Yufuin Onsen Ryokan Hananomai

Set somewhere quiet, this is a lovely ryokan with an onsen. The traditional breakfast is worth trying. I’d recommend a stay.

The breakfast was excellent, and you can choose 8am, 8:30am, or 9am. We skipped the dinner package, but were allowed to bring food back and eat it in the dining area. Everyone we met was lovely, including the two main staff who looked after guests and the kitchen team. We booked a room with a private onsen. It was huge, with a traditional Japanese room and a Western-style room with two single beds, so there was plenty of space for a larger group. The ryokan is a short walk from the main street, about 10 minutes, and I liked that it wasn’t right in the middle of things. There’s a large free parking area beside the entrance. I really enjoyed staying here and would recommend it to anyone wanting a ryokan and onsen stay in Yufuin.

The family bath outside was extremely hot. It hurt just to put my feet in, and I wouldn’t let a small child or an elderly person use it at its normal temperature. Guests can’t adjust the heat with hot or cold valves. I found a partly hidden cold-water valve and used it to cool the water down. The men’s and women’s baths were closer to a normal temperature, though still warmer than some other places I’ve visited. This is a quiet little ryokan, well away from Yufuin’s busy tourist center. They offered free pickup from either the station or bus center, and drop-off after checkout, which was much needed with luggage. I stayed on a weekday and heard one family going to and from the baths, but otherwise it was very quiet. A small stream barely moved just outside my room, yet mosquitoes were buzzing around in mid-November. The staff gave me bug spray, but I still woke to a dead, bloody mosquito on my pillow.

The quiet setting was really relaxing, with not many other guests around. Each room has a lovely hot spring, and some are open-air. Dinner and breakfast were delicious. The restaurant has a cozy fireplace, and you can choose Japanese-style or Western-style seating. They also offer luggage delivery to the train station.