A First-Timer’s Guide to Beppu: Hells, Hot Springs, and Hidden Surprises

Beppu was the first stop on my back-to-back-to-back onsen hopping adventure in Kyushu, followed by Yufuin and Kurokawa. Technically, there would be 4th ‘back’ if you count the onsen onboard the overnight Sunflower Ferry I took from Osaka to Beppu.

The beautiful morning soak at first light along with a massive buffet breakfast had me clean, rested, and refreshed in Beppu by 7 am ready to go.

With two full days and nights before heading to Yufuin, I wanted to properly explore one of Japan’s quirkiest and most geo-thermally active onsen towns.

In Beppu, the ‘hell-steam’ that rises from the sidewalks and chimneys all over town is also harnessed to cook meals and make one of the most delicious puddings. And also, lions roam the hills. Why not?

Think of this guide as part itinerary, part to-do list, and part journal where I ask myself if half of the places are real.

So, hopefully this helps you make the most of your time here.

What Is Beppu Really Like?

Beppu is a balance of weird and wonderful. It has character but also, some parts of the town feel a bit long in the tooth and run down. Not so much ancient as just a bit old.

A lot of the development downtown feels like it’s from the 80’s and 90’s when Beppu’s population and popularity peaked.

The area about Beppu Station is packed with izakayas, bars, cabarets, and clubs. It’s also the de-facto red-light district, which makes the area feel quite deserted during the day and a bit seedier at night.

I can imagine what this place might have looked like a couple of decades back during its heyday.

On the other hand, the natural attraction of the ‘hells’ or jigoku in Japanese look well-maintained as are many of the onsen and ryokans in town.

The Kannawa area is still charming and elsewhere, the city still caters to locals and Japanese visitors as much as tourist. And this is what makes it the onsen-capital of Kyushu and a draw for all types of visitors.

How Many Days Do You Need For Beppu?

Beppu is the second largest city in the Oita Prefecture, so it’s a proper city. If you’re just looking to hit up the main sights, you can do it all in a full day or spread out over 1.5 days. However, I recommend spending at least two nights here so you can visit the different spots at a leisurely pace and also enjoy the baths.

You can use it as a base to explore Yufuin as a day trip. If you’re traveling onwards to Kurokawa, then I would consider spending the extra night in Yufuin instead. Bathing in the onsen or staying in a ryokan here wouldn’t have to be a priority if you’re planning to do it in Kurokawa or Yufuin.

Where To Stay In Beppu

Beppu is not a quaint onsen town. It’s a proper urban city, so things are a bit more spread out. However, I found that there’s three main areas to consider if you’re looking to explore the city.

Beppu Station Area

Overall, this is generally a more accessible area, close to all the bus lines for Beppu and neighboring Yufuin. You’ll find more options in this area.

At night, there are lots of bars and izakayas that are open. Just note that it overlaps with the red-light entertainment district, so just something to be aware of. It did not feel unsafe at all while I was there.

It’s also close to the waterfront and a short ride from the Ferry Terminal. What’s great are the hotels with rooftop onsen that overlook the sea like the Umino Hotel Hajime and Hoshino Resorts Kai that’s still right downtown. REX Hotel Beppu is on the waterfront just a bit further north, but you get the sea-facing room as well as the open air oceanfront onsen.

If you’re a budget, there’s a stylish cafe at Sunline Beppu where I popped in for coffee that is also a hostel with a small onsen. Most hotels in the Beppu Station area fall in into mid-to-high 8s as far as ratings, possibly due to the area before further away from the Hells.

You can start with any of the options above, open up the area map and browse through the myriad of options for something that suits your budget, since this is the densely populated area with the many hotel options.

Kannawa (Onsen and Hells District)

If you’re here to experience the Hells of Beppu and all the onsen or geothermal related activities, it’s better to stay in the Kannawa area. You’ll find more ryokans here compared to other parts of the city where you’re run into more normal hotels. It’s a bit more quiet in the evenings, but if you’re having dinner at your ryokan or prefer to have the evening in, this is the better area.

