Yunohira Hot Spring

Yufuin’s main shrine is off the normal tourist trail, offering true quiet and peaceful contemplation in a naturally beautiful atmosphere.

Best known for his covers of the Saturday Evening Post, a great American illustrator is the subject of this small but enthusiastic collection in Japan.

Soft light streaming through colored windows suggests the north of England, but this museum is in the thoroughly Japanese neighborhood of Yufuin.

Works of two of Japan’s best-known modernist sculptors and artists fill this private museum, making it feel a bit like entering their home, full of an easy intimacy.

Mind-bending optical illusions offer opportunities for photos, special events and good fun on rainy days right off Yufuin’s main tourist street.

Set in a shaded forest, this 16th-century temple with a long history offers relaxation and meditation to visitors of any faith.