Myoban Onsen Myouban hot spring Nabeyama no yu

Myoban Onsen Nabeyama-no-yu is a wild hot spring (noyu) welling up on the mid-slope of Mount Nabeyama, reached by heading further into the mountains beyond Myoban Onsen in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture. It is counted among Beppu's three great secret hot springs (three great wild baths) alongside Tsuru-no-yu and Hebin-yu. The surroundings are a bare, desolate landscape where sulfurous fumes rise from the ground, letting bathers feel the raw energy of the earth up close. It has no designated manager and is a free communal bath kept up by local volunteers.

The spring is a naturally emerging sulfur spring, a slightly cloudy mud bath with a faint layer of clay settled at the bottom of the pools. Along with its sulfurous character it carries acidic qualities and a distinctive sulfur scent. The source is extremely hot at around 97C; the baths are split into an upper and lower pool, with the upper one, fed directly by the source, being hotter and the lower one easier to enter. The water is used as it is, with no heating, dilution, or disinfection.

The bathing area consists of two rustic rock pools built simply from arranged stones, together large enough for about five or six people, with no changing facilities. As it is a mixed bath, women are advised to bring bathing attire. Set in an open location overlooking the surrounding peaks, it lets visitors soak amid the otherworldly sight of white steam rising from the vents. Bathing is free, but great care is needed with the very hot source water and the uneven footing.