Kannawaen is right by all the hells and their modern Japanese rooms have stunning private indoor baths. But their indoor and outdoor baths look even nicer. If you’re on a budget, Hiromiya offers clean and simple rooms within walking distances of most of the attractions.

If you want the best ryokan experience in Beppu, you should check out theSekiya Resort Bettei Haruki and the room with the private open-air bath or the InterContinental Beppu Resort for a more conventional luxury resort stay with the most coveted view of the city.

Amane Resort Sekai is not quite the Kannawa area, but it’s directly east of it right on the waterfront. It’s still close enough to easily get to the Kannawa area by car or public transportation (15 minutes), but you get that ocean view from the baths and some of the rooms have private baths on the balcony.

Picking Up A Kamenoi Bus Pass

To simplify your travels around Beppu, especially if you’re visiting all the Hells of Beppu, I highly recommend picking up a Kamenoi Bus Pass.

You can exchange for the physical pass right in the arrival hall at Fukuoka International Airport.

The Mini Pass gets you unlimited transportation around Beppu City and costs ¥1100. For reference, single rides typically cost between ¥140 – ¥330 and the ride to the Beppu Ropeway alone cost ¥500.

The Wide Pass includes extended coverage to Yufuin and the African Safari Park. Going to either one of the two location will cover the additional ¥700 for the Wide Pass.

The one-way trip to the Safari Park is ¥760 and the one-way bus to Yufuin cost ¥940.

You just scratch off the date that you’re planning to use and show the card to the bus driver  when you get on and off. It’s much easier than fumbling with coins.

Stop 1: An African Safari…In Beppu?

One of the strangest and most unexpected finds on my trip was the Kyushu Wildlife Park African Safari, located about 40 minutes from Beppu by bus. 

Big horn sheep, camels, bears, kangaroos. Even 3 out of the Big 5 are here: lions, rhinoceros, and elephants.

The park itself has several petting zoo area where you can handle guinea pigs, and feed miniature horses and kangaroos. Great for families with kids.

I quite liked seeing the squirrel monkeys jumping around.

Safely Feeding Lions and Bears

But the main attraction is the drive-through safari on animal-shaped caged trucks. Every gets a tray of food and metal thongs so you can feed the bigger animals. There are instructions so you know what to feed to which animals, and the ones you’re not supposed to feed.

You’re never going to get this close this close to a bear or a lion – by choice.

I’ll admit I had mixed feelings. It was fun, but watching a lion press up against the cage for a scrap of meat isn’t exactly how I imagine seeing such a majestic animal.

Everyone on the truck seemed to be enjoying the experience, so it’s your call if you want to go. I enjoy random experiences, so it felt like a bonus to go on a little safari when I was meant to be on an onsen-hopping adventure. The highlight was seeing a rhino, which is always quite a sight for me.

Admission Fee: ¥2600 for adults (high school and up) and ¥1500 for children (4 to junior high school)

Jungle Car Fare: ¥1500. Reserve a timed-slot on first-come, first-serve basis.

How To Get To Kyushu Wildlife Park African Safari

The Kamenoi Bus #41 takes 45 minutes from Beppu Station and cost ¥760 one way. It’s included with the Kamenoi Wide Area Pass.

Stop 2: ‘Hell-Steamed’ Pudding and Karaage at the Mountainside Okamotoya Restaurant

On my way to the Safari Park, I noticed quite a few people getting off at a quaint-looking roadside spot. Curious, I stopped there on the way back and it turned out to be one of my favorite surprise in Beppu.

They must have known something, because in the middle of nowhere, a rustic cafe overlooks the town of Beppu.

Outside, eggs are cooked using the steam coming from inside a well. Inside Okamotoya, a wood-burning stove warms up the wood-furnished dining room. I was lucky to find a seat by the window.

