Japan’s Hells of Beppu - A Natural Springs, Hot As Blazes!
Before coming here, I had different expectations about this tourism site. My viewpoint was far from imagination. As the land of the rising Sun, Japan is known for its great technology but can equally not be left out in tourism. Japan has mind-boggling tourism places like the hells of Beppu. This is one of the most exciting attractions of Japan (Jigoku Meguri). On arrival, you can't hold it but to be very surprised at what you see. There are several similar volcanic activities around the world but the Hells of Beppu has got something unique. In total, there are eight boiling pools that have different distinctions.
Red- blood, Oniishibozu Jigoku, Shiraike Jigoku, Tatsumaki Jigoku, Kamado Jigoku, Yama Jigoku, Oniyama Jigoku and the Chinoike Jigoku are the eight hells with weird attractions. The Oniishibozu Jigoku is known for its bubbling mud, and the Shiraike Jigoku, known as “The white pond Hell” features a hot spring depicted by steaming and milky-coloured waters.
Maybe you haven't seen anything yet until you see the Shiraike Jigoku hell. The "white pond hell" features a pond of hot, milky water. The pond is surrounded by a nice garden and a small, run-down aquarium that has seen better days.
The Yama Jigoku which is the “Mountain Hell” also has a small zoo that has a number of animals at their disposal. On the other hand, Oniyama Jigoku also harbors animals like the crocodiles. Otherwise known as “The Monster Mountain’s Hell”, it indeed justifies its name.
Touching on what is called the “The Cooking Pot Hell”, Kamado Jigoku is not anything strange as visitors may assume but rather, an eatery place at the Beppu hells.
Strangely, the red-coloured statue of Kamado gives a beautiful view apart from steaming eggs, vegetables and even water by the hot spring's vapours.
As one of the eight hells of Beppu, the Tatsumaki Jigoku, known as “The Tornado Hell”, unpredictably spews out a hot boiling natural spring every 30 minutes for periods of 6 to 10 minutes. Fortunately, a nearby stone plate prevents the geyser’s eruptions from getting out of control for destruction. It is therefore not surprising that this water reaches a very high temperature and is the hottest of them all.
The final onsen, which is Chinoike Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell) is arguably the most photogenic and coolest of all. It reaches temperatures of 78 degrees Celsius. The bluish red colour feature is what amazes sightseers. For a moment, one may think it is an artificial colour but upon a closer look, nature will turn your conception upside down. The clay seeps into the pool from the ground making it a very natural scene.
Do not be surprised because, you are bound to come in contact with lotus flowers whose very large leaves are so thick and strong enough to any sizable thing. On a lighter note, the leaves may even carry a baby. Just roll your head around and you see a number of visitors enjoying an egg cooked from the water whose temperature is greater than 20°C (68°F). Out of these eight hells, six are located in Kannawa Town, while the remaining two are located in the Shibaseki district.
If you are a first time visitor, then take note of this. Don't come asking the same question am about answering in my next paragraph. People keep asking about the the red colour of the boiling pool. Anyways, it's normal to know everything before leaving here but the first thing that comes to mind on seeing this is - Why this colour?. Religious people, Christians in particular will for the first time have a different notions running through their mind until they know what exactly makes the pool red. The fact is, nature is simply beautiful as the red pool of Beppu is as a result of a red clay deposits.
Another pool of hell in Beppu which has the largest boiling natural spring throws forth at frequent intervals jets of water, mud and so on. It is driven up by the expansive power of steam in Japan, whilst another is used for breeding crocodiles. Walking past the boiling water is dangerous therefore, it is advisable to be very wary as their temperatures are too high for anyone to soak in safely.
The eight hells in total are called “jigoku”. They are scattered around the Kannawa and Shibaseki districts of Beppu City, most of which are within walking distance of each other. I over heared a Japanese visitor mentioning Umi Jigoku. My ears were full and confused. Not to waste the purpose of my visit to the Hells of Beppu, I was anxious to know the meaning. It is simply called the “Ocean’s Hell”
It is a beautiful sea shade with a stunning bluish-green colour. Visitors can chill out here after a long day. Interestingly, one would think that this site will as usual, attract more global sightseers than country people but the Japanese themselves also have so much interest in this place. They troop here to enjoy nature's beauty. You can count as much as five Japanese amongst eight visitors.
They say: wonders of the world seem to come in sevens. On seeing the water for the first time, you are likely to be seemingly inexplicable as to whether the water is real or not. The cloudy thin layer of a substance that appears to settle over the waters is due to the clear combination of salt, boric acid, sodium silicate, and calcium carbonate.
How Do You Get Here?
address:
986 Kannawakami, Beppu-shi, Ōita-ken 874-0046, Japan
With a Kamenoi bus, you only spend 20 minutes to Ironwheel station in Japan. Taxi takes 15 minutes and costs ¥2000 Japanese yens. On arrival, walk straight to the entrance and get yourself a tear-off book consisting of 9 tickets representing each of the eight hot springs. After all payments are made, just brace up for a 2 hours walk through the whole Beppu Hell territory.
The Fees
Times of visit are from 8am to 5pm each day with no closing days. Entrance for adults is ¥400 yens, ¥300 yens for students and ¥200 yens for disabled people. Excursioners go for ¥2000 yens for adults, ¥1350 yens for students and ¥550 yens for disabled people. Visitors who wish to go by train can do so from Hakata Station in Fukuoka, Japan. In just about 2 hours, you will be there. Cost is ¥5740. Japanese language speakers has a special offer of ¥3600 yen which covers all eight hells.
Where To Stay
You can never be happier than to have a comfortable abode to relax after a long journey to the hells and also after the experience here. Ryokan Mikasaya, Kannawaso, Yanagiya and Onsenkaku are some of the nearby hotels you can cool down. Yark yourself To observe great events here as you get see a black strange sand.
With it's natural colours, heat, steam and nature at work, I can't dispute the fact that the hot springs is ranked second biggest in the world. The boiling water temperature is so intense that it can cook any food hence, the name Hells of Beppu. Well, hold on because I may take you on a tour to the other 2800 hot springs in Japan. No wonder Japan is called the capital of hot springs.
