Oita Prefecture Yufuin Kamenoi Villa
大分県 由布院
亀の井別荘
An exceptional lodging merging evolution with tradition
Less than an hour’s drive from Oita Airport, looking up at Mount Tsurumi and Mount Yufu as one arrives in a basin among the mountains, there are two long-established ryokan that are said to have been the cornerstone of the village, as well as one more recent, but aesthetically superior inn that comprise Yufuin: Kamenoi Villa, Tamanoyu, and Murata. Kamenoi Villa, constructed in Taisho 10 (1921), is approaching its 100th anniversary in 2021. It was established by Mijiro Nakaya, a connoisseur who, having squandered his inheritance, fled his hometown in Ishikawa Prefecture and found his final home in Oita. It is said that he opened the villa in response to a request by Kumahachi Aburaya, a businessperson who was active in promoting tourism in Oita Prefecture.