10 things to do in Beppu

Checked against official sources · updated 6 November 2026 · Takumi Yamada

1. 01
   Simon Desmarais / CC BY-SA 2.0
   See~4h circuitNeeds a 6-hour call

   The Hells of Kannawa

   Cobalt ponds, blood-red pools, a geyser on a timer — seven volcanic "hells" you view, not bathe in. Umi and Chinoike are the essential two if time is short.

   Taxi/bus ~20 minFull guide: The hells
2. 02
   松岡明芳 / CC BY-SA 4.0
   Eat~4h with the hellsNeeds a 6-hour call

   Jigoku-mushi: steam your lunch

   Rent a steam vent, lower your basket of seafood and vegetables into the earth, eat what the volcano cooked. Interactive, cheap, unforgettable — the Kannawa kobo runs it 10:00–19:00 (last basket order 18:00) and closes on the third Wednesday of each month.

   Kannawa districtFull guide: Kannawa
3. 03
   663highland / CC BY 2.5
   Do · bookable~3hNeeds a 5-hour call

   A sand bath, buried to the neck

   Attendants shovel volcanically heated sand over you until only your face is left thinking. Ten minutes underground, days of afterglow. Takegawara (¥1,500) takes no bookings and up to eight at once, so expect a wait at busy times; the beach sand bath at Shoningahama, now Sand SPA (¥2,500, 8:00–22:00, last entry 21:00), takes reservations, closes about twice a month and is closer to the ship.

   Takegawara or beachFull guide: Takegawara
4. 04
   663highland / CC BY 2.5
   See~2.5h with downtownNeeds a 4.5-hour call

   Takegawara bathhouse

   The 1879 grand dame of public baths under a temple-grade roof — entry costs pocket change and the wooden lobby alone is worth the trip. Tattoo-friendly, gloriously unfancy.

   Taxi ~10 min (about ¥1,150)Full guide: Takegawara
5. 05
   
   Do · bookable~6hNeeds an 8-hour call

   Beppu + Yufuin, guided

   The hells in the morning, then over the hills to Yufuin’s boutique onsen village under Mt. Yufu. The full Oita day, clock-managed, for long calls only.

   The guided version · from US$565
6. 06
   Asturio Cantabrio / CC BY-SA 4.0
   Eat~2.5hNeeds a 4.5-hour call

   Toriten at the source

   Tempura-fried chicken with ponzu and mustard — invented at Toyoken in 1926 and still their kitchen’s pride. Order the original zabuton cut and taste why Oita fights over it.

   DowntownFull guide: Toriten at Toyoken
7. 07
   eitarov / CC BY 2.0
   See~5hNeeds a 7-hour call

   Mt. Tsurumi ropeway

   Ten minutes up to about 1,300 m — the bay, the steam plumes rising from a hundred neighborhoods, and cherry trees in the park at the foot station.

   Bus/taxi + ropewayFull guide: Beppu Ropeway
8. 08
   
   Do · bookable~2hNeeds a 4-hour call

   Calligraphy in a century-old house

   An hour of brush, ink and quiet in an old machiya near downtown — Beppu’s highest-rated small experience, and the rare one that fits a short call.

   The guided version · from US$32
9. 09
   
   Do · bookable~3hNeeds a 5-hour call

   Sound bath in an onsen house

   Singing bowls, sea views and steam — a meditation session in a private onsen home. The deep-exhale counterprogram to the hells’ spectacle.

   Taxi each way (not included)The guided version · from US$83
10. 10
    Asiainfocenter / CC BY-SA 4.0
    Take home~4h via MyobanNeeds a 6-hour call

    Yuzu-kosho & yunohana

    Bath salts scraped from thatched huts that farm hot-spring minerals, and the famous jigoku-steamed pudding at Okamotoya’s shop (8:30–18:30, open every day). Yuzu-kosho, the citrus-chili paste, is not listed on the shop’s own site.

    Route 24 bus (¥370) or taxi to MyobanGoogle Maps