Yufuin Sanso Warabino is an inn of 13 detached suite rooms on a quiet hillside in Yufuin, Oita. It was founded as a ryokan in 1988 and has since been reborn, in its own words, as a place to feel nature with your whole body. Before you book, three things matter: every room has its own free-flowing hot-spring bath and the official pages describe no shared bath; children under 6 cannot use plans with meals; and the station pickup must be booked by phone.
Where Warabino sits in Yufuin, and how to get there
Warabino stands at the foot of the hills about 2 km from the busy center around Yunotsubo Street, roughly halfway between JR Yufuin Station (5 minutes by car) and the Yufuin interchange (3 minutes by car). Lake Kinrinko is about 10 minutes away by car. For the town itself, see our Yufuin guide.
Is there a station pickup?
Yes. At check-in and checkout, the inn picks up and drops off guests at JR Yufuin Station and other places in the Yufuin area, but it must be reserved in advance; the access page’s booking button is a phone link. The fee and times are not stated, so ask when you call.
Can I drive there?
There is a free car park for 15 cars, with no reservation needed.
Warabino at a glance
| Item | Official information |
|---|---|
| Address | 952-1 Kawakita, Yufuin-cho, Yufu, Oita 879-5114 |
| Phone | +81 977 85 2100 (reservations 8:00–22:00) |
| Rooms | 13 detached suites, all non-smoking, Wi-Fi |
| Check-in / out | From 15:00 / 12:00 |
| Baths | Own free-flowing hot-spring bath in every room |
| Dinner | 18:00, 18:30 or 19:00 in the restaurant Nakayashiki |
| Breakfast | 8:00–10:00, Japanese breakfast with vegetable buffet |
| Children | Welcome; under 6 cannot use plans with meals |
| Cards | Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, Diners, UnionPay |
| Parking | 15 cars, free |
From the official site and booking page, read October 12, 2026.
Rooms and in-room baths at Warabino
What are the rooms like?
| Suite on the Japanese room page | Size | Layout |
|---|---|---|
| Stylish Suite | 57 m² | Living room, terrace, bath; up to 2 guests |
| Luxury Suite | 85 m² | Living room and bedroom, terrace, bath; up to 4 |
| Maisonette Stylish Suite | 130 m² | Two floors, open-air bath and balcony upstairs; up to 4 |
| Maisonette Luxury Suite | 132 m² | Two floors, open-air bath and balcony upstairs; up to 4 |
Rooms have floor heating, a mini kitchen, a fridge, a safe, a humidifier and a washlet toilet. Beds are 120 cm wide, and a third or fourth guest sleeps on an extra bed. Drinks in the fridge (water, beer, Yufuin cider), coffee and tea are free, and the bath amenities are by MARKS&WEB.
What is the hot spring like?
The inn says the baths in all 13 rooms are 100 percent free-flowing from a source on its own grounds. The water is an alkaline simple spring, soft and silky in the inn’s description, in tubs of natural stone from Hita, Oita, and you can use it any time during your stay. In the two maisonette suites, the upstairs open-air bath looks out toward Mount Yufu.
Can I bathe with a tattoo?
The official pages do not mention tattoos and describe no shared bath, only the bath in your room. If you plan to visit public baths in town, our tattoo and onsen guide explains what to ask.
Meals at Warabino
What is dinner like?
Dinner is a creative course served one dish at a time in the restaurant Nakayashiki, at 18:00, 18:30 or 19:00. The inn names Oita specialties such as Oita Wagyu Bungo beef graded A4 or above and seafood sent straight from Saganoseki fishing port. The menu changes with the season.
What about breakfast?
Breakfast is from 8:00 to 10:00, also in Nakayashiki: a Japanese breakfast with rice the inn grows itself and a vegetable buffet. On breakfast-only and room-only plans, dinner cannot be added on the day you arrive.
Can the inn handle allergies or a special diet?
The official pages do not say. Ask the inn before you book if you have allergies or eat vegetarian or halal.
Beyond meals, the inn has a café and bar (café 8:00–18:00, bar 20:00–23:00), a shop and a garden, and it hosts contemporary art exhibitions.
Children, cancellation and payment at Warabino
Can I bring children?
Yes, children can stay. But children under 6 cannot enter the restaurant, so they cannot use plans with breakfast or dinner. Children aged 6 to 12 eat the adult meal. Anniversary plans and solo-traveler plans are not open to children.
What is the cancellation policy?
The Japanese facility page lists 20 percent from 7 days before, 30 percent from 3 days before, 50 percent the day before, and 100 percent on the day or for a no-show. The English booking page does not show these rates, so read the terms on your plan before you confirm. See our hotel cancellation guide.
How do I pay, and what taxes apply?
The Japanese facility page lists Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners and UnionPay. Whether you pay at the inn or in advance by card depends on the booking page and plan, and the Japanese and English pages differ, so check before you book. Yufu City charges a bathing tax of 250 yen per person per night at this price level (under 12 exempt); see our onsen bathing tax guide. Oita Prefecture’s new accommodation tax starts on June 1, 2027.
What foreign guests should know before staying at Warabino
- The official website is in Japanese only; English is on the booking page.
- Call to book the station pickup; it is not automatic.
- With children under 6, choose a room-only plan.
- Pick your dinner time (18:00, 18:30 or 19:00) and plan your arrival around it.
- The inn is about 2 km from the town center, so plan transport for evenings out.
Frequently asked questions
Does every room at Warabino have its own hot-spring bath?
Can young children stay at Warabino?
What time are check-in and checkout at Warabino?
Does Warabino pick guests up at Yufuin Station?
Does Warabino have an English website?
Bottom line (2026): Warabino is a quiet Yufuin inn of 13 detached suites, each with its own free-flowing hot-spring bath. Book the station pickup by phone, note that children under 6 cannot use meal plans, and confirm the price and payment terms on the official booking page.
Sources
Every fact on this page is from Warabino’s official pages: home (Japanese), facility, rooms, hot spring, meals and access, and the official booking page in Japanese and English; taxes are from Yufu City and Oita Prefecture. All were read on October 12, 2026. Prices and rules change; check the official site before you book.
Tokyo to Osaka, Tokyo to Kyushu, Tokyo to Hokkaido — day by day — plus seven places most visitors never reach.
- 12 pages, 80 photographs, every stop linked to its guide
- Every price and opening hour read from the official page
- Re-issued monthly, so it does not go stale in your inbox
Free. One email a month, plus the rare change that matters. Unsubscribe with one click in any email. By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy.
