*Click Here for Day #4 of our New Year’s Road Trip in Japan.

We got up around 7:30 and packed up a little before heading down for breakfast. We were impressed with the quality and variety of foods. After breakfast, we headed back to our room. We finished packing up and were able to check out without any issues. We enjoyed our stay at Yufuin Besso Shikisai Hotel.

Next, we took the short five minute drive into town. Our first stop was Kinrin Lake. We were being a little cheap, so we decided to stop off and park at a local Lawson convenience store. We stopped in and got some drinks. Afterwards, we headed directly south and reached the lake in less than five minutes. The lake was quite picturesque with the rolling mist sweeping across the water. There were many cafes and restaurants in and around the lake that we’d like to check out in more detail the next time we come.

B-Speak

We headed back to the car and drove towards B-speak which was in the center of town. Unsure of the parking situation, we parked at the local A-Coop (supermarket) parking lot and walked down to the cake shop. We had done some research and knew that the roll cakes at B-speak were highly recommended. The shop was located at the V-shaped split of the two main roads through Yufuin. The interior of the cake shop had a retro/nostalgic vibe with its glass display cases and brown tiles. We were hoping that they had slices of roll cake for sale, as the whole cake itself was a bit pricey. Unfortunately, they were not selling slices at the time. We figured we were on vacation, so we decided to splurge and get one whole roll cake.

On our way back to the car we saw that they did have a small parking lot across the street to the north. They also had their bakery facilities two doors down.

Milch

It was around 10:30 so we headed towards Yufuin Station. There were a lot of tourists on foot heading towards the Kinrin Lake area. The streets were pretty narrow, so we had to take our time and drive slowly. We found some cheaper parking near the station and walked over to Milch. We were determined to get the fluffy cheesecake that had evaded us the night before. After getting in line, we were able to secure one of their freshly baked cheesecakes. We saw this advertisement for their four layered pudding and decided to try one as well.

Yufuin Tourist Information Center

Before heading out, we checked out the tourist information center in front of Yufuin Station. It was located in this beautiful glass building. We really liked the design and architecture, which featured a number of natural wood columns and beams organized into intricate patterns. The columns kind of resembled trees while the beams were a series of interconnected branches. The choice of a lightly colored wood and floor to ceiling windows let in a ton of natural light.

The tourist information portion of the center had maps of Yufuin in multiple languages. Other than a few other brochures, the center was pretty lite on details regarding tourism in the area. This was another missed opportunity in our opinion by the city to proactively introduce the highlights of the area. They also had a luggage storage area in the back.

Roadside Station Yufuin

We got back in the car and headed towards Beppu. Along the way we stopped very briefly at Roadside Station Yufuin. It was along our path, so we decided why not. They drive into Beppu was really quick. We were in the “Seven Hells” (Seven Famous Hot Springs of Beppu, Viewing Only, No Bathing) area within 30 minutes.

Jigoku Mushi

Our first stop was lunch at Jigoku Mushi. Steam cooking was a popular cooking method in Beppu thanks to the abundance of naturally occurring steam vents. The steaming process was interactive and the food was delcious.

Kamado Jigoku

Afterwards we headed over to Kamado Jigoku which was one of Beppu’s “Seven Hells”. We could have moved the car, but decided against it as the traffic was pretty bad. It was a short six minute walk through a well developed tourist area. We paid the ¥450 admission fee per person and headed in.

The first part was a series of naturally occurring pools of hot spring water. We appreciated the English descriptions on the signs. It was interesting seeing the variations in the colors of the different pools.

In between there were a couple of interactive stalls. We paid a nominal fee of ¥10 for a paper cup and were able to try a sip of the onsen water. It was very hot, had a pungent smell, and slightly sour taste. Next, was a seating area where we sat down and put our feet on some hot rocks. The heat was soothing and relaxing. The last stall was a couple of steam vents. We stood in front of them and took a deep breath in through our nose and out through our mouth. The steam wasn’t too hot, since it had mixed with the cool air.

The last section was a series of ponds, including the very picturesque 6th pond. We learned that the pond actually changed colors throughout the year. We were lucky to be able to see it in its blue form. The 6th pool with its light blue hue was beautiful. It contrasted nicely with the red wooden fence and created quite a picturesque scene.

Hell Steamed Food

We finished up looking at the ponds and headed over to the outdoor food stall. They had a nice variety of steamed snack type foods and soft serve ice cream flavors to choose from. We’re pretty big fans of niku-man (steamed meat buns), they are readily available at most convenience stores throughout Japan. We decided to try one of the niku-man and one steamed sweet potato cake. The food came in these cute wicker baskets. The nikuman was delicious. The bun was fluffy on the outside and the filling inside had retained its moisture. The steamed sweet potato cake was good. It was a bit dry, but we enjoyed the semi-sweet chunks of sweet potato.

As we were eating at one of the standing tables, a tour group came through and ordered several dozen steamed eggs. Seeing this, we were convinced and decided to give the steamed egg a try. We peeled the egg and added a few drops of their yuzu shoyu (soy sauce with citrus). It was really good, the mix of the egg with the saltiness of the shoyu and the slight hint of citrus was a wonderful combination.

We exited through a well stocked gift shop and grabbed a bottle of the yuzu shoyu on the way out. We picked up our car at the Jigoku Mushi side parking lot and drove for less than five minutes to get to our hotel for the night at Hotel Fugetsu Hammond in Beppu.

Hotel Fugetsu Hammond in Beppu

We got checked in, had an amazing dinner, took a relaxing bath, and got a good nights sleep.

Final Thoughts

We enjoyed our time in Yufuin during Day #5 of our New Year’s Road Trip in Japan. We definitely could have spent a whole day there looking at the shops, trying the local street food, and enjoying the onsen. In the future, we’d like to explore more of nature spots in the Yufuin area. The Beppu “Seven Hells” area was nice in that everything was packed within a dense area. We could park our car once and walk to numerous restaurants and attractions. The dinner buffet at Hotel Fugetsu Hammond was phenomenal. It was the best buffet we’ve been to since coming to Japan. We can’t wait to go back.

More to Come…

Click Here for Day #6 of our New Year’s Road Trip in Japan.