Enjoy Hot Springs, Sightseeing, and Gourmet Food! A Travel Guide to Beppu Onsen

This hot spring district is located in central Beppu around JR Beppu Station, right in the middle of the city’s downtown and entertainment area.
Because it is easy to access, it also serves as a convenient base for exploring Beppu Onsen.
In addition to baths run by ryokan inns, there are also many communal hot springs operated by neighborhood associations that tourists can casually use.
Beppu Onsen is the perfect place to enjoy the atmosphere of hot springs rooted in the everyday lives of local people.
Many of the waters, such as simple hot springs, salt springs, and bicarbonate springs, are easy even for first-time bathers to enjoy and are popular with a wide range of visitors.
Among them, Takegawara Onsen, known for its striking exterior with an ornate karahafu-style roof, is a symbolic presence in Beppu Onsen and was established in 1879.
You can also enjoy its retro atmosphere reminiscent of the early 20th century and try the unusual hot spring bathing style known as a sand bath, where you are buried in warmed sand.

This hot spring district is located by the sea near JR Higashi-Beppu Station.
Hamawaki Onsen, whose name comes from the fact that hot springs bubble up from the beach, is said to be the birthplace of Beppu Onsen.
The main hot spring facility is Hamawaki Onsen, built in the early 20th century. Monuments from that era still remain, adding to its retro atmosphere.
Its affordable prices, closely tied to local daily life, and long business hours from 6:30am to 1am are especially appealing.

This hot spring district has continued since the Kamakura period and springs up on the mountain slopes upstream of the Asami River, which flows from Mt. Tsurumi into Beppu Bay.
It is an area where you can enjoy a sweeping panorama overlooking central Beppu and Beppu Bay beyond it, and many hot spring inns here feature open-air baths with spectacular views.
Among them, the two most famous scenic baths are at Beppu Onsen Suginoi Hotel and Ichinoide Kaikan.

Horita Onsen is a hot spring district that has prospered for hundreds of years as a transportation hub connecting to Yufuin, one of Oita’s famous hot spring areas, and Dazaifu, a key political center of Kyushu.
The spring quality is a simple hot spring, making it easy for almost anyone to enjoy, and the amount of hot spring water is abundant.
Many facilities offer private baths, making it popular with travelers who want to enjoy hot springs in a more luxurious way with family or as a couple.
There are also reasonably priced municipal bath facilities, and their open-air baths with seasonal scenery and rest areas overlooking Beppu Bay are popular with tourists as well.

This hot spring district opens up about 10 minutes uphill by bus from Kannawa Onsen.
It has a peaceful atmosphere far from town, with the smell of sulfur in the air. The water is a cloudy sulfur spring said to be effective for skin conditions and neuralgia.
At Myoban Yunosato, where they still produce yunohana mineral deposits using traditional methods, you can observe the production technique that has been designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan.

Located about 30 minutes uphill by bus from central Beppu, this is one of the representative hot spring districts of Beppu Hatto.
Most of Beppu’s hot spring sources are concentrated in the Kannawa area, and the townscape filled with rising steam has been selected as a cultural landscape under the name “Beppu’s Hot Spring Steam and Onsen Landscape.”
It is also the base area for Beppu’s classic sightseeing attraction, the hell tour.

Shibaseki Onsen is a soothing hot spring district surrounded by forests, and its name is said to come from the discovery of fossilized brushwood, meaning small wild trees growing in mountains and fields.
This historic hot spring area along a mountain stream has long been known as a place for therapeutic bathing.
It is said that emperors also visited here for medical treatment in the 9th and 10th centuries.
There are two hot springs of different temperatures, a simple hot spring and a chloride spring, and some facilities offer open-air baths and steam baths.
Private baths are also available, which is part of the appeal since families and couples can enjoy bathing surrounded by nature on their own.

Located along Beppu Bay, Kamegawa Onsen is one of the eight hot spring districts of Beppu Hatto and features many simple hot springs that are colorless, odorless, and gentle on the skin, as well as chloride springs with excellent heat-retention effects.
The specialty of Kamegawa Onsen is the sand bath, where you warm yourself while buried in sand.
It is said to have detoxifying effects by helping remove waste and promote metabolism, and records show that it has been practiced since the Edo period. There used to be private sand bath facilities as well, but today the only one remaining in Kamegawa Onsen is the municipally operated Beppu Kaihin Sunaba.

