Autumn Leaves in Beppu and Yufuin 2026: Usual Peak, Costs and Parking at 5 Spots

5 autumn leaf spots in Beppu and Yufuin

Mt. Tsurumi's ropeway is ¥1,800 round trip (junior high school and over); Kijima Kogen Park admission is ¥1,500, parking ¥500.

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This page gives the usual autumn-leaf timing, costs and parking for 5 spots in Beppu and Yufuin. The first to turn is Mt. Tsurumi, where color starts at the top in mid-October and moves down the mountain over about a month and a half. The Oita Prefecture and Beppu City tourism sites give late October to early November for Lake Shidaka and early to mid-November for Lake Kinrin in Yufuin as the usual peak. The official pages for the Yufu River Gorge and Kijima Kogen Park do not give a leaf season.

In short

Going in October: Mt. Tsurumi (10 minutes to the summit by ropeway, ¥1,800 round trip).
Leaves reflected in a lake: Lake Shidaka (late October to early November; you can also camp by the lake).
Combined with a Yufuin stroll: Lake Kinrin (early to mid-November; no admission fee is stated officially).
Walking a gorge riverbed: Yufu River Gorge (10:00 to 16:00, ¥100 cooperation fee for junior high school age and over).
With children’s rides: Kijima Kogen Park (admission ¥1,500 adults and ¥600 children; a go-kart runs through the autumn forest).

Checked with official pages on October 22, 2026 (Japan time).

1. Peak time, costs and parking at the 5 spots

Spot	Usual peak	Cost to see the leaves	Parking
Mt. Tsurumi	Mid-October to late November (from the summit downward)	Ropeway round trip ¥1,800 (junior high school and over)	Yes (250 spaces, fee not stated)
Lake Shidaka	Late October to early November	Not stated	Yes (fee not stated)
Lake Kinrin	Early to mid-November	Not stated	Paid car parks nearby
Yufu River Gorge	–	¥100 cooperation fee (junior high school and over)	Yes (fee not stated)
Kijima Kogen Park	–	Admission ¥1,500 (junior high school to age 59)	Yes (¥500 for a standard car)

A “–” in the table means no official note on the leaf season was found, and “Not stated” means no official fee was found. The peak times are the usual guide; to be sure of the 2026 color, check each facility’s own updates.

2. Mt. Tsurumi (Beppu Ropeway): leaves from mid-October

Mt. Tsurumi (1,375 m) is in Aso-Kuju National Park, and a 101-person ropeway takes you up in 10 minutes. According to Beppu City’s official tourism site, the color moves from the summit down to the foot of the mountain over about a month and a half, and the peak is mid-October to late November. The Oita Prefecture tourism site says the summit starts to turn from mid- to late October, and in November leaves and winter cherry blossoms (fuyuzakura) are seen together at the foot. The round-trip fare is ¥1,800 for junior high school age and over and ¥900 for ages 4 to elementary school. From November 15 the last uphill boarding moves earlier to 16:30 (downhill 17:00), and the ropeway may stop in bad weather or for inspection. The Oita Prefecture tourism site gives 250 parking spaces (large buses allowed); the fee could not be confirmed.

Autumn leaves guide (Beppu Tabi Kobo, Beppu City’s official tourism site), Autumn leaves feature (Onsen-ken Oita, Oita Prefecture’s tourism site), Beppu Ropeway page (Tourist Facilities Liaison Council) (all Japanese)

Name	Mt. Tsurumi (Beppu Ropeway)
Address	10-7 Samuhara, Minamitateishi, Beppu City, Oita
Hours / Closed	9:00–17:30 (last uphill 17:00). November 15–March 14: 9:00–17:00 (last uphill 16:30). May be suspended in bad weather or for inspection
Phone	0977-22-2278
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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3. Lake Shidaka: leaves reflected on the water, late October to early November

Lake Shidaka is a lake about 2 km around on a 600 m plateau, and the Oita Prefecture tourism site says that in autumn you can see the leaves reflected on the water. The usual peak is late October to early November, on the same mountain side of Beppu as Mt. Tsurumi. The lakeside is the RECAMP Beppu Shidakako campground, where camping costs ¥660 per person per night. The car park is open 8:00 to 19:00, and campers can go in and out until 21:00. For pedal boats and booking, see our article on the Lake Shidaka campground (Japanese).

