Kinrin Lake

Kinrin Lake is a pond with a hot spring located in Yufuin Onsen, and the scenery of morning mist on the lake is one of the most representative landscapes of Yufuin Onsen.

Hot spring water and fresh water gush from the bottom of the pond, and five rivers flow into the lake, some of which contain hot spring water of approximately 30 degrees Celsius.

Due to the difference in temperature, a fantastic sight of fog rising from the surface of the pond can be seen early in the morning during the fall and winter.

It is said that this fog is the source of the morning mist for which the Yufuin Basin is famous. This scene is called “Kiribon” (fog tray) because it looks like fog on a tray, and has become a typical Yufuin sight.

In addition to crucian carp, carp, and chaya, Lake Kinrin is home to non-native fish such as tilapia and guppy.

Because of its location at the foot of Mt. Yufu, Lake Kinrin was once called “Gakushita-no-ike” or “Gakunshita-nike,” but in 1884, a Confucian scholar is said to have named the lake “Kinrin-ko” after seeing fish scales glowing gold in the evening sun.

Legend has it that the Yufuin Basin was once a large lake, and that Kinrin Lake is a remnant of that lake.

It is said that the lake used to be several times larger than it is today, but was buried by landslides caused by several earthquakes, and became narrower and shallower than it is today.

The current area is 8,000 square meters, with a circumference of about 400 meters and a depth of about 2 meters.
The autumn leaves are beautiful, and the best time to view them is usually from early to mid-November.

There is a torii gate at Kinrin Lake, behind which the Tenzo Shrine is located.
The torii originally belonged to Fusan-ji Temple a short distance away, but was moved to this location due to the separation of Shinto and Buddhism during the Meiji period (1868-1912).

The shrine has a worship hall, a main shrine, and a sacred cedar tree, one of the largest in the prefecture, creating a solemn atmosphere.

There is an outside bath called “Shimonyu” with a half-open-air bath where visitors can bathe in hot spring water while enjoying a view of Lake Kinrin.
It is a simple structure with a thatched pavilion, and is open to the public. The indoor bath is mixed, with only a changing area and a bathtub.

There is an indoor bath and a half-open-air bath that is partitioned off in winter to become an indoor bath, and although it is completely visible from outside during other seasons, visitors can bathe while enjoying the view of Lake Kinrin stretching out before them.

The spacious concrete bathtubs are filled with simple hot spring water (40-50 degrees Celsius).

The hot water is effective for rheumatism, women’s diseases, and skin diseases. In front of this rustic Shimonyu is an old horse washing area, which is now used for washing clothes and other purposes.