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Beppu

You don't have to look far in Beppu (別府) to see the reason for its popularity: steam rising from vents in the earth means there are onsen-bathing opportunities galore. Beppu is by turns quaint and touristy, modern and traditional, solid and rickety, but the charm of this hilly, hospitable city grows on visitors as sure as the waters are balmy. Winter visitors get the seasonal treat of seeing the entire town filled with warm escaping steam.

Located in in Ōita Prefecture, Beppu's also one of Kyūshū's more international cities, thanks to the large foreign-student population at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, locally known as APU.

Explore Beppu

B
Beppu Traditional Bamboo Crafts Centre
You may be blown away by the versatility of bamboo, which grows copiously in the Beppu region. In the ground-floor gallery, intricate, refined pieces span…
O
Onsen Hells
Beppu's most-hyped attraction is the jigoku meguri ('hell circuit'; groups of boiling hot springs), where waters bubble forth from below the ground with…
Y
Yama Jigoku
Yama is not included in the onsen meguri ticket and must be visited separately. A variety of animals are kept here in enclosures that look uncomfortably…
O
Oni-yama Jigoku
Oni-yama is especially known for the 80-plus crocodiles that have been bred here since the Taishō period (1912–26). It's one of the Kannawa group's jigoku…
S
Shira-ike Jigoku
One of the Kannawa group's hells, Shira-ike has blue-white water and a Japanese garden. It tends to be the quietest of the neighbourhood's jigoku (hells;…
U
Umi Jigoku
Umi is a steamy blue due to iron oxide in its 98°C water. It's said to be about 200m down to the source. One of the Kannawa group's jigoku (hells; boiling…
K
Kamado Jigoku
So named because it was once used for cooking (kamado means stove in Japanese). One of the Kannawa group's jigoku (hells; boiling hot springs).
O
Oniishibōzu Jigoku
One of the Kannawa group's jigoku (hells; boiling hot springs), Oniishibōzu has bubbling grey mud that looks like a monk's shaved head.
T
Tatsumaki Jigoku
Set in Beppu's smaller group of jigoku (hells; boiling hot springs), Tatsumaki has a geyser that shoots off about every 35 minutes.

B
Beppu Traditional Bamboo Crafts Centre
You may be blown away by the versatility of bamboo, which grows copiously in the Beppu region. In the ground-floor gallery, intricate, refined pieces span…
O
Onsen Hells
Beppu's most-hyped attraction is the jigoku meguri ('hell circuit'; groups of boiling hot springs), where waters bubble forth from below the ground with…
Y
Yama Jigoku
Yama is not included in the onsen meguri ticket and must be visited separately. A variety of animals are kept here in enclosures that look uncomfortably…
O
Oni-yama Jigoku
Oni-yama is especially known for the 80-plus crocodiles that have been bred here since the Taishō period (1912–26). It's one of the Kannawa group's jigoku…
S
Shira-ike Jigoku
One of the Kannawa group's hells, Shira-ike has blue-white water and a Japanese garden. It tends to be the quietest of the neighbourhood's jigoku (hells;…
U
Umi Jigoku
Umi is a steamy blue due to iron oxide in its 98°C water. It's said to be about 200m down to the source. One of the Kannawa group's jigoku (hells; boiling…
K
Kamado Jigoku
So named because it was once used for cooking (kamado means stove in Japanese). One of the Kannawa group's jigoku (hells; boiling hot springs).
O
Oniishibōzu Jigoku
One of the Kannawa group's jigoku (hells; boiling hot springs), Oniishibōzu has bubbling grey mud that looks like a monk's shaved head.
T
Tatsumaki Jigoku
Set in Beppu's smaller group of jigoku (hells; boiling hot springs), Tatsumaki has a geyser that shoots off about every 35 minutes.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Beppu.

See
Beppu Traditional Bamboo Crafts Centre
You may be blown away by the versatility of bamboo, which grows copiously in the Beppu region. In the ground-floor gallery, intricate, refined pieces span…
See
Onsen Hells
Beppu's most-hyped attraction is the jigoku meguri ('hell circuit'; groups of boiling hot springs), where waters bubble forth from below the ground with…
See
Yama Jigoku
Yama is not included in the onsen meguri ticket and must be visited separately. A variety of animals are kept here in enclosures that look uncomfortably…
See
Oni-yama Jigoku
Oni-yama is especially known for the 80-plus crocodiles that have been bred here since the Taishō period (1912–26). It's one of the Kannawa group's jigoku…
See
Shira-ike Jigoku
One of the Kannawa group's hells, Shira-ike has blue-white water and a Japanese garden. It tends to be the quietest of the neighbourhood's jigoku (hells;…
See
Umi Jigoku
Umi is a steamy blue due to iron oxide in its 98°C water. It's said to be about 200m down to the source. One of the Kannawa group's jigoku (hells; boiling…
See
Kamado Jigoku
So named because it was once used for cooking (kamado means stove in Japanese). One of the Kannawa group's jigoku (hells; boiling hot springs).
See
Oniishibōzu Jigoku
One of the Kannawa group's jigoku (hells; boiling hot springs), Oniishibōzu has bubbling grey mud that looks like a monk's shaved head.
See
Tatsumaki Jigoku
Set in Beppu's smaller group of jigoku (hells; boiling hot springs), Tatsumaki has a geyser that shoots off about every 35 minutes.

Guidebooks

Learn more about Beppu

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