The hells of Beppu Onsen
Located in Oita Prefecture on Japan's third largest island of Kyushu, the city of Beppu is well known as one of the country's most beloved hot spring destinations. With around 102,000 liters of steaming, mineral rich water pouring out from over 2,800 sources throughout the city, it's also the most productive - a gift from the area's unique volcanic geology, embodied in the looming form of nearby Mount Tsurumi.
Widely regarded as boasting some of the finest hot springs in the world, the city and its surroundings can be subdivided into eight distinct areas - each with its own unique mineral properties - making it an ideal destination for onsen aficionados looking to deepen their experience, or simply as a relaxing pause in any Kyushu itinerary.
Accessible from Tokyo by shinkansen and Sonic limited express in around six hours, Beppu can be reached more easily by domestic flight via Oita Airport, and combines well with other nearby destinations in Kyushu like Kitakyushu, Yufuin and Mount Aso.
For visitors interested in sightseeing as well as bathing, the Beppu Round Tour Passport offers excellent value for money, with free admission to 17 attractions spread across the city and its surroundings. Included among these are each of the locations featured in this article, with the sole exception of Jigoku Mushi Kobo Kannawa. Available for one day (3,800 yen) or two (6,000 yen), the pass can be purchased online and comes in the form of a QR code to be scanned on entry at each attraction.
Day 1: Kannawa and central Beppu
To get a sense of the sheer, latent power fueling the town's many baths, a great place to start is its seven "hells" - a series of ponds, mud pools and steam vents where geothermal energies are released, sometimes in spectacular fashion. After arriving into Beppu Station then, my first stop was a 15-minute bus ride away at Kannawa - a popular sightseeing area, where five of the seven "hells" are located.
In ancient times, the region was known as a cursed place of unearthly bubbling pools and hissing gas vents, where the soil was bleached and lifeless, and the inhabitants of nearby villages were afraid even to approach. According to local tradition, that all changed thanks to the itinerant monk Ippen, who calmed the area's violent geothermal energy through prayer, allowing it to be tamed and redirected to serve mankind.
My first stop here was at Kamado Jigoku, or "cooking pot hell", a touristy area with six different geothermal pools, ranging from thick, sepia colored mud to a milky crystal blue. Another notable feature is the many images of oni, a kind of demon or ogre once said to have lived in caves or deep in the mountains.
According to local legend, there was a time when the area was terrorized by an oni, appearing every night to carry off and devour its inhabitants. At their wits end, the villagers prayed at their local shrine to drive away their tormentor. In response, the deity of the shrine made a bet with the ogre that he would be unable to build 100 stone steps up the hill to the shrine entrance in a single night - if he succeeded, he would be rewarded with a human sacrifice every night, but if he failed, he must promise to leave the villagers in peace.
Thankfully, the ogre was still one stone short at the moment the rooster crowed - but to thank him for his effort in building the new stone steps, the ogre was allowed to stay and guard the entrance to the Kamado hot springs, under the watchful eye of the dragon god, Ryujin.
Today, Kamado Jigoku caters to groups of visitors from various countries with guided tours introducing and sometimes interacting with its several distinct hot springs - sprinkling lit incense over the steaming vents, causing them to send up thick plumes of smoke and even change their color.
Completing the experience, visitors can pour themselves cups of hot spring water straight from the source, take a relaxing footbath or try a selection of snacks enhanced by exposure to the various minerals naturally present in the springs, from sweet buns and soy sauce pudding to the old classic of onsen eggs.
Just a short walk away, I stopped in at a second of the local "hells" known as Shiraike Jigoku - a small lake turned a milky white color by its high sodium chloride content, surrounded by a pleasant strolling garden and with a big column of steam rising up from the center.
One of the highlights for me in this part of town was Umi Jigoku or "Sea Hell", a nicely landscaped area featuring a large lotus pond and two quite different hot springs - the cobalt blue pool from which it takes its name is heated to around 100 degrees and ringed with hissing vents, while the second strikes a contrast with rust colored water.
Making my way around, I was struck both by the beauty of the setting and the raw, tangible power of the springs themselves - with large columns of steam rising up to flood the air at regular intervals.
The last of the "hells" I visited, Oniishi Bozu Jigoku enjoys a certain special status owing to its age, appearing as long ago as 733 in a court document reporting on provincial geography and customs. Although initially shunned, the area began to draw travelers and by the Meiji Period had gone from a local curiosity to a tourist destination in its own right.
The area takes its name from its muddy, ash colored pools, producing thick bubbles cheekily said to resemble the top of a monk's shaved head. Another distinctive feature is the low, rumbling sounds that can periodically be heard just below the surface, known locally as "demon snores".
After a pleasant stroll around the grounds, it was at last time to try the local waters for myself. Directly adjacent to and partially overlooking Oniishi Bozu Jigoku is Oniishi No Yu - a small but attractively furnished day visit hot spring facility, surrounded by tall, sheltering greenery.
Inside I found a mix of indoor and outdoor baths, the latter including a top floor panoramic onsen deck, allowing me to soak in the salty and slightly acidic water while enjoying a view of the garden below, high stalks of bamboo swaying softly around me in the breeze.
Having seen three of the "hells" up close and now feeling warm and refreshed from my bath, I was ready to delve into the science behind Beppu's hot springs at the Beppu Kannawa Jigoku Onsen Museum. Set in an attractive modern building just across from Shiraike Jigoku, the museum focuses on the 50-year cycle that transforms rain into hot spring water, telling that story through a series of elaborate and highly immersive exhibits.
