Beppu City

Beppu Onsen is located in Beppu City ( above ), which is the 2nd largest city of Oita Perfecture, Kyushu Region. Though the population of the city is about 120 thousands, more than eight million tourists visit the city every year mainly to enjoy Beppu Onsen, one of the most famous and popular hot spring resorts in Japan. The sources of hot springs in Beppu yield the largest quantity of natural hot spring water in Japan.

Beppu Onsen, consisting of eight onsen districts, has more than 2,300 hot spring wells. So tourists would see many clouds of steam rising from the hot springs, especially in onsen districts such as Kannawa ( above ).

In Kannawa district, a therapeutic bath was built for samurai warriors who were injured in the battle against the Mongolian soldiers who attacked Kyushu Region in the 13th century ( ==> A History of Japan vol.2 Samurai Age ).

In Beppu Onsen there are so many hotels and ryokan ( Japanese style accommodation ), not all but many of which have their own in-house onsen baths, some of which are open-air baths ( above ).

There are various kinds of onsen baths in Beppu Onsen, one of which is Kannawa Mushi-yu ( steam bath - above) located in Kannawa district. There is a small room made of stone whose floor is heated by hot spring steam and carpeted with sekisho ( a kind of Japanese medicinal herb ) where visitors are to lie. The smell of sekisho would relax visitors. It is said that Kannawa Mushi-yu was founded by Ippen Shonin, a Buddhist monk in A.D.1276.

There are dozens of public onsen baths in Beppu Onsen such as Shibu-no-yu ( above ) located in Kannawa district. In such onsen baths, tourists could enjoy hot springs together with local people.

Hyotan Onsen, located in Kannawa district, is the most popular public onsen baths where visitors could enjoy various kinds of onsen such as open-air bath, sand bath, mushi-yu ( steam bath ), waterfall bath and private use family bath ( above ). Also in Hyotan Onsen there is a restaurant which serves local specialty dishes.

Among many Public Onsen Baths, there are some old ones such as Takegawara Onsen, which was founded in A.D.1879 and its building ( above ) was constructed in A.D.1938 and one of Registered Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan. It is said that Takegawara Onsen is one of the most traditinal onsen and a symbol of Beppu Onsen.

In Beppu Onsen there are some facilities where tourists could enjoy suna-yu ( sand bath ) such as Beppu Kaihin Suna-yu ( above ) which is located in Shoningahama Beach near Beppu International Tourist Port. Visitors rent a yukata ( an informal cotton kimono bathrobe ), change in the dressing room and lay down on the sand heated by hot springs. Then staffs cover visitors with sand.

There are more than a dozen of hot springs not for bathing but for viewing which are called "Jigoku" ( hells ) in Beppu Onsen such as Umi-Jigoku ( sea hell - above ), located in Kannawa district where four more Jigoku ( Shiraike Jigoku, Oniishibozu Jigoku, Oniyama Jigoku and Oniishibozu Jigoku ) are located while two Jigoku ( Tatsumaki Jigoku and Chinoike Jigoku ) are located in Shibaseki district.

In Myoban district, one of eight districts of Beppu Onsen, visitors would smell sulfur. Myoban district is famous for the harvest of Myoban ( alum ). In the district, alum has been harvested in Yunohana-goya ( huts to harvest alum - above ) since the 17th century. Some of Yunohana-goya are open to the public. Needless to say, there are some onsen public baths in the district.

Hot springs are utilised in Beppu Onsen not only for bathing, for viewing and for harvesting Myoban ( alum ) but also for cooking such as in Kannawa Jigoku Mushi Kobo where visitors cook various ingredients by themselves with the high temperature steam of hot springs ( above ).

Visitors could bring ingredients by themselves or purchase various ingredients ( seafood, pork, chicken, eggs, vegetables and so on ) prepared in Kannawa Jigoku Mushi Kobo where alcoholic drinks are not allowed unfortunately. Staffs are ready to help visitors to use steam chambers. Also there are tables for visitors.

Cooked in the high temperature steam blowing out of natural hot springs for 15-20 minutes, Jigoku Mushi disehes are ready to eat ( above ). Jigoku Mushi dishes are popular among tourists in Beppu.

So not only Kannawa Jigoku Mushi Kobo but also there are some more facilities where tourists could cook ingredients with the steam by themselves. In addition, there are many restaurants which serve Jigoku Mushi dishes in Beppu Onsen. Anyway Jigoku Mushi is one of unique local specialty disehs.

Jigoku Mushi "Purin" ( pudding ), famous and popular in Beppu Onsen, is creme caramel flan cooked with the high temperature steam of natural hot springs. Especially Okamoto-ya, located in Myoban district, is the most famous and popular for Jigoku Mushi "Purin" ( above ). Also various kinds of flavoured pudding are served in dozens of shops, cafe and restaurants.

Beppu City is also famous for Tori-Ten ( Japanese tempura-style fried chicken - above ). A theory says that Tori-Ten is originated in a restaurant in the city while another says Tori-ten is originated in Oita, the capital city of Oita Prefecture. Whichever, Tori-Ten is so popular among people in the prefecture and is nice with beer, sake, white wine and/or plain rice.

There in Beppu City are several dozens of shops serving Beppu Reimen, which is noodles served in cold soup based on Japanese-style stock usually topped with roasted beef and kimchi. Many local people and tourists enjoy eating Beppu Reimen not only in summer but also after bathing in onsen hot springs.