[Kinrinko Lake Travel Guide] Enjoy Mystical Scenic Views and One of Yufuin’s Most Popular Sightseeing Spots

Kinrinko Lake is one of Oita Prefecture’s top spots for autumn foliage.
The best time to see the fall colors is from late October to early November.
At peak season, trees such as Japanese maple and maple beautifully color the lake surface.
The way the light hits the area changes depending on the time of day, so you can enjoy different scenery even over the course of a single day.
It is also recommended to stroll along the walking path while admiring the yellow and crimson leaves.
There are several benches along the path, making it a nice place to sit down and slowly enjoy the fall colors with a boxed lunch.

Because hot spring water mixes into the waters of Kinrinko Lake, the water temperature remains relatively warm at 13–15 degrees Celsius throughout the year.
As a result, on early mornings from fall to winter, the difference between the outside air and the water temperature causes mist to rise from the lake surface, creating a dreamlike scene.
It also depends on the weather, but if you go by around 8:00am, you will likely be able to see Kinrinko Lake shrouded in mist.

The morning mist rising from the lake surface in the early hours from fall to winter, together with the torii gate standing in the water, creates an exceptionally beautiful view.
The area has a mystical atmosphere, making this a sight you should definitely see when visiting Kinrinko Lake.
The torii belongs to Tenso Shrine on the lakeshore and is also popular as a spiritual spot.
The torii at Kinrinko Lake originally stood at a place called Bussanji Temple, also in Oita Prefecture.
However, in 1868, it was moved to Tenso Shrine following the Meiji government’s separation of Shinto and Buddhism policy.
This policy sought to remove Buddhist elements from shrines in order to establish Shinto as the state religion.
Knowing this history may make the torii standing in the lake seem even more mysterious.

This restaurant serves three kinds of “Yufu mabushi,” a local style created to highlight the delicious ways of enjoying rice in Yufuin. The mabushi dishes, made with Bungo beef, Yufu local chicken, and eel, are served in earthenware pots and each comes with an appetizer, pickles, condiments, and red miso soup.
The most popular of the three is the “Bungo Beef Mabushi.” This hearty dish features rice cooked in an earthenware pot, topped generously with Bungo beef grilled over charcoal for a rich, savory flavor.

This Japanese and Western confectionery shop is located on Yunotsubo Kaido, Yufuin’s main street lined with restaurants and souvenir stores. The shop uses a traditional house relocated from Hida Takayama in Gifu Prefecture, and its dignified appearance immediately catches the eye.
Its specialty is a dorayaki pancake about the size of your palm, and through the glass you can watch skilled artisans carefully grill each one by hand. Its seasonal mont blanc dorayaki made with ingredients of the season is especially popular on social media for its photogenic appeal.

A bakery café standing by the shore of Kinrinko Lake, one of Yufuin’s most popular sightseeing spots. Inside the open, airy café overlooking the lake, the pleasant aroma of freshly baked bread fills the space.
The signature menu item is a croissant made with natural yeast from raisins. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, it is known for the rich aroma of fermented butter that keeps people coming back.

Yufuin Onsen is a hot spring resort area located at the foot of Mt. Yufu, almost in the center of Oita Prefecture.
It is especially popular with women, with many refined ryokan inns and no large-scale hotels.
It is said to have the second-largest volume of hot spring water in Japan, and because it also has many hot spring sources, the ryokan inns are spread out rather than clustered together, giving the entire area a relaxed atmosphere.
The spring quality is mainly simple alkaline hot spring water, which feels gentle on the skin and is believed to help with neuralgia, sensitivity to cold, and recovery from fatigue.

A symbol of Yufu rising to 1,583 m, located northeast of Yufuin Onsen, one of Japan’s leading hot spring areas. This active volcano has twin peaks, and because of its beautiful and majestic appearance, it is also called “Bungo Fuji.”
Revered as a sacred mountain since ancient times, it appears in the Bungo Fudoki, compiled in the early Nara period, as well as in the Man’yoshu, Japan’s oldest anthology of poetry.

A small shrine standing on the southeastern shore of Kinrinko Lake.
It is said to have begun when Emperor Keiko, the 12th emperor, ordered Hayatsuhime, who lived in Hayami County of Bungo Province, to enshrine the spirits of the imperial ancestral deities.
In the shrine building standing with the lake behind it, Tensoshin is enshrined in the center, Yasaka Shrine on the right, and Konpira Shrine on the left.

Yufuin Onsen is famous as a “beautifying hot spring” thanks to its bicarbonate-rich waters.
This inn lets you enjoy that hot spring water in a spacious open-air rock bath together with views of Mt. Yufu.
In addition to the large public bath, the property also has private family baths that guests can use free of charge during their stay, making it easy to enjoy a leisurely hot spring experience.

A luxury ryokan regarded as one of the three great inns of Yufuin Onsen alongside Yufuin Tamanoyu and Kamenoi Bessou.
Located on a hill about 2 km from central Yufuin Station, it consists of a main building with the front desk and dining area, 12 detached guest rooms each with a different design, a bar with classical and jazz music playing softly, a chocolate shop, a soba restaurant with fine views, a museum themed around music, and a select shop offering stylish Oita souvenirs.

A hot spring ryokan on a hill a little away from the center of the Yufuin Basin, known for its superb views.
Its open-air baths are especially impressive, allowing guests to relax in the water while taking in the natural scenery of Mt. Yufu and the Yufuin Basin. It is also well known for its delicious kaiseki meals rich in local character.
Its signature open-air baths are spaciously designed, with the women’s bath measuring 150 tatami mats and the men’s 100 tatami mats, creating a wonderfully open feeling.