Ryokan in Yufuin
What Japanese guests say about ryokan in Yufuin: which room to book, what the baths are really like, and what to watch out for.
6 ryokan
The six reviewed Yufuin inns all use simple spring water, and all but one sit in Kawakami. Four spread cottages or villas through gardens or woodland, each with its own bath; Souan Kosumosu pairs a main building with open-air-bath cottages off the busy Yunotsubo street near Lake Kinrin, and Yufuin Gettoan's 18 cottages sit on a wooded hillside about 7 minutes by car from Yufuin Station, with no station shuttle running. Yufuin Sanso Warabino stands apart in Kawakita, on a quiet wooded foothill about 2 km from Yunotsubo, where 13 suites rebuilt in concrete after the 2016 earthquake each have their own onsen bath.
Sanso Murata (luxury) has twelve detached villas, each with a free-flowing onsen bath, plus a celebrated bar; there are no shared baths and no views. Kamenoi Bessou (premium) has cottages in a forest garden beside Lake Kinrin and two large baths that swap nightly, but the lake draws day-trippers and dinner reviews are lukewarm. Yufuin Tamanoyu (premium) has sixteen cottages with free-flowing wooden baths and a famous Western breakfast; its country-style dinner splits opinion. Souan Kosumosu (premium), a 'cooking inn' redesigned by Seven Stars designer Eiji Mitooka, has free-flowing water in every bath and free family baths, but small shared baths and shower-only cheapest rooms. Yufuin Gettoan (premium) suits travellers after quiet: you cross a suspension bridge to cottages that each have a free-flowing open-air bath, and monthly kaiseki is served one dish at a time; but the cheaper main-wing cottages are dated, with small, enclosed baths, insects come up often, and steep paths make it hard for anyone who struggles to walk. Yufuin Sanso Warabino (premium), reopened in 2019, has suites with heated stone floors, each with a 100% free-flowing bath from the inn's own source; like Sanso Murata it has no shared baths, and it adds creative kaiseki and a 12:00 check-out. But only its three maisonettes have a true open-air bath (the other suites have indoor tubs behind opening windows), insects come with the woods, and children under six can't enter the restaurant.
Compare at a glance
| Ryokan | Area | Price | Overall Score | Cuisine | Onsen Privacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kamenoi Bessou | Yufuin | Premium | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
| Sanso Murata | Yufuin | Luxury | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.9 |
| Yufuin Souan Kosumosu | Yufuin | Premium | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Yufuin Tamanoyu | Yufuin | Premium | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.8 |
| Yufuin Sanso Warabino | Yufuin | Premium | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.6 |
| Yufuin Gettoan | Yufuin | Premium | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
Area photoYufuinPremium
Kawakami, Yufuin, Yufu, Oita — beside Lake Kinrin
9 sources
Kamenoi Bessou
亀の井別荘
Yufuin's century-old forest retreat: Japanese guests rave about the space and the baths, and are more measured about the food
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Historic Ryokan
Area photoYufuinLuxury
Kawakami, Yufuin, Oita — twelve detached villas on a quiet hillside about 5–10 minutes by car from Yufuin Station
9 sources
Sanso Murata
由布院 山荘 無量塔
Twelve villas built from relocated old farmhouses, each with its own onsen, and a bar with a 1930s theatre speaker — Yufuin's most atmospheric hideaway, if you don't need a view or a big bath
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
Area photoYufuinPremium
Kawakami, Yufuin, Oita — set back from the Yunotsubo shopping street, a couple of minutes' walk from Lake Kinrin and about 15 minutes on foot from JR Yufuin Station
9 sources
Yufuin Souan Kosumosu
由布院温泉 草庵秋桜
A 12-room 'cooking inn' remodelled by Seven Stars train designer Eiji Mitooka, steps from Lake Kinrin, with free-flowing spring water in every bath and open-air tubs in the cottages — but it sits on Yufuin's busiest strip, the shared baths are small and the cheapest rooms have only a shower
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Destination Dining
Area photoYufuinPremium
Kawakami, Yufuin, Oita — a woodland garden about 15 minutes' walk from Yufuin Station
9 sources
Yufuin Tamanoyu
由布院 玉の湯
Sixteen cottages in a woodland garden, each with its own free-flowing hinoki bath, and a breakfast soup people call Japan's best — but dinner splits opinion
- Private Onsen Rooms
Area photoYufuinPremium
Kawakita, Yufuin, Oita — a quiet wooded foothill about 2 km from the Yunotsubo shopping street, 5 minutes by car from JR Yufuin Station and 3 minutes from the Yufuin interchange
11 sources
Yufuin Sanso Warabino
由布院温泉 山荘 わらび野
A 1988 inn rebuilt in concrete after the 2016 earthquake: 13 modern suites in a wooded garden, each with its own free-flowing onsen bath on heated stone floors, and noon check-out — Japanese guests rate it near-perfect, but most baths are indoor tubs with opening windows, not true open-air baths
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Design-Led
Area photoYufuinPremium
Kawakami, Yufuin, Oita — 18 detached cottages on about 33,000㎡ of wooded hillside beside a stream off the Shirataki River, about 7 minutes by car from Yufuin Station
10 sources
Yufuin Gettoan
ゆふいん 月燈庵
Eighteen detached cottages in the woods outside Yufuin, each with its own free-flowing onsen bath, reached by a suspension bridge from a 300-year-old farmhouse — the food wins praise, but the main-wing rooms are dated, the room baths are small and enclosed, and the paths are hard going
- Private Onsen Rooms
- Secluded Retreats
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Photo credits
- Mount Yufu from Yufuin Station · Kitayama / CC BY-SA 4.0
