is an extensive

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

system in the city of

Beppu, Ōita file:Beppu City Hall.jpg, 270px, Beppu City Hall is a city in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of November 30, 2023, the city had a population of 113,045 in 62,702 households, and a population density of 900 persons per km2. ...

, Japan. There are eight distinct major thermal spring zones called ''"Beppu Hatto"''（別府八湯). There are rich hot spring resources in Beppu; the volume of water discharged from the Beppo system is second in volume to that of the

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

in the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...

. There are 2,909 hot spring vents within the city, and these account for more than 10% of the 27,644 hot spring vents in Japan, according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of the Environment in 2004. Statistics from the Beppu City Hall show that more than 130,000 tons of hot spring water gushes from the ground every day. This is the second largest amount of hot spring water discharge in the world, and the largest amount in Japan.About Beppu - Beppu Navi

History

The '' Iyo-no-Kuni Topography'', a text from the early part of the 8th century, states that "once in the age of the

gods A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

, Sukunabikona ( スクナビコナ) and

Ōkuninushi Ōkuninushi (; historical orthography: , ), also known as Ō(a)namuchi (''Oho(a)namuchi'') or Ō(a)namochi (''Oho(a)namochi'') among other variants, is a ''kami'' in Japanese mythology. He is one of the central deities in the cycle of myths re ...

visited Iyo-no-Kuni, now known as

Ehime Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

. Sukunabikona fainted from illness. With a deep sorrow

placed a long pipe at the bottom of the sea all the way through from

Dōgo Onsen is a hot spring in the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the ...

(Matsuyama) to Beppu to supply therapeutic thermal waters for him to bathe, by the grace of which he was saved." Additionally, writings from the

Bungo Province was a province of Japan in the area of eastern Kyūshū, corresponding to most of modern Ōita Prefecture, except what is now the cities of Nakatsu and Usa. Bungo bordered on Hyūga to the south, Higo and Chikugo to the west, and Chikuze ...

describes Akayusen (Chinoike Jigoku). Reports exist that state sanatoria were established in the

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

Ōtomo Yoriyasuin Beppu, Kannawa and Hamawaki regions to heal wounded samurai during the war against the

Mongolian Army The Ground Force of Mongolia () is the land force of the Mongolian Armed Forces, formed from parts of the former Mongolian People's Army in 1992. It was known as the "Mongolian General Purpose Force" () until 2016. History At present Mongolia's ...

. In the 7th year of the

Genroku was a after Jōkyō and before Hōei. The Genroku period spanned the years from September 1688 to March 1704. The reigning emperor was .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du japon'', p. 415. The period was known for its peace and ...

Era in the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, the prosperous hot springs of Beppu were written about by Dr. Ekiken Kaibara. During the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

onward, Beppu's thermal springs were excavated with the boring techniques used in Kazusa, resulting in the completion of more than 1000 wells by the final years of the Meiji period. In the 1960s and 1970s, after

World War Two World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilisi ...

, Beppu Onsen town was rapidly developed establishing social stability and economical improvement. Especially from about 1919 to 1955, the amount of hot water taken rose to use the heat in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

production, many problems happened; for example, the depletion of the old source of the springs and a decrease in temperature. Because of this, a new source of hot springs was searched and in 1957, a new layer of hot springs was found in 200m~300m below ground and was started for use. Since 1964 using hot springs for salt production has been banned, however, using them for agriculture and aqua farming of

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

has continued for the moment.

Hot spring areas ''(Beppu Hatto)''

There are 16 municipal bathhouses fed with hot spring water in the Beppu Onsen area fed by eight separate hot spring zones known collectively as Beppu Hatto (named such in 1924), previously known in the Taisho years as Beppu Jyutto.

Beppu Onsen

Close to Beppu Station in the centre of town, Beppu Onsen is the most popular area. Ekimae-Kotō Onsen is a two-minute walk from the station and provides tired visitors and locals with invigoration and relaxation. The Hells of Beppu field of hot springs are nationally designated as a " Place of Scenic Beauty".

Kankaiji Onsen

The Kankaiji onsen site is located on a hill in the south-west urban area of Beppu. Bathers can enjoy medicinal hot spring waters along with spectacular scenery. The hot spring was written about in the historical book, Bungokokushi, from the Edo period, stating that numerous people visited the onsen for its views and scenery of all of Beppu Hatto. After the wildfire of 1931, the onsen was redeveloped into a resort, and a large geothermal power generator.

