The Yufuin no Mori
Another JR Pass special. The Yufuin no Mori is a green resort train from Hakata to Yufuin, a retro-looking thing with wooden floors, big windows, a buffet car and high-deck seats. It’s about two and a quarter hours through the mountains of Kyushu.
Halfway, the staff come round with a board for photos, and you get a little commemorative card.
Yufuin
Yufuin is an onsen town in a valley under Mt Yufu, a big double-peaked volcano. The station was designed by the architect Arata Isozaki, and the main street from the station is lined with snack shops, galleries and cafés, all the way to the lake.
Lake Kinrin
At the end of the street is Lake Kinrin, a small lake fed by both hot and cold springs. In the colder months, mist rises off it in the morning. In September at 2pm, there was no mist, just heat.
The Floral Village
The Yufuin Floral Village is a little fake English Cotswolds village, with cottages, shops, goats and small animals. Pure Instagram. We loved it anyway.
Lunch and a Café
Late lunch was a set with a braised dish, then coffee at a quiet café with a loft and a ladder.
Sunset from the Train
On the train home, a bag of snacks and the sun going down over the rice fields.
Back in Hakata in time for dinner at the Nakasu yatai.
Information About the Yufuin no Mori
JR Kyushu's green resort train between Hakata and Yufuin, about two and a quarter hours, all reserved seats. Yufuin is an onsen town at the foot of Mt Yufu.
PS: It's covered by the JR Pass, but the seats sell out. Reserve as soon as you activate the pass.