Beppu, Japan: travel guide
Japan's hot-spring capital steams with more geothermal output than any city outside Yellowstone. Beppu's "Eight Hells" — boiling ponds in vivid red, blue, and green — are one of Japan's most surreal natural spectacles.
- Country
- Japan
- Currency
- JPY
- Time zone
- Asia/Tokyo
- Nearest airport
- OIT
Top places to visit in Beppu
Beppu Hells (Jigoku Meguri)
Nature · 4.6 rating · about 3 h · entry JPY 2,200
Beppu's "Eight Hells" are geothermal hot spring pools so scalding (75–99°C) that they cannot be bathed in — they are viewed as spectacles. Each has a different character: Umi-Jigoku (Sea Hell) is an eerie cobalt blue, Chinoike-Jigoku…
Beppu Onsen Bathing Culture
Nature · 4.5 rating · about 2 h · entry JPY 1,500
Beppu produces more hot spring water than any Japanese city — 130 million litres/day across 2,700 hot spring sources. The traditional "sand bath" (sunayu) at Shoningahama Beach buries visitors to their neck in geothermally heated black…
Takasakiyama Monkey Park
Wildlife · about 1.3 h · entry JPY 520
Forested mountain reserve home to two large troops of wild Japanese macaques that roam a hillside feeding ground.
Umitamago Aquarium
Wildlife · about 2 h · entry JPY 2,600
Seaside aquarium beside Takasakiyama with walrus and dolphin performances and touch pools.
Beppu Ropeway (Mount Tsurumi)
Viewpoint · about 2 h · entry JPY 1,800
Cable car climbing 1,375 m Mount Tsurumi for sweeping views over Beppu Bay, the onsen town and Shikoku beyond.
Myoban Onsen Yunosato
Cultural · about 1 h
Hillside hot-spring hamlet of thatched huts where mineral-rich yunohana bath crystals are harvested.
Global Tower
Viewpoint · about 0.7 h · entry JPY 300
Sleek 125 m observation tower at B-Con Plaza with an open-air deck overlooking Beppu and the sea.
Beppu Park
Nature · about 0.8 h
Broad city park of lawns, plum and cherry trees and a Japanese garden, a green break from the steam of the hells.
Yukemuri Observatory
Viewpoint · about 0.3 h
Lookout over the Kannawa district where columns of onsen steam rise across the rooftops, a designated scenic view.
Things to do
- Beppu Hells Onsen Circuit Tour Tour · 3 h · from JPY 3,800 per person
- Beppu Sand Bath Experience Wellness · 1 h · from JPY 1,500 per person
Where to stay in Beppu
Hotels
- Suginoi Hotel Beppu 4-star · JPY 18,000 to JPY 45,000 per night
- Kannawaen 4-star
- Beppu Guest House 2-star
Where to eat
- Jigoku-mushi Kobo Kannawa Japanese, BBQ · about JPY 1,200 per person
- Toyotsune Honten japanese, tempura · about JPY 1,200 per person
Getting around
- Bus main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Taxi main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Walking
Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.