Lake Kinrin (Kinrin-ko)

It's a 30-minute stroll (about 10 minutes by car) from Yufuin Station along Yunotsubo Kaido Street. It's a popular tourist spot that represents Yufuin. Because it is located at the foot of Mt. Yufu, it was called "Takenshitan-Ike" (meaning "the pond below the mountain") in the Oita dialect. The turning point came in 1884. It is said that the Confucian scholar Mori Kuuso named the lake "Kinrin-ko" (Lake Kinrin) after seeing the scales of swimming fish shimmering golden in the setting sun. A walking path surrounds the lake, making it the perfect place to stroll leisurely while watching fish and waterfowl swimming on the water's surface. Furthermore, on chilly early mornings from autumn to winter, you can witness the breathtaking sight of steam rising from the lake's surface, enveloping it in a magical morning mist.