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Last update: Oct 19, 2026
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Beppu Summary
These place ratings give you a quick overview of how well a destination matches different types of trips.
"Best for" scores:
The specific interest scores show where this place really shines – whether it's ideal for hiking, food & drink experiences, museums or other activities. These highlights help you understand what makes the destination special at a glance.
"Your personal" scores:
This reflects how well a place matches your personal preferences. You can adjust the importances of travel topics or other personal requirements categories in your account settings.
"Suited for" badges:
These give you a quick overview of how well a destination suits specific types of travelers, to help you find the places that match your lifestyle, preferences or travel situation.
Suited for
Japan – Quick facts
| Power Grid: |
100 V, 50 Hz Plug: Type A
Type A:
 Read about power adapters |
|---|---|
| Currency: |
Japanese Yen (JPY) $1 ≈ ¥158 |
| Cashless info: |
Rating 4/5
Cashless payments are becoming more common, especially in cities, with some shops still preferring cash. Be prepared for occasional cash-only situations in rural areas.
Save with a travel credit card |
| eSIM providers: |
Best value: Saily Flexibility: Airalo Read our in-depth comparison |
| Tipping: | Tipping is not customary in Japan and can be considered rude. Excellent service is the norm, and tipping is unnecessary in most places. |
|---|---|
| Public drinking: | Public drinking is legal and commonly accepted, particularly during festivals and events. |
| Public smoking: | Smoking is prohibited in indoor public places but allowed in designated outdoor areas. Some restaurants may have smoking sections. |
| New Year (January) |
One of the most important holidays, expect crowded temples and high prices. Plan ahead. |
|---|---|
| Golden Week (April-May) |
The busiest travel time, expect high demand for accommodation and transportation. |
| Obon (August) |
A time to honor ancestors, many businesses close, and transportation can be crowded. |
| Emergency contact: | Emergency Number: 110 (Police), 119 (Fire & Ambulance) |
|---|---|
| Taxi apps: | Uber, JapanTaxi, DiDi |
| Other: | Japan is a country of respect, so understanding local customs and etiquette is important. Public transportation is efficient, but can be crowded during peak hours. |
Best times to travel
The best times to travel section shows how the months compare for a visit, so you can find the time of year that fits what you want to do.
Background colors of the months:
The color shows the typical temperature: yellow (hot), green (mild) and blue (cold). How strong the color is shows the travel season: full color means high season, soft color means shoulder season and soft-striped means off season.
Weather symbols:
Each month has one symbol showing what the weather is typically like, such as hot and sunny, freezing or a rainy or snowy season. Use them to quickly spot months that match the weather you want, or to avoid the ones that don't.
Crowdedness:
The people icon shows how busy the place usually is. The more people, the more crowded it gets.
Additional notes:
The gray info boxes point out special things worth knowing, like recurring weather issues or seasonal events.
for Beppu, Japan
Typhoon season August to September can disrupt transport and close attractions for a day or two
Busiest during Golden Week (late April to early May), Obon (mid August) and New Year; book accommodation early
Don't miss
- ♨️ Bathe in the famous Beppu hot springs known as “onsen hells”
- 🌋 Watch the spectacular steam vents rise at Umi Jigoku
- 🏖️ Try a traditional sand bath at Beppu Beach Sand Bath
- 🚡 Ride the Beppu Ropeway for panoramic mountain and sea views
- 🥚 Taste eggs boiled in natural hot spring steam
- 🏮 Explore Kannawa Onsen’s narrow lanes filled with steam and ryokans
You've been here?
Log in to manage your own bucket list! Why travel to Beppu?
