuen Tour!

Now Nippon Travel Agency is offering a special trip travelling to the Kyushu area including a visit to Yufuin in September. Together with popular cosplayer Ying Tze, you can experience the above and more yourself!

Fees not inclusive of, 

(1) Hotel porter fee and personal expenses.
(2) Any insurance of Japan domestic travel.
(3) Tour leader fee from Singapore.
(4) International or Domestic air ticket to Fukuoka.

Need air tickets? *Optional*

On the order page, you would have the option to buy the packages with Air Tickets from the various countries. If you have other requests, feel free to contact NTA.

Service is provided by Nippon Travel Agency