Japanese Hot Springs

During Spring Break I went to Kyushu with 3 other KGU students. The first place we went to was Beppu: the place to go in Japan for onsen (hot springs). Beppu has 2849 springs with more than 4 million visitors each year and is the second largest output of hot spring water in the world (Japan Atlas: Beppu Hot Spring). I would like to dedicate this blog post to the onsens of Beppu.

We found this small onsen house just off of the main street of Beppu. Not only did this onsen have your typical public baths, but it also offered a sand bath for a small extra fee. A sand bath is where instead of being submersed in water, you are buried up to your neck in warm sand. It is meant to be very relaxing and good for your circulation.

Beppu is not only heaven for those who love onsen, it is also 'hell'. There are 8 'jigoku's' (hells) which are onsen named so because they are too hot for people to enter, some reaching up to 90 degrees. They are all in the Kannawa region and they are all accessible to each other if you allow yourself some time, but for those less inclined to walk the distance there is a 'Jigoku Meguri' bus tour which will take you to all of the Jigoku's for 2000 yen. If you don't want to visit all of them it is 400 yen for entry into each Jigoku.

Chinoike (Blood Pool)

Kamado Jigoku (Oven Hell)

Unnamed secondary hell at Kamado Jigoku

Not content to simply bathe in and look at onsen, the Japanese have created many ways to enjoy the hot spring water. For example, what gives Chinoike its red colour is the clay underneath the spring, and so the Japanese extract the clay and use it as a facial mask. They also use the water as a facial cleanser which is said to be good for every sort of skin imperfection. They sold these products at the site.

Another example can be seen in the photo below.

The water from the spring at Kamado Jigoku can be used in many different ways. People can drink the water, as can be seen in the picture above, it can be used to warm a seat which customers sit on, and the steam can also be inhaled to cure sinus problems and help with asthma symptoms. I tried drinking the water and breathing the steam, both of which had a strong 'rotten eggs' smell, which of course is the sulphur.

For more information on the onsen regions and jigoku's of Beppu please visit here and here.