The specialty here are their soft-boiled hot spring eggs and their famous pudding cooked with the natural ‘hell-steam.‘

I ordered a bowl of rice topped with one of those onsen eggs and sprinkled with furikake and a side of crispy chicken karaage. It was so simple and yet so delightfully delicious, especially with the atmosphere of the place.

But the absolutely highlight was the steamed pudding. It’s like flan, but with a bittersweet coffee caramel that made it one of the best version of the dessert I’ve had anywhere in the world.

Stop 3: Visiting the Hells of Beppu

Beppu’s biggest attraction is its visually surreal collection of hot spring ponds known as the Seven Hells of Beppu, or the ‘Jigoku Meguri.’ These are not for bathing, as they reach temperatures of 100°C, but they certainly beautiful.

I visited the Umi Jigoku, and that’s the one I’d recommend if you only have time for one.

Inside the visitor hall is a gift shop, cafe (where you can also try the steamed pudding), and a small exhibition hall on the second floor. You can get a great view of the pond from here.

The main pool is their namesake milky blue pond with an aggressive and unrelenting venting of steam from openings in the pool.

At first, I could only see the people standing around the pool in front of a wall of mist, but every so often, the wind would push the steam away just long enough to reveal its blue waters.

There’s a lovely walking path around a green pond with red Torii gates leading to a shrine.

Continuing on the loop you get to third red clay pond that was crimson as the other was blue, and a botanical garden with floating lily pads.

At the end, there’s a nice foot bath where you can sit and soak your feet for a bit.

Tip: I recommend traveling around Beppu with a small onsen towel to take advantage of the foot baths scattered around or if you plan on visiting one of the many public bathhouses, which you should absolutely do.

Do You Need To Visit All 7 Hells?

There are 7 different pools as part of the Hells of Beppu circuit. If you have the time, you can travel on your own by bus to see the pools.

Since my focus here was to try the different onsen, I was wondering if it was necessary to visit all 7 spots.

And the short answer, in my opinion, is that it is ‘not really necessary’ to see all 7 hells. While each hell is a little different, in color, layout, or the type of water, visiting one or two is enough if you just want to ‘see’ one of these ponds.

If you want to do the full circuit, it’s better to do a guided tour with a local Japanese guide who can give you insight into the ponds and tell you stories related to each one.

Alternatively, you can get a nationally-licensed guide for 4 hours to visit a number of different spots, that you decide together. That way you can visit 1-2 hells, the hell-steaming restaurant, ride the Beppu Ropeway to Mount Tsurumi, and/or visit the retro Takegawara Koji Arcade. There’s also a 6 hour option.

There are also a guided day visit from Fukuoka that visits the town of Hita, Yufuin, and then stops off at Umi Jigoku and Chinoike Jigoku.

The Seven Hells of Beppu

1. Umi Jigoku: a milky blue pool with strong venting steam.
2. Oniishibozu Jigoku: a series of a small bubbling gray mud pools surrounded by volcanic rocks
3. Shiraike Jigoku: a well landscaped milky white pond with a smaller aquarium.
4. Kamado Jigoku: another spot with multiple blue, green, and red ponds with a large demon statue and food stalls selling food cooked by the steams. Shares similarities with Umi Jigoku. Book here to get your onsen cooked steam egg with entry.
5. Oniyama Jigoku: a pond with very strong steam. The place is also home to a large number of caged crocodiles, which seems quite odd.
6. Chinoike Jigoku: despite being named for a dramatic  red “blood pond,” it’s more of a dull orange. It also has a large gift shop like Umi and a full restaurant where you can get the hell-steamed food.
7. Tatsumaki Jigoku: the only pond with a spouting geyser that erupts every 30–40 minutes.

1-5 are clustered together in the Kannawa District, while 6 and 7 are in the Shibaeseki District.

If you had to just pick one Hell to visit, I’d choose Umi Jigoku.

