This is the first restaurant we’re writing up on Kyushu Wanderer, and it’s a good one to start with: ๅฑฑๆคใซใฌใผใใฉใ ่ใใ (Sansho Curry Udon Kikusuke), a small udon shop tucked into a quiet hillside neighborhood above Yufuin, away from the crowds on Yunotsubo-dลri. We visited on Nov 12, 2022, on a day of brilliant autumn color, and the walk up to it was almost as memorable as the meal.
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The name tells you exactly what you’re here for: curry udon built around sansho (Japanese pepper), served in a traditional building with a small garden and a stone water basin out front. It’s the kind of place a guidebook to central Yufuin would walk right past.
Finding It
Kikusuke sits in the Torigoe area, up in the hills above central Yufuin โ roughly a 25โ30 minute walk or a short taxi/drive from JR Yufuin Station, not somewhere you’ll stumble on while strolling the main shopping street. The building itself is traditional, half-hidden behind autumn trees, with a yellow banner reading “ๅฑฑๆคใซใฌใผใใฉใ” marking the entrance. A stone water jar (tsukubai) trickles quietly by the door before you even get inside.
The Sansho Curry Udon
The signature dish is exactly what the name promises: hand-made udon in a curry broth built on a bonito-dashi base, topped with minced meat and a generous pile of fresh negi (green onion), with a numbing kick of sansho pepper running through it. It’s a different animal from the sweeter, thicker curry udon you’ll find elsewhere in Japan โ sharper, more aromatic, and genuinely distinctive. Reviews we came across researching this piece describe the sansho flavor as addictive, and we’d agree; it’s not a dish we’d expected to be thinking about years later.
Visiting Kikusuke
Price: Sansho curry udon from around ยฅ1,000โ1,400 depending on the version (seasonal-vegetable and mochi-cheese variations run a bit higher). Prices may have shifted since our Nov 2022 visit โ worth confirming on-site.
Hours: 11:00โ15:00 (last order 14:30).
Closed: Most commonly reported as Wednesdays (some sources also note occasional Tuesday closures) โ our sources didn’t fully agree, so call ahead if you’re making a special trip.
Reservations: Not accepted โ it’s first-come, first-served, and can mean a wait since there’s no way to book ahead.
Parking: A small on-site lot, reportedly around 5โ6 spaces โ arrive early or be prepared to wait for a spot.
Address: 1269-36 Kawakami, Yufuin-cho, Yufu-shi, Oita 879-5102
Getting There
Because Kikusuke is up in the hills rather than on the main Yufuin strip, a rental car makes it far easier to reach than relying on taxis or the walk from the station. The same International Driving Permit rules apply here as anywhere else in Kyushu โ see our Yamanami Highway rental car guide for the details.
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