The Hells of Beppu are hot springs for viewing rather than bathing, despite the name. Each has its own color and feature. Umi Jigoku has a cobalt-blue pond and Chinoike Jigoku has a red mud pool said to be over 1,300 years old. Tatsumaki Jigoku is a geyser that erupts at regular intervals through the day and Oniyama Jigoku keeps crocodiles in water heated by the springs. A combination ticket covers the group and seeing everything takes about four hours. Beppu is also where you can bathe in almost anything. Sand baths bury you in warm sand on the beach while public bathhouses such as Takegawara are in old wooden buildings and cost very little. Mud baths and steam baths are on offer too and many ryokan have their own springs. Mount Tsurumi is behind the city and a ropeway goes up for views over the bay. Takasaki Monkey Park and the Umitamago Aquarium are by the sea. Yufuin is a trendy hot spring town and the Kunisaki Peninsula is a rural coast, so both make easy day trips. One day covers the Hells and a bath. With two days you also have time for the mountain and a side trip.
🏯Places worth seeing
🎡Places for activities
🏞️Natural landmarks
🛍️Shopping
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1
youme Town Beppu
🍽️Eat & Drink
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1
Jigokumushi Kobo Kannawa
Jigokumushi Kobo Kannawa is a public steam kitchen where visitors choose seafood, vegetables, meat or eggs and cook them in baskets with geothermal steam. It is at 5-2 Furomoto, Kannawa, on Ideyu-zaka in Beppu’s Kannawa Onsen district. -
2
Restaurant Toyoken
Toyoken is widely regarded as the originator of toriten, Oita-style chicken tempura served with ponzu and mustard. It is at 7-8-22 Ishigakihigashi in Beppu, near the coastal road between Beppu Station and Kannawa. -
3
Toyotsune Honten
Toyotsune serves tempura, sashimi and local seafood, with its signature special tempura bowl finished in a sweet soy-based sauce. It is at 7-8 Kusunokimachi, a short walk from Kitahama and about 10 minutes on foot from Beppu Station. -
4
Kogetsu
Kogetsu specializes in Beppu reimen, cold noodles with a firm buckwheat-based texture, beef broth and kimchi. It is at 1-9-4 Kusunokimachi, near Beppu Tower and the Kitahama waterfront. -
5
Rokusei
Rokusei is another long-running Beppu reimen restaurant, serving its cold noodle soup with handmade noodles and spicy kimchi. It is at 7-8 Kusunokimachi, close to Kitahama and around 10 minutes on foot from Beppu Station. -
6
Amami Chaya
Amami Chaya serves Oita home-style dishes such as dango-jiru, a miso soup with broad wheat dumplings, and yaséuma, a sweet kinako-coated noodle dessert. It is at 7-8 Kamitanoyu-machi, uphill from central Beppu near the Beppu Rakutenchi area. -
7
Otoya
Otoya serves local Oita dishes including toriten, dango-jiru and regional set meals in a casual dining setting. It is in the Beppu Station area, convenient for a meal before or after train travel. -
8
Jigoku Mushi Restaurant
Jigoku Mushi Restaurant serves prepared geothermal-steamed seafood, meat and vegetables for diners who prefer a meal rather than using a steam chamber themselves. It is in the Kannawa Onsen area near the Hell Tour attractions. -
9
Mori Hanto Bettei Onsen Chaya
Onsen Chaya serves jigoku-mushi seafood and local dishes at Mori Hanto Bettei, overlooking Beppu Bay. It is in the Myoban area on the slopes above central Beppu, near Myoban Onsen and its traditional yunohana huts. -
10
Okamotoya Baiten
Okamotoya Baiten is known for its hot-spring steamed pudding, a custard dessert cooked with onsen steam, alongside local snacks and meals. It is at 559-1 Myoban in the Myoban Onsen district, above Beppu’s central city.
🎈Events
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Beppu Christmas Market
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Autumn Foliage Festival
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Winter Light-up Events
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Beppu Cultural Festival
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Beppu Art Month
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Traditional Crafts Exhibition
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Beppu Onsen Festival (April)
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Ogiyama Fire Festival
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Yukemuri Parade
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Beppu Tsurumi-Dake Cold Weather Competition (Winter)
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Beppu Summer Fireworks
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Kannawa Steam Festival
Knowledge before you go
- Wash well before every bath and keep towels out of the water.
- Buy a Kamenoi bus pass on arrival since it pays for itself after a few rides.
