Eight Hells of Beppu Geothermal Springs (Beppu Jigoku Meguri & Steam Cuisine)

Category: Japan’s #1 Geothermal Onsen Wonder & Unique Volcanic Springs | Location: Okinawa

Boasting the highest hot spring discharge volume in all of Japan and ranking second in the world only to Yellowstone National Park, **Beppu** in Oita Prefecture pumps an astonishing 83,000 liters of scalding geothermal water every single minute from thousands of subterranean vents. Across the city, thick plumes of mineral-rich white steam (*Yukemuri*) billow constantly from rooftops and forested hillsides, creating a surreal dreamscape inscribed as an Important Cultural Landscape of Japan. The world-famous signature attraction of the spa metropolis is **Beppu Jigoku Meguri** (The "Hell" Tour)—a circuit of dramatic geothermal cauldrons boiling at temperatures near 100°C (212°F) meant not for communal bathing, but for pure visual contemplation. The most celebrated is **Umi Jigoku** (Sea Hell), a 200-meter-deep boiling volcanic pool of radiant cobalt blue resembling a tropical ocean lagoon, formed by a volcanic eruption of Mount Tsurumi 1,200 years ago. In stark visual contrast lies **Chinoike Jigoku** (Blood Pond Hell), Japan’s oldest natural boiling spring, where viscous red mud and churning waters glow a terrifying crimson hue fueled by high concentrations of natural iron oxide. Other wondrous stops include **Oniishi Bozu Jigoku**, where boiling grey thermal mud bubbles up in hypnotic spherical domes evoking the shaved heads of Buddhist monks; **Tatsumaki Jigoku**, a ferocious natural geyser erupting high-pressure boiling torrents every 30 to 40 minutes; and **Oniyama Jigoku**, harnessing volcanic heat to breed dozens of giant crocodilians. Visitors can soak tired feet in mineral footbaths (*Ashiyu*) sprinkled throughout the hells, sample slow-cooked hell-boiled eggs (*Onsen Tamago*), and savor **Jigokumushi**—authentic steam cuisine where succulent meats, seafood, and vegetables are cooked entirely within natural geothermal steam kilns in the historic Kannawa onsen village.