If you have time for one more, I’d either visit Shiraike Jigoku, to see a different colored pool or Oniishibozu to see the bubbling mud pool. There’s also a public bathhouse nearby if you want to bathe afterwards. I was good with just going to Umi Jigoku.

Admission Fee: Each pond costs ¥500 for adults and ¥250 for children. The 7 Hells Pass is ¥2400 yen and allows you entry into all the hells. It’s easier to book online.

Transportation: There are several bus lines that will take you to the different hells and takes about 20 minutes from Beppu Station. Google Maps works well.

Stop 4: View Beppu From Above

There’s a famous viewpoint where you can get a clear panoramic view of the city with all the steam rising from the bathhouses and ryokans. It’s not a bad idea to do this first before visiting the Hells, but I did it while waiting for a table to open up at the Jigoku Mushi Kobo Kannawa restaurant (see below).

Just before sunset, I made my way up to the Yukemuri Observation Deck. From here, you can see dozens of white plumes of steam drift upward from the roofs of ryokans and public bathhouses like the town is a living, breathing machine.

The guide at the visitor center pointed out something that brought about some deep reflection.

That from up [there] you can see that everything in the town from the food, bathing culture, daily life, and tourism is a gift that comes from the area’s geothermal heat.

Stop 5: Steam Your Own Meal Jigoku Mushi Style

A short walk back from the viewpoint brought me to Jigoku Mushi Kobo Kannawa, one of Beppu’s bucket list food experiences.

Make a selection from one of the many prepared trays of meat, seafood, and vegetables, buy a ticket for that tray along with one to rent “steaming time.” The whole process is called ‘jigoku mushi‘ which translates to ‘hell-steaming.’

Or you can do like the locals, and bring your own food, and pay a ‘bring-in’ fee of ¥600 – ¥800, sort of like a corkage fee in a restaurant.

Note: You’ll have to make sure they are prepped first, so no dirty vegetables, and things like fish will need to be scaled and clean ahead of time. Smelly foods and things like rice, or noodles are also not allowed because they take longer than 30 minutes to steam.

When it’s your turn, you take the tray of food into a small communal steam kitchen, lift the heavy wooden lids off the steaming boxes, and lower your tray into the hot mist. Wait 15 minutes and return to take your freshly thermal-cooked meal back to a table to enjoy.

It’s not going to be the best meal you’ll have in Japan, and it’s more about the novelty than the culinary experience – but it’s a fun and communal one that you shouldn’t miss out on while in Beppu. Enjoy the food simply as it is with some basic salt and pepper provided, or bring your own seasoning.

Tip: There’s a free foot bath next door, so if you have to wait in line, you can just soak your feet to pass the time.

Stop 6: Soaking and Sand Bath at Hyotan Onsen

After that light pre-dinner steamed meal, I made my way to Hyotan Onsen, one of Beppu’s most famous public bathhouses. It’s popular and crowded, but still worth visit – mainly because it’s many large bathing areas can accommodate the many visitors.

There are both indoor and outdoor baths, plus the famous sand baths, waterfall bath, and a jigoku mushi ‘hell-steaming’ restaurant here too if you don’t want to visit the one I went to. Grab an onsen egg as well.

Once you’re soaking, the crowd fades into the background and you can just enjoy the many different baths. I loved the outdoor waterfall area where the water spouting from high up gives you a love cranial or shoulder massage. You can view all their different baths here.

When you’re done, you can rent a special yukata to enjoy the sand bath. The warm sand is heated using the hot steam. The weight and warmth of the sand feels like a comforting hug and great for relaxing.

Admission Fee: It cost ¥1080 to enter for anyone 13 and up. And discounted rates for children.

Families or groups can also rent private baths starting at ¥2400 for 1 hour + 3 adults. This is actually a recommended option since there are some beautiful private baths here, each in its own private villa-like space. You can check out their private baths here.

