Beppu

Beppu sits at the western rim of Beppu Bay, where Kyushu’s Ōita Prefecture meets a pattern of river channels and volcanic slopes. The city occupies a narrow ribbon of land—roughly five kilometres from east coast to foothills—carved by the Asami, Haruki and Sakai rivers as they drain into the Japan Sea. Beyond this alluvial plain, terrain rises abruptly toward forests and folds of volcanic highlands, including Mount Tsurumi, Mount Yufu and Mount Ōhira. Many of these peaks are latest-phase Quaternary cones, their fumarolic vents still active. Beneath the urban grid, faults trace the fan’s margins, venting heat that feeds Beppu’s celebrated hot springs.

With a subtropical humid climate, annual temperatures average 15.2 °C. Summers are warm, peaking at about 26.2 °C in August, while winters are cool, dipping toward 4.3 °C in January. Rainfall totals roughly 1,663 mm each year, with early autumn—especially September—bringing the heaviest downpours. Snow is rare, and the mountains hold mist more often than snowdrifts.

Early records place Beppu within the bounds of ancient Bungo Province. By the Kamakura period, its sulfurous pools had attracted samurai seeking to tend their wounds. The Meiji era opened the first modern port—Beppu Port, later Kunisaki Port—in 1871, linking the city to Osaka and inland sea trade routes. During the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, that port served as a logistical staging point for the Imperial Army. Hot-spring tourism began in earnest in 1879 with Takegawara Onsen, and by 1885 connections to Uwajima in Shikoku carried visitors across the Inland Sea.

The village of Beppu was established with Japan’s modern municipalities system in 1889 and attained town status in 1893. A merger with neighbouring Hamawaki in 1906 brought the population to just over 12,000. Rail arrived in 1911 with Beppu Station, and in 1923 a seaplane service to Osaka added a novel link. On April 1, 1924, the settlement achieved city status—with 32,276 residents—commemorating its centenary in 2024. After World War II, the former US occupation base, Camp Chicamauga, returned to local use and reopened as Beppu Park in 1979.

Today tourism underpins the local economy. Geothermal springs—over 150 bathing facilities within a handful of districts—form the city’s lifeblood. Collectively known as Beppu Hattō, the eight principal hot-spring areas are Beppu Onsen, Kankaiji, Kamegawa, Shibaseki, Kannawa, Myōban, Horita and Hamawaki. A bespoke stamprally invites visitors to collect eighty-eight seals—after which they earn the title onsen meijin, “spring master.” Historic establishments such as Takegawara Onsen, Myōban Yunosato and Hyōtan Onsen retain their 19th-century layouts, their wooden screens and sapphire-tiled pools recalling Meiji-period leisure.

Alongside pools fit for repose, Beppu preserves sites meant only for spectacle. The Jigoku Meguri, or “hell tour,” guides travellers through seven steaming, acid-tinted pits that bubble between 50 °C and 99.5 °C. In Kannawa, clustered within easy walking distance, Umi Jigoku (“Sea Hell”) churns cobalt-blue water, while Oniyama Jigoku (“Monster Mountain Hell”) shelters crocodiles in steamy vats. Two additional spots lie in Shibaseki, accessible by a short bus ride. Tatsumaki Jigoku, a geyser pit, now follows a 30- to 40-minute eruption schedule, offering timed shows amid rolling vapour clouds.

A further attraction lies beneath the beach. Beppu Kaihin Sunayu—offering sand baths and foot baths since 1940—has lain dormant since April 2023 for redevelopment; plans aim for a 2025 reopening. Meanwhile, sand baths at Hyōtan Onsen and ashiyu foot baths at various sites—including Umi Jigoku—continue to ease sore feet with warm grains or shallow soaks.

Beyond the springs, Beppu reveals its quieter charms. Beppu Park, at the city’s heart and fifteen minutes’ walk from the station, houses camphor trees and seasonal azaleas. Each late July, 5,000 fireworks ascend from barges on the bay in the city’s signature display. Once every three years, the Beppu Contemporary Art Festival—entitled “Mixed Bathing World”—transforms public spaces into outdoor galleries.

