Sitting, with your back leaned against the wall of a station  built in the image of an European chapel, you can see a range of nifty general stores and the like along Yunotsubo Street.  This street leads to Kinrin Lake and is a good place to take a stroll.  Depending on the season, you can enjoy different kinds of scenary here.
   In the spring, cherry blossom trees extend from the Jo bridge to the Miyuki bridge all along the Oitahe river while rape-blossom fields cover the ground like a yellow carpet to the south.  During the summer, Japanese wisteria and irises are prominent while fall foliage and morning mists around Mt. Yufu create a lovely sight in the autumn.  In the winter, snow blankets the entire area.  After taking in the charming scenary  at Yufuin, you can take a dip in the famed hot springs nearby and wash away any tiredness from roaming about.
   Why are there places in this area that are written 由布院 and others that are written 湯布院? The pronunciation is the same, both are pronounced Yufuin, but that first kanji in the name varies. In the 30th year of the Showa period, when the towns of Yufuin (由) and Yunohira (湯) merged, the resulting town was named Yufuin (湯布院). This is why older places like Yufuin Station and Mt. Yufuin are written with 由 rather than 湯.