Yufuin hot-spring town and Lake Kinrin

Yufuin lies in a green basin in Oita, under the double summit of Mount Yufu, and has made its name as the low-key, small-scale counterpart to busy Beppu on the other side of the hills. Rather than big resort blocks, inns are scattered among rice fields and wooded lanes. Where the main shopping street runs out, Lake Kinrin is fed partly by hot springs, so on cold mornings steam rises off its surface. A Meiji-era scholar named it 'golden scales' after watching fish glint in the setting sun.

The 4-hour town option starts from Beppu and is built around one walk: Yunotsubo street from the station side down to the lake, with time to linger at the water. From Hakata, an 8-hour day gives Yufuin an unhurried visit after the drive across Kyushu. The 9-hour combo, from Hakata or Beppu, adds Beppu's 'hells', hot-spring pools tinted cobalt blue, rust red or milky white that are there to be looked at rather than bathed in. On the day, the guide fixes the running order.

Yunotsubo is a grazing street: croquettes, cream puffs, roll cakes and small craft shops follow one after another, and most people snack their way down to the lakeshore. Late autumn and winter give the best odds of mist on Lake Kinrin, ideally early in the day; summer brings a green, shady stroll instead. Mount Yufu frames almost every open view. Comfortable shoes are enough for the gravel and gentle slopes, and a small towel helps if you come across a public foot bath.