- Tatsumaki Jigoku erupts every 30 to 40 minutes so time your visit around the next eruption.
- Try jigoku-mushi at a steam kitchen in Kannawa where you can steam your own seafood and vegetables.
How to travel to Beppu
The usual way in is the JR Sonic limited express from Hakata Station in Fukuoka. It takes about 2 hours and runs roughly every 30 minutes. The fare is around ¥5,600 ($35.40) and the Japan Rail Pass covers it. Highway buses from Fukuoka also run. Oita Airport is about 25 mi from the city and the Airliner bus to Beppu takes around 50 minutes for about ¥1,500 ($9.48). Flights reach Oita from Tokyo in about two hours. Yufuin is also linked by bus and by the Yufuin no Mori limited express in about 45 minutes. A car works well for the Kunisaki Peninsula but adds little in town.
Access summary
- From Oita Airport (OIT): Airport limousine bus to Beppu, about 45–60 minutes.
- From Fukuoka (Hakata): Limited express train or highway bus, roughly 2–3 hours.
- From Osaka/Kyoto: Fly to Oita or take Shinkansen to Kokura, then Sonic train.
Check your route from anywhere
Where to stay in Beppu
Most visitors stay around Beppu Station and the Kitahama waterfront, where hotels, restaurants and the bus terminal are close together. The area suits an early train or a late arrival. Kannawa on the hillside is the more atmospheric choice with steam rising from the streets and ryokan with their own springs. It's quieter in the evening and nearer the Hells. Many ryokan serve dinner and breakfast and some have private baths in the room. Public baths often restrict visible tattoos so ask before booking. Rooms fill early on weekends and school holidays and in autumn. The good bus and train links also make the city a handy base for day trips inland.
Hotel recommendations
*by rating and popularity. Commissions have no influence on the rankings.
How to get around Beppu
The center around Beppu Station is walkable, but the Hells and the mountain are spread out and buses do most of the work.
Buses:
Kamenoi buses run from the station's west exit to Kannawa in about 20 minutes on lines such as 5, 7 and 41 about every 15 minutes. Buses 16 and 16A continue to the Shibaseki group in about 10 minutes. The ropeway bus takes around 20 minutes.
Passes and payment:
One-day and two-day Kamenoi passes are sold and pay for themselves after a few rides. A Japan Rail Pass isn't valid on local buses, so pay with cash or an IC card.
Taxis and bikes:
Taxis are easy to find near the station and make sense for groups. Cycling is possible on the flat waterfront but not up to Kannawa.
Food in Beppu
The signature cooking here uses the springs. At the Hells you can also try eggs boiled in spring water and buns steamed in hot spring steam. Vegetarians should ask about the stock since pork and fish broth are common.
Jigoku-mushi:
Jigoku-mushi is food steamed in natural steam, with seafood, meat, vegetables and eggs cooked with a little salt. The method dates back to the 1600s in Kannawa and some steam kitchens let you cook your own.
Toriten:
Toriten is bite-sized chicken in a light batter, fried and dipped in vinegar soy sauce or ponzu with mustard. It's said to have started at a Chinese restaurant in the 1920s.
Reimen and dango-jiru:
Reimen are cold noodles in a light soup with cabbage kimchi, baked beef and egg. Dango-jiru, a stew with flat dumplings, is common across Oita.
Budget snapshot
Costs compared to home
We calculate the average costs when traveling to destinations and compare those with the living costs at your home. With this you can get an estimate of how expensive or cheap the destination is for you.
To customize this, you can set up which location and price level are used for the calculations in your account settings.
Daily expenses in Beppu are around 44% lower than the average across United States. That means you'll spend a lot less on meals and getting around.
Exchange rate trend
The exchange rate price factor shows how expensive or cheap a currency currently is compared to its historical average. It's a quick way to see if a country is currently more or less affordable due to exchange rate changes.
Your exchange rate (USD to JPY) is 17% better than in recent years. That means traveling now is considerably cheaper compared to the past.