See the post on Instagram

Photo: RECAMP Beppu Shidakako official Instagram (@recamp_beppu_shidakako)

Name	Lake Shidaka (RECAMP Beppu Shidakako)
Address	4380 Shidaka, Beppu City, Oita
Hours / Closed	Administration office 8:00–17:00 (open daily). Parking 8:00–19:00 (until 21:00 for campground users)
Phone	0977-25-3601 (Lake Shidaka management office)
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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4. Lake Kinrin in Yufuin: leaves from early November, paid parking nearby

At the foot of Mt. Yufu, this is the best-known sightseeing spot in Yufuin. The usual peak given by the Oita Prefecture tourism site is early to mid-November. Clear spring water and hot spring water are said to flow into the lake, and Yufu City says steam rises from the surface on winter mornings. The official page does not state an admission fee, and for parking you use a paid car park nearby.

If you go by car, you can look for car parks around the lake. Find a car park with Toku-P (ad) (Japanese)

Lake Kinrin page (Yufu City Tourism Bureau) (Japanese)

Photo sources: Lake Kinrin and torii (~MVI~, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons), Lake Kinrin panorama (G43, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)

金鱗湖 — Photo: 1st ~MVI~ / CC BY 2.0, 2nd G43 / CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Name	Lake Kinrin
Address	1561-1 Kawakami, Yufuin-cho, Yufu City, Oita
Hours / Closed	No regular closing days (open daily)
Phone	0977-84-3111 (Yufu City Yufuin Promotion Bureau)
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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5. Yufu River Gorge: ¥100 cooperation fee, 10:00 to 16:00

This gorge, about 12 km long, spans Beppu City and Yufu City. More than 40 waterfalls run down rock faces 15 to 60 m high, and since April 2021 you can go down to the riverside. To visit, a cleaning and beautification cooperation fee is required: ¥100 for junior high school age and over, ¥50 for elementary school children. There is a car park. The official page says the charm is water play in spring and summer and quiet in autumn and winter. Entering with pets and using fire (camping, barbecue) are not allowed.

Yufu River Gorge page (Yufu City Tourism Bureau) (Japanese)

Introducing the Yufu River Gorge, by the official channel of Yufu City, Oita (“Yufumusubi Station”)

Name	Yufu River Gorge
Address	14-2 Hoki, Hasama-machi, Yufu City, Oita
Hours / Closed	10:00–16:00
Phone	097-583-2552 (Hasama Yufugawa Gorge tourism association)
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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6. Kijima Kogen Park: admission ¥1,500, parking ¥500

This amusement park has rides including the wooden roller coaster “Jupiter”. Admission is ¥1,500 for adults (junior high school to age 59) and ¥600 for children (age 4 to elementary school), and free for ages 3 and under. With a ride pass it is ¥5,500 for adults and ¥4,600 for children. The one thing the official site presents for enjoying autumn leaves in the park is the go-kart that runs about 1 km through the forest (single-seat ¥600, height 135 cm or more). Parking is ¥500 for a standard car, ¥1,000 for a bus and ¥100 for a motorbike (per day), and there is space for 2,000 standard cars. The official access page gives about 2 hours by car from Fukuoka IC, about 40 minutes by Kamenoi Bus from the west exit of Beppu Station, and about 20 minutes from the Yufuin Station bus center. The official site does not give the leaf season.

Access page (Kijima Kogen Park official site), Single-seat go-kart page (Kijima Kogen Park official site) (both Japanese)

Photo source: Press release of Kijima Kogen Operations Co., Ltd. (August 5, 2025) (Japanese)