The Steaming Streets of Beppu

Beppu is the closest hot spring town to me, so I go there often. But in January it feels like a different place. The air is cold, the ground is warm, and white steam comes out of the hills, the drains and even the gaps between houses. From the train you can see it before you see the town.

The eight hells

The famous walk here is the jigoku meguri, the "hell tour". These are eight hot springs that are too hot to bathe in. You only look at them.

My favourite is Umi Jigoku, the Sea Hell. The water is a strong blue, almost like paint, and it is about 98 degrees. Standing next to it in winter is very comfortable. Nearby is Chinoike Jigoku, the Blood Pond Hell, which is deep red because of the iron in the clay.

A pass for all of them costs 2,200 yen. If you only have time for two, go to Umi Jigoku and Chinoike Jigoku. They are the two that look nothing like the others.

Kannawa

Kannawa is the older part of town, up the hill. The streets are narrow and steam comes straight out of the pipes at the side of the road. Small shops let you cook eggs and vegetables in the steam. I did this once and it took about ten minutes. The eggs tasted a little of sulphur, which I liked more than I expected.

There is also a mushiyu, a steam bath, that has been used for hundreds of years. You lie on a floor covered with a herb called sekisho. Ten minutes is enough. I came out feeling like I had slept for a full night.

A small tip

Do not try to see all eight hells in one afternoon. I did that on my first visit and by the fifth one I stopped looking properly. Two or three, then a long bath and a bowl of noodles, is a much better day.