Travel costs
To help you plan your trip, we provide estimated daily costs per person (when traveling as a pair) for different travel styles. These numbers give you an idea of what you might spend each day at this destination, including accommodation, food, transport and activities.
Additionally, we also provide average hotel costs for different travel styles to give you an estimate for the accommodation only.
Please note that these are only estimates. The real costs depend on booking times, season and other factors.
To help you plan your trip, we provide estimated daily costs per person (when traveling as a pair) for different travel styles. These numbers give you an idea of what you might spend each day at this destination, including accommodation, food, transport and activities.
Additionally, we also provide average hotel costs for different travel styles to give you an estimate for the accommodation only.
Please note that these are only estimates. The real costs depend on booking times, season and other factors.
Daily cost summary
Travel style categories explained:
Backpacker:
Staying in hostels or budget hotels, cooking your own meals or eating cheap and choosing low-cost activities.
Mid-range:
Staying in mid-range hotels, eating at a mix of restaurants and casual spots and enjoying a variety of activities.
Luxury:
Staying in luxury hotels, dining out at high-end restaurants and enjoying premium experiences without worrying about the price.
Travel style categories explained:
Backpacker:
Staying in hostels or budget hotels, cooking your own meals or eating cheap and choosing low-cost activities.
Mid-range:
Staying in mid-range hotels, eating at a mix of restaurants and casual spots and enjoying a variety of activities.
Luxury:
Staying in luxury hotels, dining out at high-end restaurants and enjoying premium experiences without worrying about the price.
| Backpacker | Mid-range | Luxury | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 💵 Total costs per day, including accommodation | |||
| 🏨 Accommodation per night, per person | |||
| 🍝 Food per day | |||
| 🚕 Transportation per day |
Food & Drink
| 🍽️ Restaurant Dinner, per person | |
|---|---|
| 🍛 Lunch Set, per person | |
| 🍟 Fast food combo | |
| 🍝 Preparing your own food, per day | |
| ☕ Cappuccino | |
| 🍺 Beer in a restaurant, 0.5 l / 16 oz |
Transportation
| 🚌 Public transport ticket | |
|---|---|
| 🚕 Taxi Ride, 10 km / 6 mi | |
| ⛽ Gas, 1 l / ¼ gal |
Other
| 🎞️ Movie ticket | |
|---|---|
| 👩⚕️ Doctor's consult | |
| 🤧 Cold medication | |
| 💇 Basic haircut |
Safety information overview
General safety
Beppu is very safe with low crime and calm streets in the evening. The main hazards are hot water and steam, so keep to marked paths around the vents and test bath temperatures before you get in. Typhoons can disrupt travel in late summer.
Health & Medical
Medical care is good with hospitals and clinics in Beppu and nearby Oita though English is limited at smaller practices. Pharmacies are easy to find. Hot baths are risky with heart conditions or low blood pressure so limit soaks to 10 or 15 minutes.
Accessibility
The area around Beppu Station is fairly flat and buses are frequent. Kannawa and the ropeway areas sit on slopes with steps. Some Hells have steps and uneven paths while sand baths and old bathhouses involve stairs.
Tap water
Tap water in Beppu is safe to drink like in the rest of Japan. Vending machines and convenience stores sell bottled water and cold drinks near the station and the Hells. Drink plenty of water before and after hot baths and carry a refillable bottle.
Packing recommendations for Beppu
Log in to add this place to a travel list and get a summary of all recommended items for your whole trip.
📷
Camera
👟
Comfortable walking shoes
🌞
Sunscreen
summer
🚰
Reusable water bottle
🕶️
Sunglasses
🎒
Small backpack
🩱
Swimwear
👛
Cash in small denominations
some places are cash-only
👜
Anti-theft bag
🔋
Power bank
👒
Sun hat
summer
📱
Translation app or phrasebook
🛁
Quick-dry travel towel
🧥
Fleece mid-layer
📱
Travel eSIM
🔌
Universal power adapter
💳
Credit card with no foreign transaction fees
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