Beppu Onsen Guide: The Hell Tour, Public Baths & Hillside Hidden Springs (6 Baths)
Beppu, in Oita Prefecture, is one of Japan's largest hot spring cities. Beneath the fan of land sloping from Mt. Tsurumi and Mt. Garan toward Beppu Bay run countless veins of geothermal water. The city has more than 2,000 hot spring sources and ranks first in Japan for both the number of sources and the volume of water it discharges. Steam rises from roadside gutters as you walk, a reminder that the whole town is built on top of hot springs.
Beppu's waters are far from uniform. Eight districts—Beppu, Hamawaki, Kankaiji, Horita, Myoban, Kannawa, Shibaseki and Kamegawa—are known collectively as the "Beppu Hatto" (Eight Hot Springs of Beppu), and each has its own water quality and color. The coastal districts of Beppu and Hamawaki lean toward clear chloride springs, while up the hillside in Myoban the water turns to a cloudy, sulfur-scented acidic spring. A 20-minute drive within the same city can feel like arriving at a completely different hot spring resort.
The symbol of Beppu sightseeing is the "Hell Tour" (Jigoku Meguri 地獄めぐり). The seven Hells—including Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell), Chinoike Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell), Tatsumaki Jigoku (Tornado Hell) and Shiraike Jigoku (White Pond Hell)—let you view steam, hot mud and boiling water bursting from the ground up close, and four of them are designated National Scenic Beauty spots. Note that the Hells are for viewing only: you cannot bathe in them. In Beppu the usual rhythm is to view the Hells for sightseeing and soak at a public bathhouse or inn for your actual bath, often combining both in a single day.
Public bathhouse culture is the other half of Beppu. Takegawara Onsen, founded in the Meiji era and famous for its sand bath (suna-yu), and Kannawa Mushi-yu, a steam bath said to have been opened by the monk Ippen in the Kamakura period, are among many historic baths you can enter for a few hundred yen. Municipal baths are plentiful too, so day-trip bathing is very easy and affordable. Dropping into a local public bath between sights is very much part of the Beppu experience.
This article gives an overview of Beppu as a base for the Hell Tour and bath hopping, then introduces six baths in the Beppu area that have their own detail pages on this site. They fall into two contrasting groups: in-town public baths you can enjoy from a few hundred yen (Takegawara Onsen and Kannawa Mushi-yu), and hillside hidden springs of acidic and sulfur water (Myoban's Tsuru-no-yu, Hebin-yu and Nabeyama-no-yu, and the strongly acidic Tsukahara Onsen Kako-no-izumi)—a lineup that lets you experience the range of the Beppu Hatto through the contrast of town and mountain.
1. Takegawara Onsen 竹瓦温泉 (Beppu, Oita)
2. Kannawa Mushi-yu 鉄輪むし湯 (Beppu, Oita)
3. Myoban Onsen Tsuru-no-yu 明礬温泉 鶴の湯 (Beppu, Oita)
4. Myoban Onsen Hebin-yu 明礬温泉 蛇の湯 (Beppu, Oita)
5. Myoban Onsen Nabeyama-no-yu 明礬温泉 鍋山の湯 (Beppu, Oita)
6. Tsukahara Onsen Kako-no-izumi 塚原温泉 火口乃泉 (Yufu, Oita)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can I visit Takegawara Onsen and Kannawa Mushi-yu on a day trip? Yes—both are municipal public baths in Beppu open for day-trip bathing. Takegawara Onsen, founded in 1879 (Meiji 12), has an indoor bath for a few hundred yen and its famous sand bath (suna-yu) for a separate fee. Kannawa Mushi-yu is a steam bath laid with sekisho leaves, where you wear a provided cotton robe and steam in the geothermal vapor. Both accept day visitors without an overnight stay, but hours, closing days and fees vary and can change, so check the official information or the Beppu City Tourism Association before you go. Bring your own towel and soap.
Q. Can I combine the Hell Tour with actually bathing? Yes. The Hells such as Umi Jigoku and Chinoike Jigoku are for viewing only and cannot be bathed in, but the Kannawa area where the Hells cluster is packed with public baths, "hell-steam" cooking spots and inns. A common plan is to tour the Hells in the morning and then soak at Kannawa Mushi-yu, a nearby bathhouse or your inn's bath afterward.
Q. What does "Beppu Hatto" refer to? It is the collective name for the eight hot spring districts scattered across Beppu: Beppu, Hamawaki, Kankaiji, Horita, Myoban, Kannawa, Shibaseki and Kamegawa. Their water ranges from chloride springs to acidic sulfur springs, so simply changing districts gives you a full bath-hopping experience.
