The founder of Yufuin Retro Motor Museum, a town local, has amassed quite an impressive collection of motor vehicles. With a collection of 70 cars, 30 motorcycles, tricycles, small airplanes and retro buses, he is one of the region’s biggest amateurs and opened the museum in 1988. Get a sense both of his own idiosyncratic tastes and the history of Japan’s mechanized transport at a museum right off Yufuin’s main street.
Start in front of the museum, welcomed by the cherry red exterior of a sports car that beckons to visitors from the street. Peer at the collection of older vehicles dotted around outside, including small three-wheeled trucks.
The lower room of the museum has the collection’s most valuable cars, including a Porsche 356 and even a Lamborghini. See examples of Japan’s first sports cars, such as Toyota’s 800 model, which marked the car manufacturer’s transition into luxury car-making.
Look for some of the rarer Japanese models, which are not commonly seen in car museums in other countries, including some of the first cars created during the country’s manufacturing boom in the 1960s and 1970s.
See multiple examples of the motorized tricycles that were hugely popular before personal cars became as popular. Imagine the streets of Tokyo filled with these small conveyances instead.
Head up to the second floor, where a small collection of planes awaits.
Take pictures in the retired public bus that is the main draw of the back yard.
Yufuin Retro Motor Museum is located at the eastern end of Yufuin’s main street, right next to the Yufuin Floral Village. Walk here from Yufuin Station in 15 minutes or from Kinrin Lake in about 5 minutes. Drive from Yufuin Station in 7 minutes. Find several metered parking lots within walking distance of the museum. Rickshaws are available for hire throughout the town. Rent bikes from the main train station.
The museum is open daily during regular business hours. Stop at the café and a small shop on the second floor. The museum has an admission fee.
