Photo: Han Sen / Pexels
The groundMore hot water comes out of this town than anywhere in Japan, and second place is not close
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The bathingEight distinct spring towns, one of which is a shed with a locked door and an honesty box
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The manThe showman who invented Japanese tourism, and got a hell painted for it
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The tableSteam, chicken tempura, and cold noodles in a hot bowl
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The choiceThe two towns are an hour apart and they are opposites
Read the story →Cruise seasons run spring to autumn, but the port changes underneath them.
Bathing weather without the cold. The hells steam more visibly in cool air.
Comfortable everywhere, and the monkeys are active.
The best month for combining Beppu with Yufuin on a long call.
Kyushu rains hard. Bathing and steam-cooking are unaffected — this is a rain-proof port.
A hot spring town in August is a hard sell. Go early, use the sand bath, drink reimen.
Kyushu is exposed. Check your itinerary rather than assuming.
Warm days, cool evenings, and steam visible over the whole town at dawn.
Cold air makes the yukemuri — the steam plumes — dramatic. The signature view.
Kyushu winters are mild. This is when a hot bath makes the most sense.
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