Beppu, Japan: Hot Springs Capital of Japan and the Hells That Steam and Boil

The Beppu Hells (Jigoku Meguri) are a circuit of eight distinct spring pools with dramatically different geochemical compositions that produce different colors and behavior: Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell) is cobalt blue from dissolved sulfuric acid; Chi-no-ike Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell) is deep red from iron oxide minerals; Tatsumaki Jigoku (Tornado Hell) is a geyser erupting at regular intervals; Shiraike Jigoku (White Pond Hell) milky white from silicon dioxide. The hells are located in two geographic clusters, one in the Kannawa district (five hells) and one in Shibaseki (three hells). A circuit ticket covers all eight; the full loop takes about 2 hours. None of the hells can be entered — the temperatures range from 78 to 99 degrees Celsius — but viewing platforms at each are close enough to feel the steam.

Kannawa district, where five of the eight hells are located, also has the most concentrated set of sand baths (sunamushi), in which attendants bury you in naturally heated volcanic sand for 10 to 15 minutes. The sensation is different from a water bath — the weight and even heat of the sand, combined with the minerals in the steam rising through it, produces a deep warmth that lasts several hours. Beppu Suginoi Hotel and the Kannawa sand bath facility near the ropeway are the most accessible options. Standard public onsen (hot spring baths) are available throughout the city at the equivalent of a few dollars; the city runs several public bathhouses (kōshū yokujō) for a fraction of the price of resort onsen.

Takasakiyama Monkey Park, on the coast 6 kilometers northwest of central Beppu, is home to two troops of Japanese macaques totaling approximately 1,400 animals. The park is built around the mountain that the monkeys inhabit; a walkway leads up the slope to feeding areas where the troops come twice daily for sweet potatoes thrown by park staff. The macaques are habituated to humans and come within arm's reach; direct contact is discouraged. Japanese macaques are the northernmost non-human primate species and have a well-documented social structure that the park's interpretation covers in some detail.

Yufuin, a hot spring resort town 25 kilometers north of Beppu in a mountain basin, is a day excursion accessible by bus or rental car. The town has a different character from Beppu — quieter, organized around ryokan (traditional inns with private onsen), and with a main street of craft galleries, local food shops, and coffee roasters built for day visitors. Lake Kinrin, at the base of Mount Yufu at the edge of town, is a hot spring lake whose water stays warm enough to see steam rising off the surface even in summer. The view of Mount Yufu reflected in the lake on clear mornings is one of the most photographed in Kyushu.

Beppu's jigoku-mushi cuisine — food steamed over the geothermal vents — includes whole crabs, oysters, sweet potatoes, and eggs steamed in bamboo baskets placed over the vents. This is the most locally specific food preparation in Japan: the steam contains trace minerals from the springs and the steaming time is calibrated by the spring's temperature. Several restaurants near the hells offer jigoku-mushi sets.