The area called the Hells (or Jigoku)of Beppu is set high in the hills where there is a mass network of hot springs. It creates an otherworldly effect of hot steam arising from the ground in large plumes. The steam and hot springs are very therapeutic. Onsens are everywhere (over 100 in a relatively small area) and are used daily by locals…and the Bartletts.
We are staying at the Oniyama Hotel for 3 nights in Kannawa, the centre of the hot spring area of Beppu. We will be able to walk to sightsee and visit Onsens.. Our hotel has an Onsen which we will use, but we plan to visit others in the area as well.
There are 8 different springs here with each spring featuring many public baths and Ryokans with bathing facilities. Together they produce more hot spring water than any other Onsen resort in the country.
When we arrived, staff came out to greet us. We’re pretty sure that they have not had guests before who travel by bike or trike. At first they suggested that we should park them in front of the hotel, but after some debate they came up with a great solution. We were given one of their conference rooms to store our trikes. 😸
Our Hotel is Japanese in its design. This is our room with a table by the window, a lower table for eating and a large area where will sleep on Japanese futons. It is quite a large room.
We stayed in this area on a previous trip to Japan and we have great memories of the time we spent at a superb Onsen called Hyotan. We will go there today. The Onsen has a remarkable number of pools, inside and outside, for you to enjoy.
Locals love this aspect of how Hyotan Onsen cools the piping hot spring water in the baths. Most Onsens use cold water to bring the temperature to a safe level. This dilutes the therapeutic powers.
Sand bathing is very popular. The sand is heated by the hot spring and typically you wear a yukata, dig a shallow area to lie in and cover yourself in sand. 15 minutes is the recommended amount of time to spend in the sand.
Hyotan Onsen is a very large place. There are about 8 pools, inside and outside with different temperatures and properties. We both spent about an hour enjoying the Onsen. As well as bathing, there are saunas, waterfalls where you can stand and let the force of the water quell your aches and pains, sand bathing, etc. It is remarkable how transformed, relaxed and clean you feel after an experience like this.
Barry BartlettIndeed. Barry is still in mourning as we are passionate Blue Jays fans. As there is only one MLB team is in Canada, the country really came together Andover half of our population watched the game. Reply to this comment 2 months ago
You can see the impact of the hot spring steam on buildings and metal. This device separates the gas from the hot spring water. There are 100’s of Onsens in this relatively small area. As you can see imagine, Onsens are a part of daily life here for locals.
We have had an outstanding first day in Hell (Beppu). We have ridden our trikes through the narrow, winding lanes of Beppu, visited an Onsen, ate great food and just had fun. Time to return to our hotel. Until tomorrow….
