“Hell’s of Beppu”

In Beppu’s Hell: Hot, Crowded, and Slightly Sulfuric

Once we arrived in Beppu, we had a few hours to kill before hotel check-in. So naturally, we thought: “Let’s go visit hell!” (The local kind, not the metaphorical kind brought on by travel delays.) We bought a Hell Pass, which promised access to at least seven hot springs—aka, the “Hells of Beppu.”

These aren’t your typical soak-and-relax onsens. Beppu’s “Hells” are boiling, bubbling, steaming hot springs that look like they belong in a sci-fi movie. You admire them from a distance… unless you enjoy being poached.

We aimed for Chinoike Jigoku, the famous red hell, first—but the bus stop was packed tighter than a Tokyo rush hour train. So we did what any mildly impatient adventurer would do—we grabbed a taxi and headed to Tatsumaki Jigoku, the blue one, instead. Because nothing says “spiritual detour” like rushing to see geysers and boiling ponds on purpose.

The verdict?

Crowded. Hot. Smelled like eggs.

Also very… man-made. Think more “lava-themed amusement park” than untouched natural wonder.

In the end, Beppu’s hells were interesting—but not exactly our cup of sulfur-scented tea. Still, we did manage to check “visit seven hells in one afternoon” off the bucket list.

And honestly, how many people can say they survived that kind of day in Beppu?