Next stop: Beppu! Forget the swimsuit in this hot spring city (Part 1 of ?)

Hey! It’s been a while!

Last blog, we talked about Tottori. It’s amazing people, golden beaches, and amazing sights. I can’t emphasize just how amazing of a place it was. But there is another. A place equally as beautiful in its own special way.

That place is called Beppu! Located right outside of the massive city of Oita, Beppu is a smaller city, but extremely well known for its hot springs. Every time I mentioned that I went to Beppu to any of my Japanese friends, they were almost as excited as I, asking countless questions about how my experience was.

I started my journey from the ports of Osaka, opting to take an overnight trip on the Sunflower Ferry. Before I went to Japan, there were a few things that I was thrilled to do when I got there. Taking the Sunflower was one of them. A full dinner and breakfast buffet, on-board hot baths, and various lounge areas all for under $200 was an absolute steal and I can’t express how much I felt like a kid in a candy store taking that trip. There are so many cool ways to travel around Japan and this was easily my favorite.

A model of the original Sunflower Ferry within the boarding terminal for the MOL Sunflower

But when we arrived in Beppu early the following morning, you could easily see the natural hot springs steaming from around the city. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think there were dozens of fires breaking out! Greeting you as you sail into the Beppu Bay is the sprawling view of towering mountains bleeding into the coastline cities surrounding you. It was gorgeous, but this was just the beginning.

A sprawling view from the Beppu Global Tower, a towering observation deck in the center of the city

I’ll spare you the details of how I got to my hotel and got checked in, but once I got there, I was awestruck. The room I booked was a traditional inn-style Japanese room! From the tatami mats on the floor to no actual bed, it was certainly an amazing cultural experience getting to stay in such a place for the five days I was there.

But, let’s pull the scope out a bit. Beppu, as I mentioned, is widely known for its hot springs, baths, and leisure. Just the walk from my hotel to the train station, I counted nearly twenty bath houses! Believe me, I wanted to experience them all, but there is only so much time. So, I picked my battles very carefully.

One of the seven Jigoku Beppu. This one is known for it’s “blood red waters”

My first big trip in Beppu was to visit the Hells of Beppu (or Jigoku Beppu), seven naturally occurring hot springs that have wild tales associated with them. Each has an interesting natural occurrence that made it stand out. One of the Jigoku was blood red, another was a towering geyser! It was an amazing experience; one that you can buy an all-inclusive pass for and trek across the city to see.

“Welcome to Hell”

But this blog is getting quite long. Next week, we’ll continue with the adventures that can be found in Beppu, especially some of the hot springs found deep within the mountains.