Kamegawa Onsen

This onsen area neighboring Kamegawa Station is surrounded by rustic scenery. Beppu Kaihin Sunayu features open-air sand bathing found near Beppu City's seashore, mineral mud baths, and iron spring baths from the Chino-ike Jigoku (Hell of Blood Pond) containing high levels of ferric oxide. . 25/small>

Shibaseki Onsen

Legends claim that Emperor Daigo soaked in the hot springs in 895 CE, and Emperor Goreisen visitied in 1044 CE. Located along a mountain stream, Shibaseki Onsen is known for its hot steam bath. With a woodland trail nearby, it is designated as a national health ''onsen'' resort.

Kannawa Onsen

Kannawa onsen has numerous jets of white steam emitting from gushing hot springs. There are shops and

Ryokan A is a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features ''tatami''-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear nemaki and talk with the owner. Ryokan have existed since the eighth century A.D. du ...

(Japanese inn) located on narrow and winding streets. It is also known for steam baths. The geothermally heated hot spring water emerges from the source at temperature ranging from 64 °C, 147.2 °F in the summer to 60 °C, 140 °F in the winter. The soaking pool temperatures are 45 °C, 113 °F.

Myoban Onsen

Myoban Onsen, on the hill facing Beppu Bay, is a small, quiet mountain resort in a remote area. There are several types of thermal bathing features such as mud baths, the milky-colored alum springs or the sulphur springs accompanied by a distinctive sulphuric odor. Mineral deposits are collected on blue clay and dried into crystals (yunohana) of mineral salts in thatched structures called ''Yunohana-goya''. These minerals are then packaged as bath salts.

Horita Onsen

Located west of Kankaiji Onsen area, Horita Onsen is a rustic hot-spring resort. It has existed since the Edo Period, and has been used to relieve the fatigue of a long journey. The waters of two public baths work effectively on symptoms such as nerve pains.

Hamawaki Onsen

With quaint streets lined with old-fashioned inns and houses, Hamawaki Onsen is the birthplace of Beppu Onsen. It was named after the local beach (Hama). During the

Shōwa era The was a historical period of History of Japan, Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death on January 7, 1989. It was preceded by the T ...

a concrete bathhouse building was constructed, later in 1991, Yutopia (Utopia) Hamawaki, a multi-purpose health facility was built based on the design of the Kurhaus of Europe. After a renovation in 2018 to better control temperature, the water can be regulated in some of the soaking pools from "not so hot" to "hot" to "very hot" at this onsen.

Gallery

File:View of KannawaOnsen.jpg, Kannawa Onsen panorama view File:Ekimaekoto.jpg, Ekimae-Kotō Onsen File:Myoban Onsen 02.jpg, The straw huts of Myōban Onsen, called ''yunohana-goya'' File:Beppu_hotspring-well01.jpg, One of hot spring-wells site in Beppu Spa File:Beppu Takegawara Onsen 1.jpg, Takegawara Onsen File:Beppu umijigoku.jpg, Beppu umi jigoku (torture of the sea) File:Oniyamajigoku warmwaterbron te Beppu in Japan, KITLV 151056.tiff, Tourists at Oniyamajigoku, Beppu, 1920

Public baths

Takegawara Onsen

Originally built in 1879, "Takegawara Onsen" is located a short seven minutes walk from Beppu Station, in Beppu City's downtown commercial zone. The district was built during the

Meiji Period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

. In addition to hot spring soaking pools there are sand baths, where attendants envelop guest's bodies in warm sand. Water temperatures vary from 43 °C to 45 °C.

Kannawa Mushi-yu steam bath

Kannawa is sometimes referred to as the "birthplace of Beppu Hot Springs. A popular site in Kannawa Onsen ''mushi-yu'' steam bath has long served as a welcome facility for local citizens. "Ashimushi" (foot steam bath), a rarity in the country, is effective in relieving fatigued lower limbs. "Sekisho" (medical herb) room is also popular for its soothing aroma.

Beppu Onsen Geo-Museum

The Beppu Onsen Geo-museum is located in Beppu; its purpose is to share hot spring science and geology with the public. According to the museum director Yusa Yuki, the volcanic hot springs were formed 50,000 years ago, and the parent spring's water temperature reaches as high as 250 °C to 300 °C. Rainwater percolates through the volcanic rock via the Asamigawa fault line on the south side of the Beppu alluvial fan; and via the Kannawana fault on the northside. It takes approximately 50 years for the rainwater to reach the volcanic heat source before generating enough steam and vapor to emerge again to the surface. The Oita region has several active volcanoes, the channels of hot magma below the surface can reach over 1,000 °C.

References

External links

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Information about the hot spring "onsen" bathsSite about the various baths in the town of BeppuList of onsen in BeppuTravel Itinerary for best experiencing Beppu Jigoku
{{coord, 33, 16, 49, N, 131, 30, 0, E, source:kolossus-jawiki, display=title Beppu, Ōita Hot springs of Ōita Prefecture Spa towns in Japan Tourist attractions in Ōita Prefecture Landforms of Ōita Prefecture