We stopped here briefly on our way to Beppu. We were going to pass by it anyways, so we decided to check it out. The roadside station was conveniently located at the intersection of National Routes 210, 57, and the Yufuin IC entrance to the E34 Oita Expressway.

It seems that the designers of the roadside station anticipated that there would be a large volume of travelers. They had this special short term parking area for people who just wanted to stop for a quick restroom break or get a drink. It was convenient to be able to go to the restroom quickly without having to find a parking space in the main lot. In addition it was structured as a roundabout, which didn’t impede traffic to and from the main parking lot. In our short time there, we saw a number of people utilize this feature.

The roadside station building itself was beautiful. It had a clean, elegant, and modern look. We really liked the look of the natural wood they used with the black metal accents. Inside the main building they had an information booth and a small area with tourism pamphlets. We picked up a roadside station stamp and browsed the tourism pamphlets. Once again, we thought it was a missed opportunity on the roadside stations part for not having someone there to talk about the features of the area.

Roadside Station Yufuin Local Products Store & Restaurant

In a connected building there was a small restaurant and a nice sized souvenir/local products store. We really liked how well lit and modern the inside looked. The light colored flooring, with the white walls/ceiling, and plenty of lighting made everything bright and easy to see.

Outside, they had a couple small buildings that housed some street type vendors. They were connected to the main building with a roof cover that created a semi enclosed alleyway.

Final Thoughts

We could see ourselves spending the night at Roadside Station Yufuin in Oita. The roadside station was a little light on amenities. However, it was the closest roadside station to both Yufuin and Beppu. There was a small parking lot on the far side of the bathrooms, that could provide some privacy at night.

We later learned that the roadside station was known for fried shitake mushrooms and karrage flavored soft serve ice cream. We were a little bummed to learn this after the fact, but it gives us a reason to come back.

More to Come…

Here is a link to their website.