Beppu part two! There’s still so much to do!

Last week, we scratched the surface of what is in store for you in the hot spring city of Japan: Beppu! From the Jigoku Beppu to the various hot springs available, there are countless things to do, but still, as I said, we only scratched the surface. Let’s dig a bit deeper shall we?

Beppu has a very storied history and that is directly conveyed in the fact that much of the architecture and infrastructure is very old and well-maintained. Many of the bathhouses and onsens are hundreds of years old, and it is nothing short of jaw dropping to see some of these bathhouses.

Of the nearly two dozen hot springs I visited, there was one, however, that I loved more than any other. During a trip deep into the mountains on a rainy day, I stumbled across a small outskirt town with a population of maybe five-hundred people, and at the center of it, overlooking the entirety of the city, was a hot spring.

The hot spring in the mountain village

Open-air hot spring? Rainy, cold day? It sounded like a perfect match. I’ll spare you the details, but know that I ended up spending my entire day in that small town, bouncing from the hot spring to the local eateries and back again. As usual, the people were welcoming and were honestly quite surprised that a foreigner found his way to their little village. It was a magical day to say the least.

The hot springs aren’t the only thing to experience! Beppu has one of Japan’s largest wild monkey reservations! On the other side of the city, once again deep in the mountains, there lies a clearing where you can see thousands of wild monkeys just chilling! It was the cutest thing ever. While you can’t pet or feed them because they’re wild, it was explained to us that there are researchers and caregivers that observe the monkeys, their habits, and take care of them in more extreme cases such as natural disaster or famine.

Monkey! (Looking very serene)

But let’s take a step back. On my final day, at the hotel I was staying at (which was a traditional ryokan-style establishment), I decided to splurge a bit and buy myself a full eight course Japanese style meal from their in-hotel restaurant. From fish soup and sushi to fried vegetables and other traditional dishes such as unagi (eel), I got an entire suite of delicious food for a price that still hurts my wallet. Yet, I can confidently say that it was some of the most delicious food I’d ever tasted. Definitely worth the price.

The spread of food

After that amazing meal, I decided to use my one free reservation of the roof top solo bath at my hotel. Imagine this: Sunset. The oranges spill across the ocean far in front of you. At your back, rolling clouds trickle over mountains greener than you’d ever seen. And as you sit in the steaming hot water, you feel the cool ocean breeze bite at your neck. It is one of the most serene memories I hold. And after a meal like that? It was the cherry on top.

My personal hot spring

Beppu is a city I think everyone visiting Japan should visit without a second guess. I can go on and on about this city alone. The various things to do, see, eat, and experience are endless. There were a handful of locations in Japan that made me stop and say “I’d love to move here.” Beppu was certainly one of them.

Returning to Osaka on the same ferry I came in on was bittersweet. Nothing good can last forever. But its important to remember that what makes moments and adventure like these special is the fact that they can’t last forever. It makes you savor the sweetness of your time all the more.

Next week, we’ll continue exploring Japan! There was plenty I got up to and there are plenty of lessons that can be learned form the blunders I made, so we may just dig into that. I think it may also be high time that I talk about my academic experiences in Japan! Keep an eye out!