Kochi Prefecture · Shikoku
道の駅 ゆすはら
Even during renovations, this mountain stop on Route 197 brings together hot springs, a market, a pool and forest play.
Illustrative image — not an on-site photograph
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Eat, shop, play, take in the view or rest. Choose from the station’s strengths to suit your day.
During renovations, the market and dining hall are based at Kumonoue Onsen. Check the toilets and opening hours there before planning the rest of your visit.
Menus differ on weekdays and weekends, and the dining hall may be reserved for groups. Check the official notices if you are coming specifically to eat.
Choose from cheesecake, roll cake, baked sweets and Yusuhara-grown vegetables, among other things that are easy to take away by car.
Choose between indoor activities, warm-water swimming and outdoor forest play according to the weather. Check FUNMOCK reservations and clothing rules.
There is an open-air bath, sauna and rest area for a break from Route 197 driving. Closing time is listed as earlier in winter.
See Kengo Kuma architecture at Tarogawa Park and in the town center for a fuller look at Yusuhara’s wood culture.
Michi-no-Eki Yusuhara occupies the Tarogawa Park area at the foot of the Shikoku Karst. Renovations are under way, and the market and dining hall are operating inside the Kumonoue Onsen building. Start there to locate the toilets and plan shopping and meals. Families can add the pool, Kitsutsuki Learning Center and summer FUNMOCK activities. Adults can visit the Kumonoue Gallery and Kengo Kuma buildings in the town center. It is a place to combine a break from mountain driving with Yusuhara’s wood culture.
While the main station is being renovated, the market and dining hall operate inside the Kumonoue Onsen building. First locate parking, toilets, the market, dining hall and hot spring; then it is easier to continue to the pool or park. Knowing the current layout makes this a useful break on a mountain drive.
For weekends and holiday periods, the dining hall lists a roast-beef rice bowl made with Yusuhara beef, Yusuhara curry, a pheasant rice bowl using Yusuhara-raised bird, and game dishes. At the market, souvenirs include Kumonoue cheesecake, roll cake, financiers and doughnuts. Even if you miss a meal, you can take home sweets and local products.
Tarogawa Park has the Kitsutsuki Learning Center, a campground, a grass-ski slope, a heated pool and FUNMOCK, a suspended forest net play area. In rain or heat, choose indoor activities, the hot spring or dining hall; in fine weather, explore the forest. The range of options helps families plan a mountain drive.
Spend your time at the station or add somewhere nearby. These ideas help you plan around your companions and the weather.
Even if you only need a toilet stop and some shopping, the market, dining hall and hot spring can fit into one visit. After a long drive, time in the hot spring rest area may help before you continue.
On National Route 197; listed as about 55–60 minutes by car from Susaki-chuo IC.
The facility layout has changed during renovations. Starting at the hot spring side makes navigation easier.
A day at the heated pool, a visit for wooden toys and crafts at Kitsutsuki Learning Center, and suspended-net play at FUNMOCK call for different things to bring and different amounts of time. Pick the main activity before eating so you can plan around waits and fatigue.
Kumonoue Market and dining hall → Kitsutsuki Learning Center / pool / FUNMOCK.
Check the pool’s diaper rules and FUNMOCK’s clothing, booking and session times when choosing for your child’s age.
Instead of packing in outdoor activities, visit the dining hall, hot spring, Kitsutsuki Learning Center and Kumonoue Library in the town center. You can still enjoy Yusuhara’s wooden spaces in the rain and move indoors before children get soaked and tired.
Michi-no-Eki Yusuhara → Kumonoue Onsen → Kumonoue Library.
Mountain weather changes quickly, and winter hours are listed as shorter.
After Kumonoue Gallery in Tarogawa Park, continue toward Marche Yusuhara, Kumonoue Library and Yusuhara Town Hall in the town center. These places connect Yusuhara’s timber architecture into a route and show another side of the town.
Michi-no-Eki Yusuhara → Kumonoue Gallery → Marche Yusuhara → Kumonoue Library.
The town center is a drive away. Check closing days for exhibitions and the library.
After a meal and shopping at the station, head toward the Shikoku Karst if time and weather permit. The highland is a striking destination in clear weather, but fog and wind can change the experience. Keeping the station and its hot spring as a base gives you another option if the weather turns.
Michi-no-Eki Yusuhara → Shikoku Karst / Tengu Highland.
The Shikoku Karst is at high elevation and can be cold, with seasonal road closures. Check roads and weather before setting out.
Generally Sunday–Friday and public holidays. Listed until 20:00 on Saturdays and middle days of multi-day holiday periods.
Generally Wednesday–Friday, Sunday and public holidays. Lunch and evening service is listed on Saturdays and middle days of multi-day holiday periods. It usually closes Monday and Tuesday; if either is a holiday, it opens and closes the following Wednesday instead.
Regular-season hours generally apply Wednesday–Sunday; on Tuesday it opens at 15:00. Winter hours (scheduled December 1, 2026–March 12, 2027) are listed as ending at 21:00.
Regular-season hours shown. In winter (scheduled December 1, 2026–March 12, 2027), it is listed as closing at 18:00 and generally closed Monday and Tuesday. Children who are not toilet trained are listed as ineligible.
The entrance for campground reception and play equipment rental. Operations may change over New Year and on event days.
