古都の花心 — Hotel in Yufu

This ryokan is a little hard to find, but it's in a nice location near Yunotsubo Road (Yufuin's main tourist shopping area), a decent and cheap restaurant, a big drugstore, a 7/11, and two grocery stores. Yufuin Train Station and Bus Terminal are also reasonably close (10-minute walk?). Meals at this ryokan are very pricey, so it was nice for us to be able to leave and go to nearby restaurants for much cheaper fare. The grounds are hidden in a residential area behind an Eneos Gas Station. It doesn't seem like it would be a nice place, but it was far enough off the city streets and away from the gas station to be very peaceful. There are small rice paddies nearby, and you can get some natural scenery on walks. Most of the staff are very kind, but one in particular was a bit cranky. She spoke to my Korean wife in low Korean - something one should never do to a customer. We just figured Korean was probably her second language and she didn't know better, so we didn't give it much thought at first. Later, when speaking to my wife in Japanese (my wife is fluent), she was also quite short and rude until my wife spoke up about it. Everyone else was very kind, though, from the elderly man who helped check us in and gave us some free handmade owl pendants to the middle-aged man who checked us out and held our baggage for us while we went about town for a few last hours. The rooms are old, but not necessarily in a traditional, charming way - a 10+-year old TV with no USB ports (not that we wanted to watch TV, but we wanted to charge one of our many electronic devices), a safe that was out of order, sticky door locks, etc. Most of it wasn't that big of a deal to us, but if it is to you, be warned. Also, not much of the signage is in English (This is true for most places in Yufuin, which tends to attract mostly Japanese and Korean tourists). My wife handled most of the interactions with staff, so I don't know about the English ability of anyone there. Bring along someone who knows Japanese or Korean if you don't. Given a little upgrading and lessons in manners for one employee, this would be a place we'd...

Disappointing Experience in Yufuin

I had high expectations for my stay at this onsen hotel, but unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. While the natural beauty of Yufuin is undeniable, the hotel itself fell far short of what I anticipated.

the dinner was underwhelming. The ingredients didn’t seem fresh, and the flavors were bland compared to other places I’ve tried in Japan. Breakfast was similarly disappointing, lacking variety and taste. All food is pre-cooked hours ago and turned cold.

For the high price I paid, I expected much more. The overall experience did not justify the cost, especially compared to other onsen hotels in the area.

I would not recommend this hotel to others, especially if you’re looking for a relaxing and authentic onsen experience. There are many better options in japan that provide excellent service...

Well, for the people just got off the airplane and with a luggage from Oita, I would recommend taking taxi to the hotel. It’s a little far from the JR station, especially with luggage.

The room is pretty regular tatami style, not very spacious comparing with other onsen hotels. The good side of this room is we have our own outside small one person hot spring pool, but since it’s outside,for person not bath themselves, it would be an issue.

Food is ok, nothing particularly good or bad.

It’s easy to access Kirlin Lake and Main...