Restaurant in Oita, Japan
Book it if vegetables are your priority.
Jimgu is the standout innovative-cuisine dinner in Yufuin, Oita — a vegetable-forward tasting menu inside ENOWA YUFUIN hotel with a Tabelog Award Bronze 2026 and Relais & Chateaux recognition earned in under two years. Budget ¥30,000–¥40,000 per person including drinks. Book through the hotel directly and plan it as an anchor for a Yufuin overnight stay.
Getting a table at Jimgu is easier than you might expect for a Tabelog Award Bronze winner — online reservations are currently listed as unavailable through Tabelog, which means you will need to book directly through ENOWA YUFUIN, the hotel that houses the restaurant. That extra step is worth taking. Jimgu opened in June 2023 and has accumulated serious credentials in under two years: a Tabelog score of 3.87, selection for the Tabelog Innovative/Creative Cuisine "Tabelog 100" in 2025, and a Relais & Chateaux recognition in the same year. For a restaurant this new, that is a fast trajectory. If you are already planning a stay in Yufuin, this is the dinner you should build your itinerary around.
Jimgu sits inside ENOWA YUFUIN, a hotel property in the mountain resort town of Yufuin in Oita Prefecture. Yufuin is known across Japan for its onsen culture and quieter register compared to nearby Beppu — arriving here already signals a preference for atmosphere over convenience. The restaurant opened on 8 June 2023 under chef Tashi Gyamtso, and the Tabelog category that defines it is "Innovative" , meaning the menu moves beyond kaiseki tradition into creative territory while keeping vegetables at the centre of the cooking philosophy.
Spatially, Jimgu is well-configured for different party sizes and occasions. The room holds 38 seats split across sofa seating (16 seats), table seating (16 seats), and a private room for up to 6 guests. Private rooms are available for parties of 2, 4, or 6 and carry a usage fee of 33,000 yen per session , a meaningful addition to your bill but reasonable if privacy matters to your group. The hotel also permits full private buyout for groups of up to 20 people, which makes Jimgu a viable option for a corporate dinner or a milestone celebration if you are willing to plan ahead. Dress code is enforced at the hotel level: no indoor wear, which in practice means smart casual at minimum.
Dinner runs at seatings of 17:30, 18:00, and 18:30 across all days of the week, with no fixed closing day , check current availability when booking. The format here is a tasting menu built around vegetables, with the kitchen's stated focus on drawing out flavour from produce grown in the Yufuin region. The progression of that menu is the core proposition: this is not a restaurant where you order à la carte and eat what you want. You are committing to the chef's arc for the evening, which given the Innovative categorisation means expect courses that involve technique , but grounded in local agricultural identity rather than international modernist reference points.
Budget ¥20,000–¥29,999 at the listed price, though reviewer-reported spending typically runs ¥30,000–¥39,999 per person for dinner when drinks are included. A sommelier is on staff, and the wine program is described as a particular focus , alongside sake, shochu, and cocktails. If you care about wine pairing with a vegetable-forward tasting menu, the presence of a dedicated sommelier is a practical plus. Vegetarian options are explicitly listed, which is relevant for a kitchen that already centres vegetables: this is one of the more accessible tasting-menu environments in the region for non-meat-eating guests.
Getting here requires planning. From Yufuin Station it is roughly 5 minutes by taxi or 30 minutes on foot. From Oita Airport, allow approximately 50 minutes by car. From Fukuoka, budget around 1 hour 30 minutes by car or 2 hours 30 minutes by bus to Yufuin. Hotel parking is available. This is not a restaurant you drop into on a whim , it is a destination dinner that requires a trip to Yufuin itself, which is the correct framing. Book it as the anchor of a night or a two-night stay rather than a standalone meal.
For context within Japan's innovative dining category, Jimgu sits in comparable company to venues like Goh in Fukuoka or akordu in Nara , restaurants that combine strong regional identity with a format that moves beyond classical Japanese cuisine. It is not operating at the price or density of Tokyo's top tier, such as Harutaka in Tokyo or HAJIME in Osaka, but at ¥30,000–¥40,000 all-in it is not a budget meal either. Within Oita, it is the most credentialled innovative-cuisine option currently available. If you want a reference point for what Relais & Chateaux membership signals: the network includes properties like Gion Sasaki in Kyoto and Mitsuyasu in Kyoto , Jimgu is operating in that tier of intentional, hospitality-led dining, just in a far less visited geography.
Payment by credit card (VISA, Mastercard, AMEX) is accepted. Electronic money and QR code payments are not. The restaurant is non-smoking throughout. For more options in the region, see our full Oita restaurants guide, and for planning the wider trip, check our Oita hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.
Jimgu is a tasting-menu-only restaurant inside the ENOWA YUFUIN hotel. Plan to spend ¥30,000–¥40,000 per person including drinks, arrive in smart casual dress (no indoor wear), and book through the hotel website since Tabelog reservations are currently unavailable online. It opened in 2023 and has earned Tabelog Award Bronze and Relais & Chateaux recognition quickly , the credentials are real, and the format rewards guests who come expecting a full evening rather than a quick dinner.
