A map of recommended food spots and souvenirs you can't miss on Yufuin and Yunotsubo street!

*Prices include tax.
* Eating while walking is not recommended. When eating, please use the eat-in space at the store and enjoy your meal while observing good manners.

What kind of town is Yufuin/Yunotsubo Kaido?

About 50 minutes by car from Oita Airport. Yufuin is located almost in the center of Oita Prefecture, which is located in the northeastern part of Kyushu. In addition to being dotted with many hot springs that boast some of the largest sources and yields in the country, the area is also fascinated by the atmosphere created by the rich nature and Japanese atmosphere, including the majestic Mount Yufu, the fantastically beautiful Lake Kinrin, and the horse-drawn carriage rides that allow you to fully enjoy the travel atmosphere.

And "Yunotsubo Kaido," located about a 5-minute walk from Yufuin Station, is a place that can be called the "main street" of Yufuin, lined with numerous unique shops, including souvenir shops selling Oita Prefecture's specialty products, as well as sweets, gourmet food, and general goods stores. You can see people leisurely strolling around the shops, looking for food and souvenirs.

Now, let's take a look at some of the best food and souvenir spots carefully selected by OnTrip JAL.

Yufuin Yunotsubo Highway Food Tour & Souvenir Map

7 easy-to-enjoy sweets and gourmet food shops to try while walking around

The area from Yufuin Station to Yunotsubo Kaido is lined with a huge number of takeaway shops, from gourmet food to sweets, to fill your stomach while you're strolling around. You'll probably end up full just by walking around trying all the different things that catch your eye. Here are 7 carefully selected shops.

Feeling like a Parisian? Be enchanted by the cute canelés at "CARANDONEL"

Upon stepping into the chic store, you'll see beautiful canelés lined up in the showcase, almost like works of art. The owner, Mr. Takada, was enchanted by the taste of canelés he encountered in France, and opened the store in the hope of recreating the authentic taste.

There are always 5 to 6 varieties of canelés available, which are crisp on the outside and chewy inside, as well as seasonal and Saturday/Sunday/holiday limited edition canelés.

The most popular is the "Classic" with a strong aroma of dark rum and vanilla beans. You'll be enchanted by the ingenious canelés, such as the "Apple" with its cute apple petals and the "Japanese Tea" made with pesticide-free tea leaves from Yufuin.

CARANDONEL

This article also introduces

Enjoy Beppu and Yufuin in Oita Prefecture for a 3-day, 2-night trip. Have a memorable trip with special experiences.

Beppu and Yufuin in Oita Prefecture are both hot spring resorts known throughout Japan. Beppu is located on the coast and boasts the largest volume of hot spring water in Japan and a wide variety of spring water. Yufuin is located in a basin at the foot of Mount Yufu, and is popular for its idyllic atmosphere unique to the countryside. Why not take a trip to Beppu and Yufuin to enjoy experiences that can only be found here, such as breathtakingly beautiful scenery, rare activities, and special gourmet food? We propose a 2-night, 3-day plan that picks out only the most memorable experiences.

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Choose your strength! Matcha lovers will love the matcha gelato at "télato"

"télato" is a matcha gelato specialty store produced by "Asou Chaho", a long-established Japanese tea store in Yufuin Town. It is a popular store that is always crowded with customers who want matcha gelato made with matcha from Hoshinomura, Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, one of the leading tea producing areas in Kyushu, and milk from Aso Jersey cows in Kumamoto.

You can choose the strength of the matcha from 1x to 5x, with 3x being the most popular, but for matcha lovers we recommend 5x for its rich, full-bodied matcha flavour.

There is also a "Premium Matcha" (3,000 yen) that is limited to three per day, and many people try it as a memento of their trip. There are also gelato flavors such as "Houjicha" and "Gyokuro," so why not share and compare them?

Matcha gelato specialty store télato

"Milchi" - Enjoy warm, gooey cheesecake on the spot

At the sweets shop Milchi, there is often a line of people waiting to buy Käsekuchen, which means "cheesecake" in German, as soon as the shop opens. Freshly baked cheesecakes made by pastry chefs are put on display in the storefront every 15 minutes, so you can enjoy them while they're still warm.

Käsekuchen, which consists of three layers of cheese sauce, cookies, and sponge, is a new type of sweet with a smooth and creamy texture. The gentle sweetness of the cheese spreads throughout your mouth, filling you with a sense of bliss. In addition to "freshly baked" Käsekuchen, this main store also offers moist and rich cold Käsekuchen.

Additionally, at the adjacent Milhi Cafe, you can enjoy drinks made with milk from Yufuin, as well as roll cakes, so be sure to try them too.

Yufuin Milch Main Store

Plenty of cream! A voluminous dorayaki from "MariChi" that's only available for eating on the go

"Kukuchi" has a modern Japanese atmosphere that catches your eye. This shop is famous for its carefully hand-baked dorayaki, but the dorayaki that is only available for takeout is especially popular.

On this day, I tried the limited edition "Amaou Mont Blanc Dorayaki." It is made with red bean paste from Hokkaido, topped with generous amounts of fresh cream and strawberry cream, and topped with large "Amaou" strawberries from Fukuoka Prefecture, making it both voluminous and impactful. The delicious harmony of the gently sweet bean paste, cream, and sweet and sour strawberries will satisfy even those with a sweet tooth.

The Mont Blanc Dorayaki series changes its menu with the seasons, including flavors such as chestnut and Shine Muscat, so it's a good idea to check their website or social media before visiting.

