Yufuin Shitanyu

Onsen

Entrance: honour system, 200円
Tubs: Outdoor, Mixed-genders

Shitan-yu, is located in the old part of town by a little scenic pond. It is half inside an old wooden building with straw thatch and half out side. As such there is a place to undress and shelves to put one clothes on, but not separated by gender. The bath is a build up rock bath with small rocks on the bottom. The water is nice and hot. This is one of the more idyllic hot springs in Japan, a nice place for those not too timid about it's mixed nature.

When I visited this spring in May '06, my wife and I met a friendly couple also on a motorcycle tour, as well as a chatty man that I don't think ever leaves those tubs.

Yufuin onsen town is very easy to find. It is a little town located a little west of Beppu city, with many signs directing the way. When you get to Yufuin town, coming from Beppu, turn left just at the first Lawsons. From here, there are signs pointing the way to Shitan-yu. When you see the pond, you are pretty much there. In peak times, this area of the town is very crowded, so you're best to leave your car elsewhere before or at the lawsons and walk the remaining 5 minutes.

Kyushu Onsens - mjryoung
Jens Olsen

Mixed

Community

Japan

Oita

Yufuin

Traveling through Kyushu

An index largely of onsen, Hot Springs, in Kyushu. Much of this info came from other sources on the net, and the rest came from a trip I made with my wife in 2006. If you have any corrections to the info I have here, please email me at slycker[at}gmail;dot:com

Other Japan Maps:
Tokushima ken
Mie ken

Resources:
as linked on individual locations

Specific Sources:
Jens Olsen
mjryoung
Secret Onsen