Beppu

Beppu (別府) in Oita prefecture (大分県) on the island of Kyushu (九州) turned out to be quite a surprise. And a perfect one too.

But to me the whole island of Kyushu just seems incredible, although it’s hard to put in words just how it differs from other places in Japan. Looking out at the landscapes from the coach window everything seemed somehow… greener. Either that or the green – trees, bushes, rice fields – was more intensive, more vibrant. And it’s definitely hotter over there. At first I thought it was just me, that I was exaggerating as anyone who’s not used to Japanese summer (hot and humid) would, but actually no – Kyushu is already within the subtropical climate zone and it doesn’t help much that it’s also home to Japan’s biggest volcano, Mount Aso (阿蘇山) or that Beppu is famous for having one of the hottest hot springs in the country.

But going back to Beppu itself… I was expecting to find a tiny, sleepy place, almost like a slightly bigger village which is only alive thanks to the tourists visiting Beppu Hells. What I found, however, was a fairly big town (its population is about as big as that of Cambridge, but its area is considerably smaller) full of life. There’s things happening and not the small town-like dull stuff, but quite city-like exciting stuff: there was some kind of music festival (which, sadly, I got to just as it finished), the main street with people wandering up and down, there was something going on at the beach, and in the evening everything suddenly lit up with lights from bars, izakayas, clubs, grill places and what not, where people dressed as if it was a big London night out were going to and from parties. I’m really, really impressed, this is totally not what I expected, but it’s the most positive surprise I could’ve hoped for!

The first thing I saw after getting there.

And again, because it’s me, I managed to attract some adventures and travelling companions. Although Beppu’s famous for its hot springs, I decided to go for a seaside stroll instead; for one, it was too hot for hot springs, and secondly – it was ages since the last time I had a chance to stroll by the sea. I bought some ice tea and ice lolly, which was melting pretty much instantly (good thing that I could wash my hands in the sea!), but it was still early when I was done strolling, so I decided to sit down and sip my ice tea while admiring the views. And suddenly I heard a ringing noise. I turned around – a cat! Yay, happiness much, I love cats, so I’m calling her over and, to my surprise, she does come. I don’t get that often, we all know what cats are like, when you want them to come, they ignore you – I even thought that maybe I still had some leftover ice lolly on my hands, but the cat couldn’t care less about my hands. Instead she jumped on my lap… and napped. Just like that. So a seaside stroll, which I thought would take me half an hour, an hour tops, ended up being a two hour adventure with somebody’s cat. (I kept thinking that maybe someone’s looking for her and kept looking around for any potentially worried owners, but never saw anyone like that, the cat simply must’ve been free to roam around and liked that particular beach).

Meow!

But I didn’t come to Beppu to pet cats (that was just a happy coincidence) or to be surprised at the town itself. I came as a tourist with my main goal being the Hells (地獄めぐり), that is hot springs too hot to bathe in, but beautiful and amazing as natural phenomena. There are eight in total: Sea Hell (海地獄, Umi-Jigoku), Shaven Monk's Head Hell (鬼石坊主地獄, Oniishibouzu-Jigoku), Mountain Hell (山地獄, Yama-Jigoku), Boiling Hell or Oven Hell (かまど地獄, Kamado-Jigoku), Demon Mountain Hell (鬼山地獄, Oniyama-Jigoku), White Pond Hell (白池地獄, Shiraike-Jigoku), Blood Pond Hell (血の池地獄, Chi no Ike-Jigoku) and Geyser Hell (龍巻地獄, Tatsumaki-Jigoku).

Incredible place, simply out of this world – Hells through and through! The air is full of hot steam and the smell of sulphur, and the nearby flora seems even more tropical than in the rest of the subtropical Kyushu. If the island of Kyushu is more alive with colours than the rest of Japan, then Beppu’s Hells are ablaze with colours and packed with all kinds of sensations: the smell of sulphur, the sound of boiling water or mud, the feel of hot steam on your skin followed by sweat going down your neck… It’s a bit ironic, but there’s something about those Hells, which are without a doubt very hell-like, that feels like a bit of paradise on Earth. I love it!

Mountain Hell.

Temperature: 90°C.

Near the Sea Hell.

Apparently, each one of these plants can hold up to 20 kilograms of weight!

Sea Hell.

Shaven Monk's Head Hell.

Temperature: 100°C.

Boiling or Oven Hell. "Kamado" is a type of stove or oven, and since people used to cook food in those particular springs, hence the name.

Demon Mountain Hell...

... where the steam is strong enough to pull about one and a half train cars with its pressure...

... where the temperature is 99.1°C...

... and where some of the biggest crocodiles live!

White Pond Hell.

Blood Pond Hell.

Geyser Hell.

In each Hell (and actually, in every single tourist attraction in Japan as well) you could get a stamp saying that you've been here. As you can see, I'm missing one, but it still looks pretty cool.