There is no à la carte ordering , Jimgu runs a tasting menu format. The kitchen's focus is vegetable-forward innovative cuisine under chef Tashi Gyamtso, which earned it selection in the Tabelog Innovative/Creative Cuisine "Tabelog 100" for 2025. Your main decisions are whether to add a wine pairing (a sommelier is on staff and the wine program is a stated priority) or opt for sake and shochu instead. Both work well alongside a vegetable-centred progression.
Vegetarian options are explicitly listed, which is notable for a kitchen already focused on vegetables , you are unlikely to be navigating a heavily meat-based menu regardless. For other dietary requirements, contact the restaurant directly via the ENOWA YUFUIN website. There is no confirmed allergen protocol in the available data, so communicate in advance rather than on arrival.
Yes, with options at different scales. Private rooms accommodate 2, 4, or 6 guests at a usage fee of 33,000 yen per session. For larger groups, full private buyout is available for up to 20 people , contact the hotel directly to arrange. The main dining room holds 38 seats total. For any group booking, especially private use, expect to plan several weeks ahead.
It is a strong choice for a milestone dinner, particularly if you are combining it with a stay in Yufuin. The private room option (33,000 yen surcharge, up to 6 guests) makes it practical for an intimate celebration. The Tabelog Award Bronze, Relais & Chateaux membership, and ¥30,000–¥40,000 price point all position it as a special-occasion restaurant rather than an everyday option. The hotel setting in Yufuin adds to the occasion rather than diluting it.
There is no bar counter listed in the seating configuration. Jimgu's 38 seats are divided between sofa seating, table seating, and the private room. If counter dining or a bar experience is important to you, this is not the right format , consider venues structured around counter seating, such as Beppu Hirokado in Oita, for a different experience.
For Japanese cuisine in Oita, Beppu Hirokado and Aji Arai are the main peer options. Ito is another point of comparison in the region. Jimgu is the only Tabelog Award Bronze winner in Oita's innovative-cuisine category at this price point, so if that specific format is what you are after, there is no direct local substitute. If you are open to travelling within Kyushu, Goh in Fukuoka operates in a comparable creative register at a higher price tier.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Jimgu | — | |
| Beppu Hirokado | — | |
| Aji Arai | — | |
| Ito | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Yes, up to 20 people for private use of the full space. Private rooms seat 2, 4, or 6 guests with a session fee of ¥33,000, and the main dining room holds 38 seats across sofa and table configurations. For groups of 4 to 6, booking the private room is the practical move — it avoids the session fee being split too thinly and keeps the experience focused.
Vegetarians are well-positioned here: the kitchen at Jimgu explicitly focuses on vegetables, and vegetarian options are listed as available. For other restrictions, check the venue's official channels via ENOWA YUFUIN (enowa-yufuin.jp) ahead of your booking, as the kitchen works within a set format.
Jimgu operates as an innovative/creative cuisine restaurant with a vegetable-forward kitchen focus — meaning the menu is set rather than à la carte. Expect a structured dinner experience rather than individual dish selection. The wine programme is a deliberate part of the meal, with a sommelier on staff, so the wine pairing is worth factoring into your ¥20,000–¥29,999 budget planning.
Beppu Hirokado is the comparison to consider if you want a more traditionally rooted Japanese experience in Oita rather than Jimgu's vegetable-driven innovative format. Aji Arai skews toward classic Japanese cooking and suits diners who want less experimentation. Ito is the option if you prioritise refined fish-forward cuisine over produce-led creativity. Jimgu's Tabelog Bronze 2026 and Relais & Châteaux affiliation give it the strongest credentials of the set for destination dining.
Yes, it's well set up for it. Private rooms accommodate 2 to 6 guests with a dedicated session fee of ¥33,000, and the hotel setting at ENOWA YUFUIN adds context that most standalone restaurants in Oita can't match. The Relais & Châteaux affiliation and Tabelog Bronze 2026 give it the kind of credentialled backdrop that makes a celebratory dinner feel substantiated rather than arbitrary.
There is no bar counter listed in the seating breakdown — Jimgu's 38 seats are split between sofa seating, table seating, and a private room. The venue is a hotel restaurant operating on set dinner slots (17:30, 18:00, or 18:30), so the format is structured dining rather than casual counter eating. Walk-in bar seating is not a realistic option here.
Jimgu is inside ENOWA YUFUIN, a hotel property in Yufuin — you're about 5 minutes by taxi from Yufuin Station, not in a standalone street-front restaurant. Online reservations are listed as unavailable on Tabelog, so booking through the hotel (enowa-yufuin.jp) is the route to securing a table. Dinner runs ¥20,000–¥29,999 at listed rates, with reviewer-reported spend closer to ¥30,000–¥39,999 once drinks are included. Dress code enforces no indoor/casualwear, and the hotel context means you should arrive accordingly.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
