If you would like to experience a natural wonder of Japan and an interesting aspect of their culture, you might consider traveling to Beppu Onsen Hot Springs in northeastern Kyushu.

Beppu is known as the onsen (hot springs) capital of Japan, with its 2900 steam vents in eight onsen areas of the city. Worldwide, the volume of hot water surfacing from these volcanic vents is second only to Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. It is one of the numerous onsen sites scattered throughout Japan, and the diversity in mineral content among the hot springs here represents 10 out of 11 known types in the world.

Beppu is scenically located on a mountainside next to the ocean. Viewed from afar, it is full of steam rising in the air from all parts of the city. Each year, people from all over Japan, and increasingly from other parts of the world, flock to Beppu both for recreational and medicinal purposes. There is nothing like immersing oneself in a tub or pool of hot water full of healthful minerals, for letting go of all tensions and aches and pains in the body, and for sinking inward to a peaceful serenity.

Westerners who have tried the onsen describe this as an uniquely rejuvenating experience. Increasingly, the Japanese seek the hot springs of Beppu for their healing qualities. Different combinations of minerals are said to be beneficial for anything from circulatory, digestive, or neurological disorders to muscular, joint or skin problems. Variations from the water baths are the natural steam baths, mud baths and sand baths; it is claimed that one should experience all types to gain the benefits from the hotsprings in Beppu.

There are about 200 public baths in the city of Beppu. These are community centers and an integral part of the social life of the Japanese who come and bathe daily. Then there are the ryokans or traditional Japanese inns providing onsens as a central feature.

Numerous private homes have their own onsens; the city provides hot steam pipes that homeowners can access for their private use. Most of the public and hotel onsens are specified for same sex bathing at particular times, but mixed sex baths are also common. The water temperature will vary between 38-43C, but some onsens will raise the temperature above 45C because the Japanese like the water very hot. There are specific points of etiquette to observe when entering an onsen. One washes the body thoroughly and rinses off before entering the tub, naked. Clothing or towels are not taken into the tub.

The onsen is where one can see the Japanese in their natural state. Shedding their clothes and joining with others in a hot relaxing bath brings out what is hidden in the bustle and demands of daily life. Social barriers are removed, and the bathers relax and communicate with one another as equals. Family members get closer, colleagues communicate and bond with each other, and new relationships are formed.

Visitors to Beppu will most certainly include the “Jigoku Meguri” (Hell Tour) as one of their activities. This is a visit to view eight unusual and “hellish” hot spring pools with temperatures of 90C and above, containing bubbling or boiling red mud or clay or hot water of different hues—red, cobalt blue, green, or white. At one site, a shooting geyser erupts every 30 or 40 minutes.

These unique features of this attractive city make a visit to Beppu, Kyushu, a one-of-a-kind experience for the traveler to Japan. October through May would be the best time weather-wise for a visit.

Images courtesy of TANAKA (1 + 2 + 3), joka2000, MShade (1 + 2), James Diesly

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