Other Public Bathhouses To Try

Besides Hyotan, there are other noteworthy onsen to consider:

Takegawara Onsen: Beppu’s most iconic bathhousewas built in 1879, and continues to offer a truly authentic and classic Beppu bathing experience in a beautiful and traditional wooden building. This is also one of the places where you can do the famous sand bath. The great part is a soak here cost only ¥300 or around $2 USD. There’s an additional fee for the sand bath.

Sakura-yu: A simple, quiet, local bathhouse away from the tourist crowds, if you want to experience an authentic no-frills soak. Admission is ¥500 on weekdays, and ¥700 on weekends and holidays. There are 20 private baths that can be rented out for between ¥2500 – ¥3000

Tanayu at Suginoi Hotel: The Suginoi is one of the top ryokan/resort in Beppu that’s popular with Japanese visitors and not so well known amongst tourists. It is a massive complex with a huge indoor tropical pool/waterpark called Aqua Beat (operating May – Sept). The outdoor Tanayu bath is a 5-tiered bath on the observation deck and is open to the public. Indoors, there’s also a sauna, and a sound bath.

There’s also a mixed-gender bathing area where you can visit as a couple or with friends while wearing bathing suits. The admission fee is between ¥2000 – ¥2400 for adults on weekdays and weekends, respectively. Prices are higher on particular days and periods of the year.

Myoban Yunosato Onsen: Another authentic bathing experience, Myoban is more geared towards locals than tourists and known for its outdoor bath and traditional straw houses. It’s up the hill near the Okamotoya restaurant I mentioned before, in between Beppu and the Safari Park. I saw a lot of Japanese people get off the bus here too.

Waterfront Wandering + Bonus Stops

The next day, I woke up early to bath and wander along Beppu’s waterfront. It’s quiet and empty, especially in the early morning or around sunset, when people are pre-occupied elsewhere.

I used this day to take a break from carrying around my travel camera and to just enjoy my ryokan and its baths, explore the town without any plans and just to take a general break from my non-stop travel schedule.

I came across the Beppu Brewery, which was more a brew hall than a typical brewery. It made for a nice afternoon stop to try some locally brewed beers along with some of the beer ‘snacks.’

I tried the Kabosu Saison (one of my favorite types of beer) and the Roast and Soak oatmeal stout. Both were lovely. You can order by the 300ml glass or a full pint.

Everything was paired with some liver pate, Japanese sausages, and some pickles.

Nearby, there’s also the Fujiyoshi Soy Sauce Brewery, where I picked up some light Cattleya brand soy sauce for sashimi. It’s supposed to be the best in the prefecture.

Beppu Park was nice for a late afternoon stroll and I didn’t really see any tourists there, at least when I was around.

Hidden Gem: Ride the Beppu Cable Car to Rakutenchi Amusement Park

For families or a group of friends, you can take the Beppu Cable Car up the mountain to Rakutenchi, a charming old-school amusement park with retro rides, Showa-era games, arcades, playgrounds, and a unique double ferris wheel. For many, even if the games are not the same as the ones from your country, it’ll still bring back a sense of nostalgia for a period of mechanical entertainment.

This place has been here since 1929 so it is a bit dated, but the panoramic views from the foot bath are supposed to be worth the trip alone.

There’s also a large onsen with views of the city from here that’s included in the park entry. As always, just remember to bring your towel(s) with you.

Admission Fee: ¥1300 includes the round-trip cable car ride and the onsen entry. If you enter via the Otohara Gate (no cable car ride), it’s ¥1100.

Final Thoughts

In Beppu, I had the busiest and the laziest day of my trip to Kyushu. I don’t mind it. It was a good start to my onsen hopping experience in Kyushu and with some unexpected side quests, like the wildly random African Safari.

Between soaking at Hyotan, steaming my lunch in geothermal steam, feeding lions from a truck, and sipping a craft saison, I came away with quite a few photos and stories. And I also left refreshed, for leg number two at Yufuin and then my favorite stop of the three, Kurokawa.

Updated on July 9, 2025