Picture this.
You take off your yukata (light-weight kimono), grab a cold beer, and soak in a steaming, fragrant hot spring surrounded by natural rocks and Japanese cypress (hinoki). Next to you is a basket of plump, steamed corn, sweet potatoes, and fresh seafood– a local specialty.
Where are you, you ask?
Welcome to Beppu Hot Springs in Oita Prefecture, the birthplace of the “Beppu Hells Tour.”
The 7 Hells is a tourist hotspot with 7 unique hot springs ranging from cerulean blue to blood red to even a spring of boiling mud welling from the ground. These hot springs are for viewing only, and are popular with local and foreign tourists alike.
Here at the heart of one of the most famous hot springs resorts in all of Japan, you’ll find local specialty foods like smooth, creamy puddings and onsen tamago (hot spring egg), as well as mineral-rich hot spring waters that have been rumored to cure ailments for thousands of years.
Let’s take a closer look at the Beppu Hot Springs, including how to get there, where to find a good hot spring, and everything you need to know about the 7 hells.
7 Hells Tour (Beppu Jigoku Meguri)
There are 7 official hells in the Hells Tour, so let’s go over their distinct characteristics. Officially, these hot springs are for viewing only– but some of them have foot baths and souvenir shops. Read on to find out which!
Cost: 450 JPY per hell, or the full 7 hells set for 2,200 JPY for adults. For children, the full set is 1,000 JPY.
1. Umi Jigoku: Ocean Hell
Umi Jigoku is a striking cerulean spring billowing fluffy white steam high up in the air.
Reaching temperatures of 98° C (208° F), it’s the biggest hot spring hell, and, in my opinion, the most picturesque. Walk up to the nearby hill to see it and get pictures from a higher vantage point.
As you explore the vast grounds, you may also find a mini foot bath and a greenhouse of water lilies and other tropical plants a few minutes walk away.
2. Oniishi Bozu Jigoku
The gently bubbling mud pools here may look tranquil, but they reach temperatures of 99° C (210° F)– not a bath you want to get in.
This hell is so named because the large mud bubbles take after the bald heads of Buddhist monks, and because one of the pools is said to sound like the snores of a sleeping demon.
This area—and this spring in particular—had been resented and seen as cursed by the locals in the past, since the boiling temperature meant that no crops could be grown.
Away from the main natural pools, there is a free scenic round public foot bath where you can relax and dip your feet.
The temperature is quite hot, even in winter. Be sure to bring your own small towel, or buy one on site for less than $5 to wipe your feet with.
There’s also a separate bath house (Oniishi no Yu) on the grounds that draws from the Oniishi Bozu source spring. For a separate fee of 620 JPY, you can enter and enjoy their indoor and outdoor public baths.
3. Shiraike Jigoku: White Pond Hell
Set in a Japanese Garden, the color of the hot spring can be milky white or a pale moss green, depending on the season.
The Shiraike Jigoku reaches temperatures of 95° C (203° F), and, using the heat from the hot spring, a mini tropical aquarium with piranhas is housed in a small building nearby.
4. Kamado Jigoku: Furnace Hell
Kamado Jigoku is my personal favorite because it has the most activities: 6 different hot spring hells, an outdoor rest area, steam baths, and drinkable hot spring water. The outdoor cafeteria also has seats set over foot baths, which is super unique.
The hot springs are divided into 6 mini districts labeled as such. They include a mini variety of mud springs and cobalt blue springs, with temperatures between 80 and 100° C.
There’s also drinkable hot spring water which comes out of the tap at 90° C– the minerals are said to be healthy, and you pay 10 yen for one drink. The water tasted like it smelled–sulfur-y. The same goes for the free throat steamer, which is supposed to be good for asthma and other throat ailments.
I enjoyed the food stand/outdoor cafeteria, where you can order a variety of local foods—ice cream cones, soy sauce pudding, onsen tamago, and other snacks. The ice cream stand had all the regular flavors AND a Japanese hot pepper flavor as well.
5. Oniyama Jigoku: Demon Mountain Hell
Also casually called Wani Jigoku, or Crocodile Hell because of the 80 some crocodiles that infest these lukewarm waters.
This is the first facility to breed crocodiles in Japan, since normally crocodiles can’t survive Japan’s frigid winters.