Kukuchi

Nico Donuts: Simple but packed with attention to detail

The donut-loving owner opened the shop 14 years ago. Nico Donuts' products are made with carefully selected ingredients, such as domestic soybean paste and millet powder, and have a gentle taste with a subtle sweetness. They are healthy yet chewy and satisfying, making them a popular snack among locals.

There are always about 10 different kinds of donuts on display, so you'll have a hard time deciding which one to try. Their cute appearances are sure to tickle your fancy.

There is also an eat-in cafe space on the second floor, so we recommend stopping here for a short break.

Nico Donuts Yufuin Main Branch

Paniteka Sakuraya: Enjoy the luxurious taste of juicy Bungo beef grilled on skewers

Paniteca Sakuraya is a takeout specialty restaurant that opened in December 2022 as a sister restaurant of Trattoria Diana, a popular Italian restaurant in Yufuin.

The signature menu items are kushikatsu and skewered grilled meat made with Bungo beef, a brand of beef from Oita Prefecture. Bungo beef is known for its tender meat, and the kushikatsu is deep-fried in batter and served with your choice of homemade demi-glace sauce or Nagoya miso.

Among the skewers on the menu, the A5-ranked Bungo Beef Aitchbone is the rarest cut of beef, with beautiful marbled meat and a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. This is a restaurant you should definitely visit, as you can easily enjoy this luxurious menu, limited to 20 skewers per day.

Paniteka Sakuraya

You can't go wrong here! 5 special souvenir spots

Choosing souvenirs for your family, friends, and yourself is an essential part of any trip. Yunotsubo Kaido has many shops selling items unique to Yufuin, including long-loved local specialties and fine sake, as well as artistic goods and sweets. Here are five of the best shops.

Photogenic Yokan from "Jazz and Yokan"

"Jazz Yokan" is a stylish and pop product that overturns the conventional concept of "yokan = Japanese sweets" and will put a smile on your face the moment you open the box. Each piano-shaped yokan is handmade by a craftsman, so you can enjoy its delicate appearance and taste.

The winter limited edition yokan "Chocolat" is a chocolate yokan made by mixing plenty of couverture chocolate into white bean paste and three kinds of dried fruits. It has a smooth texture and a rich yet not too sweet taste, and goes great with red wine or coffee. There are also classic fig yokan and seasonal limited edition yokan, so it's a souvenir that will surely please that fashionable person.

Jazz and Yokan Yufuin Main Branch

Colorful pickles made from fresh vegetables and fruits at Soan Koso Shiki Kobo

This is a pickle specialty store produced by the inn "Souan Koso" that uses freshly picked vegetables and fruits, mainly from the local area of Yufuin. In addition to the standard vegetable pickles such as "daikon radish, cucumber, and paprika," they also offer rare fruit pickles such as figs and strawberries.

The pickles are carefully made so as not to spoil the crunch and texture of the ingredients, and have a refreshing sour taste that is perfect for adults. They are colorful and cute, so choosing which one to get is fun. How about buying them as a souvenir from Yufuin for health-conscious people?

Soan Kosakuso Shiki Kobo

"Yufuin Shoyuya Main Store" where you can find seasonings unique to Oita Prefecture

Located in the center of Yunotsubo Kaido, this shop stocks a wide variety of carefully selected products, including soy sauce, miso, tsukudani, and spices.

The sweet soy sauce that is unique to Kyushu is purchased by many people not only as a souvenir but also for their own home, and the flavorful "Takumi Soy Sauce" enhances the deliciousness of simple dishes such as cold tofu and rice with raw egg on top.

Another popular item is "Kabosu Soy Sauce," which contains 40% kabosu juice, a specialty of Oita Prefecture, and is a popular souvenir with many repeat customers. There are also small sizes, such as 100ml, which are convenient for taking home, so it would be fun to take home different types and compare them.

Yufuin Soy Sauce Shop Main Branch

Find the finest selection of sake at the long-established liquor store "Jizake no Mise Hakariya"

Hakariya is a long-established local sake store founded in the Meiji era. From the summer of 2022, it will be managed by Kamenoi Sake Brewery, a sake brewery in Kusu Town, Oita Prefecture, and will carry a wide variety of about 100 types of local sake from Oita Prefecture.

A popular souvenir or memento of Yufuin is the original Junmai sake "Hanari" made with rice from Oita Prefecture. Its refreshing, slightly dry taste makes it easy to drink, and many fans return to buy it again and again.

In addition, "Yufuin Nigori Sake," which has a light sweetness and a refreshing taste, is also perfect as a souvenir unique to Yufuin. Both are limited edition products that are original to Hakariya.

Yufuin local sake shop Hakariya

Gallery SORA: Experience carefully crafted, handcrafted works

A select shop that collects works by other hand-made artists, started by the husband and wife ceramic artists Hiroki and Hitomi Higo, who live in Yufuin. In addition to the works of the couple, there is a wide selection of handmade works by artists from all over the country, including pottery, glass, bamboo, and washi paper items and accessories.

Just looking at them will warm your heart. Find your favorite as a souvenir for someone, or as a memento of your trip. In one corner of the store, there is also a "pop-up shop corner" where works by featured artists are exhibited and sold every month, so be sure to check it out.

Gallery SORA

We have introduced recommended places to eat while walking and souvenirs along the road from Yufuin Station to the Yunotsubo Kaido area. In addition to the shops introduced in this article, there are many shops with unique Yufuin themes, so you may be overwhelmed, but that is also part of the fun of traveling.

Take a leisurely stroll through the town of Yufuin, soothed by its laid-back rural atmosphere, and enjoy browsing the delicious food and souvenir shops!

*Some content was updated on May 15, 2023.

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