The phrase “hell tour” may sound frightening, but there is nothing dangerous or scary about it, so rest assured.
At Beppu Onsen, jets of steam, boiling mud, and hot water at around 212°F erupt from deep underground, and these places are called “hells.”
Walking around and visiting seven such “hells,” each with different colors and atmospheres depending on the minerals dissolved in the spring water, is known as the hell tour and has become one of Beppu’s signature attractions.
You can enjoy the differences in color and atmosphere at each hell, while also having the rare experience of viewing the powerful energy of the earth and its primal breath up close.
Each of the seven hells has its own unique features, including the cobalt-blue Umi Jigoku and the red Chinoike Jigoku, colored by iron oxide.
Some are paired with seasonal flowers and plants, some have fun photo spots with amusing objects, and one, Oniyama Jigoku, even has crocodiles.

Beppu Onsen is known for seafood dishes made with ingredients from Beppu Bay, as well as local specialties prepared using the geothermal heat of the hot springs.
One dish you should definitely try is jigoku-mushi, or “hell steaming,” which is something you can only experience here.
The method is simple: seafood, meat, vegetables, eggs, and other ingredients are steamed using hot spring steam.
It is a healthy cooking method that uses no oil, yet it concentrates the natural flavor of the ingredients.
The unique way the heat passes through also gives the food a great texture.
In recent years, items such as jigoku-mushi pudding and jigoku-mushi bread have also gone on sale.
You can also enjoy Oita specialties such as toriten and Bungo beef, so be sure to check them out.

Beppu is the second-largest city in Oita Prefecture after the prefectural capital, Oita City, so the area around JR Beppu Station is lively, lined with hot spring hotels, department stores, and more.
Even so, despite being a downtown and entertainment district, the area still offers glimpses of its hot spring identity, with hand baths in front of the station where you can casually dip your hands and foot baths around town.
If you head farther from the area in front of Beppu Station to Kannawa, one of Beppu’s hot spring districts, you will suddenly find yourself in a retro townscape that feels like stepping back in time.
You can stroll through a steam-filled hot spring town and take in historic-looking buildings along the way.
There are also many cafés renovated from old traditional houses and shops selling food perfect for snacking as you walk, making it a relaxing place to spend time.

This ropeway connects Beppu Kogen Station at the foot of Mt. Tsurumi, one of Japan’s 300 famous mountains, with Tsurumi Sanjo Station at an elevation of 1,300 meters, covering a steep 1,816-meter route in Approx. 10 minutes.
The gondolas are among the largest in Kyushu, measuring 12 meters long by 8 meters wide, and have been operating with safety as the top priority since the ropeway opened in 1962.

This amusement park spreads across Kijima Kogen, a resort area that Beppu City is proud of, where the refreshing mountain breeze feels wonderful.
The vast grounds cover Approx. 1 million tsubo and include a hotel and golf course, while the amusement park, the main attraction, draws many visitors throughout the year.
About 40 attractions await, ranging from gentle rides that even small children can enjoy to thrilling scream-inducing rides.

This observatory is located within Jumonjibaru Plateau at an elevation of Approx. 500 meters, where pampas grass turns the area golden in fall.
Beppu Bay, known for its calm tides, and the cityscape of Beppu spread out directly before you, and on clear days you can even see all the way to Shikoku in the distance.

A highland lake spreading across an area at 600 meters above sea level on the southeastern slope of Mt. Tsurumi in Beppu City. It forms part of Aso Kuju National Park and is surrounded by magnificent natural scenery, including Mt. Yufu with its impressive silhouette.
A walking route has been developed around the Approx. 2-kilometer lake, making it an ideal place to enjoy activities while encountering wild birds and seasonal flowers.

Founded in 1929, this is the oldest amusement park in Kyushu and has been loved by Beppu residents across three generations as a place full of memories.
Inside the park, a wide range of attractions awaits, from Japan’s only double Ferris wheel, the Flower Ferris Wheel, to a merry-go-round with a fairy-tale atmosphere, a roller coaster racing through the trees along an Approx. 470-meter course, and even go-karts that returned for the first time in 20 years.

This complex facility lets you experience jigoku-mushi cuisine, a specialty of Kannawa Onsen, one of Beppu’s leading hot spring districts where steam rises from alleys throughout the neighborhood.
Jigoku-mushi is a cooking method dating back to the Edo period that uses 98°C hot spring steam powered entirely by geothermal energy. Because it offers a chance to experience a tradition unique to Beppu, lines can form on weekends.

This Chinese restaurant has a history of Approx. 100 years and attracts many diners not only on weekends but also on weekdays, often filling up as soon as it opens.
The first head chef, Shiro Miyamoto, was a master chef who once served as the cook to the Emperor. He is also known as the legend who came up with toriten soon after the restaurant opened.
Since the toriten is already seasoned, you can enjoy it just as it is, or try squeezing Oita’s local kabosu citrus over it, or dipping it in vinegar soy sauce with mustard.

