Beppu Travel Companion Private Tour: What’s on your list?

This is your first stop. From here, you can see steam rising from Beppu’s hot springs with a clear view of the town and surrounding mountains. It’s a great spot to take in the landscape and enjoy one of Beppu’s most unique sights.

One of Beppu’s most famous Jigoku “hells,” Umi Jigoku or "Sea Hell" features stunning turquoise-blue waters heated to over 90°C (194°F), too hot to touch but perfect for spectacular views! Formed over 1,200 years ago by volcanic activity, its vivid color comes from natural minerals. Watch steam rise and create a mystical, otherworldly scene that showcases Beppu’s incredible geothermal power.

Oniishi Bozu Jigoku (Hell of the Monk’s Head) is an ancient hot spring that pumps out hot gray mud in a way that resembles a monk’s head. After the Meiji era (1868-1912), this hot spring became known as “Bozu Jigoku” and became a tourist attraction. It is one of the seven major Jigoku in Beppu and is located next to the Sea Hell. It has a free footbath and a variety of original snacks in its facilities.

Kamado Jigoku was named after an ancient myth in which steamed rice was cooked with the fumarolic gas discharged at 98 degrees Celsius as an offering to the Ujigami (guardian god) for the Kamado Hachimangu Shrine Festival.

Oniyama Jigoku is also known as "Crocodile Hell." In 1923, it was the first place in Japan to use hot spring heat to raise crocodiles. Currently, it is home to around 70 crocodiles, including members of the crocodile and alligator families.

Located in a Japanese-style garden with a tranquil atmosphere, Shiraike Jigoku, the "White Pond Hell" is named after the clear, colorless hot spring water that erupts and naturally turns a pale blue color as the temperature and pressure drop as it falls to the bottom of the pond.

Facing the sea and embraced by mountains, Beppu possesses many unique and attractive hot spring resort areas. One of them is Kannawa Onsen, which has become increasingly popular in recent years for its retro townscape and its steamy atmosphere. Let’s take a leisurely walk and see what we find!

Tatsumaki Jigoku is an intermittent geyser designated as a natural monument by Beppu City. The hot water that erupts spectacularly at regular intervals is held back by a roof, but it has the power to spurt up to about 30 meters.

Chinoike Jigoku, best known as the "Blood Pond Hell" is Japan's oldest natural hell, dating back over 1,300 years and mentioned under the name "Akayusen" in the Bungo no Kuni Fudoki, a book compiled during the Nara period. Red hot mud containing iron oxide, magnesium oxide, and other substances formed through a natural chemical reaction under high temperatures and pressure underground erupts from the stratum and accumulates, staining the entire surface of the reservoir red.