Stars show the editorial recommendation for each age group on a five-point scale. Read the reasons alongside each rating.
The market, dining hall and hot spring rest area offer places to stop, but the pool has diaper restrictions. A short break may work better than outdoor play.
Kitsutsuki Learning Center and the park offer a change of pace. Check eligibility for the pool and FUNMOCK, and leave room in the schedule.
The heated pool, wooden toys and craft events may suit this age. Keep outdoor time shorter on hot days.
FUNMOCK, the pool, camping and workshops widen the options for play. These can become the focus of a half-day stay.
Children age 2 or under, and older children who are not toilet trained, are listed as unable to use the pool.
Wear clothes you can move in and athletic shoes. Avoid sandals, heels and clothing with dangling cords.
Workshop notices also call for drinks and heat precautions. Do not underestimate summer heat in the mountains, even with shade.
Route 197 through the mountains can be tiring for the distance covered. The hot spring building lets you use the toilet, market and dining hall in one stop.
Regular-season hours extend into the night, but Tuesday opening and winter closing times differ. Check the hours for an evening visit.
Kumonoue Library and Marche Yusuhara are in the town center. Plan a short drive between them and the station rather than one continuous walk.
The highland experience depends heavily on weather. In fog or strong wind, leave room to switch to the hot spring and wooden architecture around Yusuhara.
Permanent spaces and dated events are listed separately. Events can change both the atmosphere and crowds; use the official links for details.
Checking event dates.
Michikusa Market has used this area for local producers to sell specialties. Check weather and heat for mostly outdoor events.
The entrance for summer vacation workshops and campground reception. Good for wooden toys, nature learning and crafts.
Summer events sometimes include pool activities. Families should check swimsuit and towel needs as well as admission conditions.
A setting for the Forest Festival, FUNMOCK, camping, grass skiing and other outdoor activities.
Practical ideas and things to consider when spending time here.
The Shikoku Regional Development Bureau says the station is operating inside Kumonoue Onsen during renovation, with parking, toilets and vending machines available; completion is planned for Japanese fiscal year 2027 (April 2027–March 2028). Head first toward the hot spring building.
The official site lists dining hall closure days, Saturday and evening service on the middle days of multi-day holiday periods, and dates reserved for groups. Dining alternatives can be far apart on this mountain route, so check the latest notices if a meal is central to your visit.
The pool has diaper restrictions, while FUNMOCK has clothing and accompanying-adult requirements. Younger children can enjoy wooden toys or a short park visit; elementary-school children can add FUNMOCK and crafts.
Kitsutsuki Learning Center in Tarogawa Park, and Kumonoue Library and Marche Yusuhara in the town center, offer indoor places to experience Yusuhara’s wood architecture. Keep one in mind as a rainy-day option.
The July 2026 Tarogawa Park workshop notices asked visitors to bring drinks, prepare for heat and check in before the start. Allow time for water, spare clothes and a relaxed schedule during summer vacation.
The Shikoku Karst is a worthwhile excursion, but elevation, weather and road conditions can change the trip. Use Michi-no-Eki Yusuhara for food, hot springs and toilets before or after the highland drive.
Opening and closure days, individual businesses and facilities for children or dogs can affect your plans.
Specialities, places to eat, sweets and bakeries can all give you a reason to stop. Check individual menus for current prices and availability.
A meal, a sweet treat, market shopping or something to take away: choose a focus for the day instead of trying everything at once.
For a meal featuring Yusuhara meat and mountain ingredients. Some are listed as weekend and holiday-period dishes, so check the dining hall’s opening days and current menu if food is your main reason to visit.
Popular dishes may be limited in quantity or served only on certain days.
The weekday dining menu is listed as limited. Curry, ramen or something sweet can make a simpler stop than a full sightseeing meal.
The dining hall is closed to general customers on group-booking days; check its official notices.
Even if you miss dining hall hours, Kumonoue sweets make a Yusuhara souvenir. The market is handy for a small gift or snack for the car.
Selection varies by season and time of day.
For shopping that shows daily life in town as well as tourist souvenirs. Vegetables and processed foods offer a sense of this town at the foot of the Shikoku Karst.
If you are seeking a particular farm product, an earlier visit is advisable.
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Even during renovations, this mountain stop on Route 197 brings together hot springs, a market, a pool and forest play.
A hot spring and heated pool that can turn a quick Yusuhara rest stop into a half-day visit.
Combine hot springs, camping, forest learning and outdoor play in one mountain park.
From wooden toys indoors on rainy days to suspended-net play in the forest in fine weather.
Wood architecture using Yusuhara timber, with the forest close by and the station nearby.
Add town-center shopping and another Kengo Kuma building to a station visit.
Spend a rainy Yusuhara day among books and the scent of wood.
For a hot spring break after mountain driving, or an indoor family visit in rain or heat
For adding forest play or camping to a stop for food and shopping
For active elementary-school children, or indoor wooden-toy play when rain or heat changes plans
For a brief look at Yusuhara wood architecture before or after a meal or hot spring visit
For adding town-center produce, crafts or lodging to shopping at the roadside station
For switching to an indoor wooden space with children on rainy or hot days
For extending a clear-day meal and hot spring stop into a highland scenic drive
Send your travel companions a possible stop.