Inside, the museum leads visitors on a kind of treasure hunt, passing through a creatively lit, cave-like space representing the long journey of water through a labyrinth of underground structures and into naturally occurring warm water systems.
Reaching the end, I found myself in a theater that was also, delightfully, a detailed mock-up of a typical hot spring bath, where a short animated film took me through the history of Beppu itself - neatly connecting the museum's more science-based content with the region's cultural identity.
The museum's final room is a temporary exhibition space, at the time of my visit showcasing local artists Abe Kentaro and Yoshioka Saki in an eye-catching neon pink setting. Collectively known as the Cabin Company, the duo have long been fascinated by Beppu's relationship with its hot springs and regularly address it in their work, ranging from sculpture to picturebooks. Exhibitions change annually, with the current one set to continue until May 12 of 2025.
Across a main road and slightly downhill from the museum, I made a stop for lunch at Jigoku Mushi Kobo Kannawa - a popular local restaurant preserving the centuries-old tradition of harnessing geothermal steam to cook with. Choosing from a menu of vegetable, meat and seafood platters, I received my food and, donning a pair of protective gloves, sealed it inside one of the restaurant's unique steam vent ovens to cook for 15 minutes.
When my time was up, my meal emerged piping hot and packed with flavor, the natural steam adding some saltiness as well as a hint of mineral flavor, perfectly matched with a dash of citrusy ponzu sauce.
Full from my meal, I continued to work my way downhill passing guesthouses and more day-visit baths. A leisurely 20-minute stroll brought me to my next stop at the Oita Fragrance Museum - a unique facility charting the history and craft of perfume making from ancient times to the present.
On the ground floor are displayed various tools of the trade including a full-sized perfume distiller, and a gallery of world perfumes displaying stylishly designed bottles from some of the world's most iconic perfume brands.
The second floor takes us on a tour of sorts through the long history of perfumes, from their use in the Ancient Egyption embalming process through the ritualized lifestyle of the Japanese imperial court and beyond into the modern age.
Leaving the museum behind, I continued a little further downhill towards the coast before jumping on a train at Beppudaigaku Station bound for the city center. Getting off about 15 minutes later at Beppu Station, another ten minutes on foot brought me to my final visit of the day at Beppu Tower - a 100 meter tall lattice structure featuring some tourist facilities and a striking view over the city's rooftops.
Before making my way up to the top floor observation deck, I first made a stop at the Beppu Art Museum - a simple but appealing space in the base of the tower. Looking past the slightly worn decor and fading models of the building, I spent a very enjoyable half-hour or so pouring through the pieces on display, which ranged from antique hanging scrolls to rare lithographs by famous artists like Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro.
One section within the gallery is set aside for paintings by Japanese celebrities, and while I recognized barely a handful of the names on display, I was delighted to come across several works by Kurosawa Akira, director of classic movies like Seven Samurai and Ikiru.
Keen not to miss the light, I at last made my way up to the split-level observation deck and rounded off my day of sightseeing with a sweeping view across the town's rooftops towards Mount Tsurumi.
Day 2: The surrounding countryside
For my second day in Beppu I had decided to leave the city center behind and visit a couple of spots in the surrounding countryside. Outfitted with a rental car from a shop just a few steps from Beppu Station, I took a winding road west out of the city and around the base of nearby Mount Tsurumi to Kijima Kogen Park - an amusement park in the highly scenic location of a highland plateau, the peak of Mount Yufu rising gracefully over the horizon.
Passing through the ticket gate, I couldn't help making a beeline directly for an impressively large rollercoaster at the opposite end. Known as Jupiter, this turned out to be built on an entirely wooden lattice structure, adding a powerful rattling effect to the thrill of its multiple twists and turns.
After my first ride, I soon discovered two more favorites: the 40 meter tall Newton lifted me high into the air before launching me back down again at crushing speed, while the Super L&S Coaster took me through two sharp twists and a full, dizzying somersault.
Exhilarated and more than a little dazed, I moved on to the Tomishiro NGA Zone - an indoor light-mapping attraction created in partnership with the popular gaming company Square Enix. At the time of my visit, the attraction was split into two games, both open to teams or solo players. In Yokero, players try to outlast a countdown while hopping between fast moving squares and circles, while Arkinvaders - a hybrid of classic space invaders and ping pong - has the player rushing to bounce missiles back at a swarm of alien spacecraft.
Aside from its quite respectable list of high-speed rides, the park boasts enough fairground style attractions to keep younger kids occupied for hours, from carousels and pirate ships to go karts.
Despite lacking a little polish compared to better-known rivals like Tokyo Disneyland or USJ in Osaka, I found a lot to like about the park's unique attractions, cozy atmosphere and pleasantly retro vibe, and I could easily see it as a fun side excursion either for younger travelers or those with kids to entertain.
My time in Beppu was drawing to a close as I pulled out of the parking lot and began to wind my way back towards the city center, but there was still time for one last relaxing break before starting my journey home to Tokyo. Located right at the edge of town on the slope of Mount Tsurumi, Sakurayu is a very scenic hot spring complex, with 20 separate private baths and one larger public bath arranged around a leafy private garden.
For my final bath in Beppu, I chose Mazakura, or "plentiful cherry blossom" - a private bath with a luxurious cypress tub, walls lined with rough textured rock and a large window looking out onto a little garden lined with cherry blossom trees.
Although clear and largely scentless, the water here is said to be rich in sodium and magnesium, potentially offering relief to a wide range of aches and ailments. In my case however, it was enough to lie back in the deliciously hot, silky water, drinking in these last drops of Beppu's atmosphere and wondering where my next trip might take me.