Feeding shows for public viewing are available on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
6. Chinoike Jigoku: Blood Lake Hell
At 78° C (172° F), the steaming red spring here is actually dyed reddish. There is a small open-air foot bath with a roof nearby and a few photo spots on the premises as well.
The red mud is claimed to have healing properties, and the souvenir shop here sells many different types of red mud ointments, hot spring water skincare, and local bath salts, each with different scents and healing properties.
7. Tatsumaki Jigoku: Tornado Hell
A natural geyser that shoots hot water 30 meters up into the air for 5-6 minutes straight, this geyser is known for its short eruption cycles of 30-40 minutes.
There is a man-made rock roof to cap the eruption as the stream is boiling hot at around 105° C (221° F). Keep your children well away from the fence!
This is the last stop on the Beppu 7 Hells tour. The Tornado Hell has a small souvenir shop, but the Blood Lake Hell’s was bigger and had a better selection. You can also take the bus back to Beppu Station for more souvenirs.
Bonus: The 8th Hell?!
8. Yama Jigoku: Mountain Hell
Though not part of the original 7, a self-acclaimed 8th hell is right next to Umi Jigoku at the start.
I personally do not recommend it. It’s a glorified petting zoo, with visibly stressed-out goats, capybaras, birds, and mini horses kept in small enclosures. Some of the goats tied up were so stressed that they continuously walked in circles around the post they were tied to, leaving a circular track bare of grass.
You can get in for 500 yen and buy carrot sticks to feed the animals, but the general atmosphere of the place when I went was quiet and sad, and I regretted paying a facility that doesn’t seem to take good care of their animals.
Hyotan Hot Spring Resort
If you’re tired of staring at hot springs and want to get in one, Hyotan Onsen Resort is a great place to wash the day off.
At over 100 years old, Hyotan Onsen is full of tradition. It’s the only hot spring in Japan with 3 Michelin stars. Here you can enjoy over 20 indoor and open-air baths with a day ticket and is absolutely worth the trip.
Get buried in hot sand, roll in a mud bath, have a waterfall massage for your shoulders, and sit in the fragrant hinoki sauna!
The onsen waters here are rumored to have healing properties for ailments such as rheumatism, cramps, sore muscles, and even insomnia, indigestion and non-severe cases of asthma.
While I can’t comment on whether those claims are true, I can say for certain that my skin and mental health both thanked me for the soak.
Just remember not to drink too much alcohol before entering a hot spring– and wash your body properly in the showers prior to your soak!
Access
Train:
Beppu City is a 2-hour drive from Fukuoka City and a roughly 2-hour train ride.
From Hakata Station, you can take the Sonic Nichirin Limited Express for 6 stops to Beppu Station. The cost is around 7,000 JPY one way.
From Beppu Station, the Hells Tour is a 20-minute bus ride away. Take the No. 2, 5, 24, or 51 bus and get off at the first stop of the Hells Tour, Kannawa Stop or Umi-Jigoku Mae Stop. The 2 and 5 are the fastest.
Flight:
If you’re flying in from a different country or a different part of Japan, in most cases it’s best to use Fukuoka Airport (FUK) rather than the Oita airport, which is local and has much fewer routes at a higher price. If you’re already in the Kyushu area, you can access Beppu via train or car.
Car:
If you have an international driving license, having a car would be much more comfortable–and there are parking areas near the Umi Jigoku Hell and the Tatsumaki Jigoku.
Conclusion
Touring the 7 hells of Beppu can all be done in half a day, but it would be quite rushed. If you have the time, I would recommend spending a full day in the area and exploring each of the 7 springs, and the rest of the grounds as well.
Since there’s quite a walk between the 5th (Oniyama Jigoku) and 6th springs (Chinoike Jigoku), about 10-15 minutes. You can grab lunch on the way at one of the shops during the walk. Also, be sure to grab a map and collect the stamp for each hot spring hell!
Hyotan Onsen can be enjoyed for any length of time you desire, but with the number and variety of baths, I would spend at least 3-4 hours there. Within the resort, there are shops that sell smoothies and snacks, a full-on restaurant, and a hands-on hell-steaming vegetable experience where you can cook your own food in the hot spring steam.
With so many hot spring related attractions and the ocean nearby, there’s no shortage of activities to do in any season in Beppu, Japan. Definitely take a side trip here if you’re in Kyushu!
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