A slender landmark, Beppu Tower, has surveyed the bay since 1957. In 1962, the Beppu Ropeway connected city streets to Tsurumi’s summit ridge, extending leisure into pine forests above the haze. Retail nodes have evolved too: Tokiwa Department Store opened in 1988 at Kitahama, and YouMe Town Beppu replaced an old port zone in 2007.

Naturen forbliver tæt på. Yufugawa Canyon, der er udnævnt til en af ​​Ōitas hundrede udsigter, udskærer røde sandstensvægge klædt i bambus og bregner. Udpegede dele af Aso Kujū Nationalpark berører den vestlige del, hvor egeskove viger for rhododendron-skråninger. Otobaru-vandfaldet ligger tyve minutters gang fra Wonder Rakutenchi, den retro-forlystelsespark ved Yufuins foden af ​​bakker. Kijima Kōgen, halvvejs oppe mod Yufu, kombinerer en atten-hullers golfbane og hotel med skrånende forlystelser og rutsjebaner på et højlandsplateau. Takasakiyama Monkey Park, ti ​​minutter med bus fra centrum, beskytter mere end femten hundrede japanske makakaber i tempereret egeskov. 600 m over havets overflade reflekterer Shidaka-søen bjergskyer ved siden af ​​en cedertrælund.

Trods sin kystnære beliggenhed strækker Beppu sig lang og smal, omgivet af hav og bjergrygge. Togstationen ligger i den ene ende; de ​​fleste onsen-områder i Kannawa ligger i den anden ende. Turistbusser forbinder disse zoner hvert halve minut, og dagskort – der kan købes på det udenlandske turistinformationskontor – giver ubegrænsede ture for omkring ¥900 (studerende ¥700). Turistkontorerne på JR Beppu Station, Kitahama og Kannawa tilbyder kort, køreplaner og internetadgang uden beregning.

Med fly tilbyder Ōita Lufthavn shuttlebusser til centrum, der tager fyrre minutter, til cirka ¥1.450; en service fra Fukuoka Lufthavn på Oita Expressway tager 110 minutter og koster omkring ¥2.000. Togrejsende vælger JR Nippo Main Lines Sonic Limited Express, der afgår fra Hakata og Kokura to gange i timen, eller San'yo Shinkansen til Kokura og derefter videre fra Sonic; priserne varierer fra ¥4.230 (enkeltbillet fra Kokura) til ¥5.570 (enkeltbillet fra Fukuoka), hvor grupperabatter reducerer omkostningerne yderligere. Muligheder for overnatning via Sunrise Izumo- eller Sunrise Seto-sovetogene forbinder Tokyo til lavere priser under et Japan Rail Pass, undtagen for private kupéer.

Maritime forbindelser var engang centreret omkring Beppus egen havn; i dag forbinder færger Yawatahama og Beppu seks gange dagligt, mens afgange fra Kobe og Osaka lægger til i Oita eller nogle gange ankrer direkte op i Beppu. Højhastighedsruter er ophørt, men Kansai-Kisen-natskibet tilbyder stadig en direkte sejltur mellem Osaka og Beppu med afgang kl. 19:05 og kaj kl. 06:55.

Midt i sine berømte kilder har Beppu længe haft et dobbelt ry. I slutningen af ​​det 20. århundrede fik byen øgenavnet "Japans Las Vegas", mindre på grund af spilleborde end på grund af en synlig rødlysøkonomi. Byens embedsmænd har i de seneste årtier forsøgt at omforme dette image ved at lægge vægt på familievenlige attraktioner og kulturelle festivaler. For mange ikke-japanske besøgende forbliver sådanne rester fra den tid dæmpede eller skjult i sidegader.

Idet Beppu markerer sit 100-års jubilæum som by i 2024, fortsætter en balancegang mellem den åbenlyse varme fra mineralvandet og den mere subtile varme i dagligdagen. Fiskere reparerer net ved daggry langs bugten; familier samles ved ashiyu-bassiner efter skumring; kunstnere udfolder installationer i tidligere badehuse. Byens karakter ligger i disse overlappende lag - et land med damp og cedertræ, forkastning og springvand - hvor hvert eneste termiske åndedrag vidner om gamle brande og moderne udholdenhed.