Beppu
Japan's steaming hot-spring capital
Go because no place in Japan does hot springs on this scale — a whole city wreathed in steam, producing more thermal water than anywhere else in the country.
Come for the surreal "hells" of Beppu — vividly coloured, boiling geothermal pools you view rather than bathe in, from cobalt blue to blood red; for every kind of hot-spring bathing imaginable, including hot sand baths; and for the atmosphere of a town where steam rises from the drains and the hillsides alike. Onsen heaven.
Few places announce themselves quite like Beppu. Approach this town on the east coast of Kyūshū and you'll see it before you arrive — columns of steam rising from all across the hillside, the visible breath of the greatest concentration of hot springs in Japan. Beppu produces more geothermal water than anywhere else in the country, and it has built an entire culture around it: baths of every temperature and mineral, sand baths and steam baths, and the famous "hells," where the earth's heat is so fierce the pools can only be looked at. For anyone who loves onsen — or is simply curious about them — it's unmissable.
A little background
Beppu sits atop one of the most geothermally active spots in Japan, and has been a bathing resort for centuries. Its eight "hells" (jigoku) — pools far too hot for bathing, each with its own vivid colour or character — were long regarded with superstitious dread and are now the town's signature sight. Around them, hundreds of ordinary onsen serve the everyday business of soaking, making Beppu a place where hot water is simply woven into daily life.
What to see
The hells (Jigoku Meguri). A tour of the geothermal pools you view rather than bathe in: the milky cobalt "Sea Hell," the rust-red "Blood Pond Hell," a steaming geyser, and more. Touristy but genuinely striking — a combined ticket covers the main ones.
The bathing. This is the point of Beppu: soak in mineral baths across the town's several hot-spring districts, from grand old public baths to hillside rotenburo with sea views.
Sand baths. A local specialty — lie on the beach and be buried up to your neck in naturally steam-heated sand, an oddly wonderful experience.
Yufuin. Over the hills, the more refined, arty onsen town of Yufuin makes a lovely contrast — craft shops and galleries beneath the twin peaks of Mount Yufu.
How to get there
Beppu is on the east coast of Kyūshū, about 2 hours from Fukuoka by limited-express train (there's no shinkansen on this route). It's also reachable from Kagoshima and the rest of the island by rail. The hells and bathing districts are spread around town, linked by local buses; a day pass helps.
When to go & practical notes
Year-round — hot springs are, if anything, best in cool weather, so autumn and winter are wonderful here (summer bathing can be sweaty). Remember standard onsen etiquette: wash thoroughly before entering, no swimsuits, tie up long hair, and note that visible tattoos are still barred at some baths (ask, or look for tattoo-friendly onsen). Beppu rewards an overnight in a hot-spring ryokan, and pairs beautifully with a visit to nearby Yufuin.