Tenobe Reimen Senmonten Rokusei Honten, located about a 15-minute walk from JR Higashi-Beppu Station, is a restaurant where you can try Beppu reimen.
When people hear “reimen,” Morioka in Iwate Prefecture is famous nationwide, but Beppu reimen from Oita, which is closer to the Korean Peninsula, is said to have a flavor closer to the original style.
The combination of its clear yet rich and deeply flavorful soup and chewy, satisfying noodles is excellent.
It goes down smoothly and becomes addictive once you try it.
In colder seasons, the recommended option is onmen, a warm version of reimen.

This hotel is about a 10-minute walk from JR Beppu Station and about a 3-minute walk from Beppu Kitahama Bus Center, which has direct buses from Oita Airport, offering convenient access along with a wonderful seaside location facing Beppu Bay.
The highlight of its hot spring facilities is the open-air bath, where nothing blocks the view and you can feel connected to Beppu Bay right in front of you.
You can relax to the sound of the waves, or enjoy the ultimate luxury of soaking in the bath while watching the sunrise over the horizon.

Known as Beppu’s leading large-scale hot spring resort, this hotel enjoys a high profile and attracts many guests from all over Japan who come specifically to stay here.
With a total of 554 guest rooms and capacity for Approx. 2,000 guests, the property consists of three adjacent accommodation buildings: Sora Kan, Niji Kan, and Naka Kan.
Each building has its own appeal, and Sora Kan, which opened in 2023, is especially known for its refined design and spacious, relaxing rooms.

This striking 17-story high-rise hotel stands out in the area and offers sweeping views of Beppu city from its windows.
Based on the idea of providing guests with a casual home-away-from-home, the hotel offers a wide variety of room types.
Along with standard single and twin rooms, there are also spacious rooms with six beds in one room, as well as baby rooms equipped with picture books, educational toys, and diaper trash bins.

Every year, Beppu City designates April 1 as “Onsen Kansha no Hi,” or Hot Spring Appreciation Day, and holds the Beppu Hatto Onsen Matsuri to give thanks for the blessings of its hot springs.
Over the course of about one week, various events take place mainly around the downtown area near JR Beppu Station and Ekimae Dori.
These include unique hot spring town events such as the dramatic Ougiyama Fire Festival, where Beppu’s symbolic Mt. Ougiyama is set ablaze and its slopes are dyed in flames, as well as the Yumebukkake Matsuri and the Beppu Spa Marathon.
At the Yumebukkake Matsuri, portable shrines parade through the streets, and tens of tons of hot spring water are sprayed from hoses and other equipment along the sides of Ekimae Dori, which becomes a pedestrian-only street.
With everything soaked in hot spring water, people dance, sing, jump, and lose themselves in the fun.

Held in mid-September, Kannawa Yuami Matsuri is one of the biggest events in the Kannawa Onsen area.
It is a festival giving thanks to Ippen Shonin, who is said to be the founder of Kannawa Onsen, and to the blessings of the hot springs.
During the festival, the Ippen Shonin dedication dance and a mochi-pounding event are held in the square in front of the steam bath.
There is also Kannawa Yukatadi, a fair you can enjoy for free if you come wearing a yukata.
Even tourists who do not have a yukata can use rental yukata from nearby accommodations.
Walking through the festival town in a yukata will let you experience the atmosphere of the hot spring district even more deeply.

Beppu Hinoumi Matsuri is one of Beppu City’s signature summer events.
For three days at the end of July each year, food stalls line the area around JR Beppu Station, Ekimae Dori, Kitahama Park, and Beppu Spa Beach.
Ekimae Dori becomes a pedestrian-only street where you can enjoy a wide variety of stall food, from classic festival dishes to international cuisine.
At Kaimonji Park, north of Ekimae Dori, Beppu Yatai Mura is set up, where you can eat local specialties including Beppu reimen, and enjoy events such as karaoke contests and dance competitions.
On the final day, a large fireworks display is held on the beach.

This romantic Christmas event has been loved for more than 30 years as one of Beppu City’s signature winter traditions.
Held every year over two days on the weekend just before Christmas, it features fireworks shows on both days at Matogahama Park and Spa Beach by the sea.
Children sing Christmas songs, and the colorful fireworks launched into the night sky in sync with the music create an atmosphere quite different from summer fireworks.
If you visit with family or a loved one, it is sure to become an unforgettable Christmas memory.