Beppu

jigoku

Beppu's top sight are the eight hells 地獄 Jigoku, multicolored volcanic pits of boiling water and mud, and one geyser. The hells are too hot to be diluted into onsen, and they emerge at temperatures ranging from 50 to 99.5 °C 122 to 210 °F. Some of the hells have a natural smell of sulfur — which comes out a bit like rotten eggs.

The eight hells are administered by The Beppu Jigoku Association Tel. 0977-66-1577. (http://www.beppu-jigoku.com) Combination tickets can be purchased at any of the hells for ¥2000 for visits to all eight. If one purchases an unlimited bus ticket for ¥900 from the Foreign Tourist Office in Beppu train station, one is given a coupon book. Included is a ¥200 discount for the combination ticket. If purchased separately, admission to each individual hell is ¥400. Hours for the eight hells are 8:00AM-5:00PM, although Tatsumaki-Jigoku doesn't close until its geyser has had it's last eruption at the end of the day, so it may be open a little bit later than the rest. All eight hells can be seen at a fairly leisurely pace in about two and a half hours.

Three of the hells are next door to each other, and the others are within a few minutes walk. Take bus #2, #5, #9, #41, or #43 from JR Beppu Station to the Umijigoku-mae stop. The foreign tourist office in Beppu train station can tell you the next bus that is leaving for the area, as well as provide a map of the route.

Umi-Jigoku

Sea Hell

Oniishibozu-Jigoku

Shaven Monk's Head Hell

Yama-Jigoku

Mountain Hell

Kamado-Jigoku

Boiling Hell

Oniyama-Jigoku

Demon Mountain Hell

Shiraike-Jigoku

White Pond Hell

Two more hells are about 2.5km away. Either catch a bus back to the Kannawa Onsen bus stop or walk a couple minutes down the main road or Miyuki-zaka to Kannawa Onsen street, and take a left. From the Kannawa Onsen stop, take bus #16 6 min.

Chinoike-Jigoku

Blood Pond Hell

Tatsumaki-Jigoku

Geyser Hell

The Tatsumaki-Jigoku is a geyser that goes off every 30-40 minutes for a period of about 5 minutes. One trick in using your time efficiently for the final two hells is to first go to the Tatsumaki-Jigoku and find out when the next eruption occurs. If you just missed the last one, then go see the Chinoike-Jigoku first.