Kannawa Mushiyu

Kannawa Mushiyu is a municipal bathhouse operated by the city of Beppu, set in a corner of the steam-wreathed Kannawa hot spring district of Oita Prefecture. This historic steam bath is said to have been founded in 1276 (Kenji 2) by the monk Ippen, and its floor is spread with sekisho, a medicinal herb that grows along clear streams. It is celebrated in a verse by the poet Ujo Noguchi, who wrote that the scent of sekisho lingers on the skin on the way home from the mush-yu of Bungo Kannawa.

Unlike an ordinary hot spring where one soaks in a tub, the experience here centers on lying in a stone chamber and steaming the body in hot spring vapor, a detoxifying ritual. The steam bath reaches about 99.5 degrees Celsius, while the rinsing bath used afterward is a sodium chloride spring at about 81.7 degrees Celsius. Enveloped in the fragrance of sekisho, bathers work up a deep, lingering sweat.

Admission is 510 yen, and a special garment is worn (yukata rental 210 yen, or bring your own T-shirt and shorts). Opening hours are 6:30 to 20:00 (last entry 19:30), closed on the fourth Thursday of each month (open if it falls on a public holiday, closed the following day). Parking is available for 16 cars, including two accessible spaces.