Q. How much is the Hell Tour and how long does it take? A combined ticket covering all seven Hells is around 2,000 yen for adults, and touring all of them takes roughly 3.5 hours. Five Hells in the Kannawa area are within walking distance of each other, while Chinoike Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku are about 3 km away and reached by bus or car. Prices and hours can change, so confirm on the official Hell Tour website.
Q. Can I bathe at Myoban's wild baths or Tsukahara Onsen on a day trip? Up in the hills above Myoban are three free "wild baths" (noyu) known as the "Three Hidden Springs of Beppu"—Tsuru-no-yu, Hebin-yu and Nabeyama-no-yu—maintained by local volunteers and generally open at any hour. All are sulfur or acidic waters with only simple changing facilities, and most are mixed-gender, so women are advised to bring a bathing garment. Some have very hot source water and uneven footing, so visit in daylight and wear sturdy footwear. On the slopes of Mt. Garan, Tsukahara Onsen Kako-no-izumi is one of Japan's most strongly acidic springs, with a pH said to be around 1.4; this one is a staffed day-use facility. All sit up in the hills, where a car is the practical option.
Summary: Making the Most of Beppu's Waters Alongside Sightseeing
Beppu is a rare hot spring city where you can pair "sightseeing at the Hells" with "bathing at public baths and hidden springs" in a single day. First, know the layout. The Kannawa area that anchors the Hell Tour groups five Hells within walking distance, while Chinoike Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku sit about 3 km away. The Kannawa area is roughly 20 minutes from JR Beppu Station by Kamenoi bus, and the combined viewing ticket runs about 2,000 yen for adults—though fees and hours can be revised, so treat official confirmation as a given.
In-town public baths. The Hells are viewing spots; for bathing, the public baths are the heart of the experience. Takegawara Onsen, founded in 1879, occupies a stately building with a karahafu gabled roof registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property, and is known for the sand bath where attendants cover you in warm sand. Kannawa Mushi-yu, said to have been opened by the monk Ippen in the Kamakura period, is a steam bath where you sweat surrounded by the scent of sekisho leaves laid across the floor. Both can be enjoyed in town from a few hundred yen and make an easy entry point to day-trip bathing. Bring your own towel and soap, and note that hours and closing days differ by facility.
Myoban's three hidden wild baths. Up the hillside from Kannawa, Myoban Onsen is known for its rows of Edo-era "yunohana" (bath-flower) huts—the production technique is a designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Scattered in the mountains around it are three wild baths called the "Three Hidden Springs of Beppu": Tsuru-no-yu, a sulfur-scented yellowish bath; Hebin-yu, a scenic riverside rock bath fed by a simple spring; and Nabeyama-no-yu, a whitish mud bath ringed by raw, steaming ground. Each differs in both water and scenery. All are free baths maintained by local volunteers with only simple changing facilities, and most are mixed-gender, so women will want a bathing garment. With hot source water and uneven footing, visiting in daylight and wearing sturdy footwear is wise.
Tsukahara Onsen. On the slopes of Mt. Garan, Tsukahara Onsen Kako-no-izumi is one of Japan's most strongly acidic springs, with a pH said to be around 1.4. Rich in iron and aluminum, its water takes on a yellow-green tint on contact with the air and is sharp enough on the skin to feel a distinct sting. It is a staffed day-use facility with indoor, open-air and private baths. Paired with a look at the nearby crater, it lets you feel the raw volcanic activity of the Beppu area through both water and landscape.
Building a day. Tour the Hells and try hell-steam cooking in Kannawa in the morning, take an in-town bath at Takegawara or Kannawa Mushi-yu at midday, then head up to Myoban's wild baths or the strongly acidic Tsukahara in the afternoon. Combining viewing and bathing this way lets you experience the full range of the Beppu Hatto's water quality in a single day. The in-town public baths are easy to reach on foot or by bus, while the hillside wild baths of Myoban and Tsukahara are more practical by car. Rather than treating the Hell Tour or the bathhouses in isolation, savoring the difference between town and mountain waters is the way to appreciate Beppu deeply.
The information in this article (bathing fees, opening hours, water-quality data, ticket prices, etc.) is based on details available at the time of research and may contain errors or have since changed. Please confirm the latest information with each facility, the Hell Tour association and the Beppu City Tourism Association.
