Beppu Travel Guide: Hells, Hot Springs and Buses

JGO! editorial team — WEBMARKS Inc. (Fujisawa, Kanagawa)

Beppu is a hot-spring city where you can visit the sightseeing sites known as the “hells,” bathe at a historic bathhouse, and try cooking with geothermal steam. The first planning distinction is simple: the hells are places to look around, not bathing facilities. For a bath, choose a separate venue such as Takegawara Onsen near Beppu Station or Kannawa Mushiyu in the steam-filled Kannawa district.

Beppu’s hot springs are spread across several districts, so it helps to choose an area before setting out. Beppu Station is a useful starting point for Takegawara and buses, while Kannawa brings several hells, the steam bath and steam cooking into one visit. Opening hours, fares and closing days differ by venue. Details below were checked on November 3, 2026; check the linked official pages again before travelling.

1. Choose Your First Stops

Understand Beppu’s eight hot-spring areas

Beppu Hatto is the collective name for eight representative hot-spring areas spread across the city: Beppu, Hamawaki, Kamegawa, Kannawa, Kankaiji, Horita, Shibaseki and Myoban. They developed as separate hot-spring areas, and the city describes their scenery and spring characteristics as differing by district. This is one reason a visit focused on a single neighbourhood can feel quite different from a trip that crosses the city. See the Beppu City guide to Beppu Hatto for the district overview.

The Beppu district is the practical choice if you want to visit Takegawara Onsen, the historic bathhouse about a ten-minute walk from JR Beppu Station. Kannawa is a good base for combining the hells with steam cooking and a steam bath; narrow streets around its steam bath have public baths, inns and souvenir shops, with steam rising through the area. Myoban is known for thatched huts used to make yunohana, mineral deposits from the hot springs. These are distinct neighbourhoods rather than adjacent attractions, so allow for bus travel if you plan to combine them.

The other areas offer different settings described by the city. Hamawaki is considered the birthplace of Beppu’s hot springs, with its name linked to hot water that once welled up by the shore. Kamegawa was known for natural sand baths on the coast, while Kankaiji sits at an elevation of about 150 metres and is presented as a district with a good outlook. Horita developed as a hot-spring retreat in the Edo period and was also a transport point for routes toward Yufuin and Hita; Shibaseki is close to a forest walking trail, and Myoban has its yunohana huts. These details can help you choose a district, but they do not replace checking current access and facility information.

Compare the main experiences

The following experiences are not interchangeable, and each has its own admission or use charge. The common hells ticket is for sightseeing entry; Takegawara’s ordinary bath and sand bath are separate products; Kannawa Mushiyu is another bathing experience; and Jigokumushi Kobo charges for use of its cooking pot. The prices and hours in the table reflect the official details checked on November 3, 2026, with the stated date qualification for Kannawa Mushiyu.

Official details: Seven Hells admission and hours, Takegawara Onsen, Kannawa Mushiyu and Jigokumushi Kobo Kannawa.

Check closing days as well as opening hours. Takegawara’s ordinary bath and sand bath usually close on the third Wednesday of the month, with the following day used when that date is a public holiday. Kannawa Mushiyu usually closes on the fourth Thursday, with a holiday adjustment, and Jigokumushi Kobo lists a third-Wednesday closure, also subject to changes. The city advises checking its closure information for municipal baths; consult each official venue page before fixing your itinerary.

Pick a workable day plan

For a Kannawa-focused day, start with the hells you most want to see, then visit Jigokumushi Kobo if its hours and last order fit your schedule. Add Kannawa Mushiyu only after checking its date-specific hours and the time needed to get there; it is a separate facility, not part of the hells ticket. If the steam bath is a priority, leaving it until the end of the day risks arriving after last reception.

For a two-day visit, one option is to visit Takegawara in the Beppu Station area on the first day and spend the second day in Kannawa. Another is to stay focused on Kannawa, using the two-day validity of the hells ticket to spread its seven admissions across the purchase day and the following day. The ticket allows one entry to each included hell, but the ticket price alone does not establish whether it is cheaper for a smaller selection; compare current individual admission prices for the sites you intend to visit. Check bus departures and venue hours before deciding which day to use for each district.

2. Visit the Seven Hells

What the combined ticket covers

The Seven Hells combined ticket covers Umi Jigoku, Chinoike Jigoku, Tatsumaki Jigoku, Shiraike Jigoku, Oniishibozu Jigoku, Oniyama Jigoku and Kamado Jigoku. The official association lists common hours of 08:00–17:00 and says the sites are open year-round. A combined ticket costs ¥2,400 for high-school age and above or ¥1,200 for elementary- and junior-high students; it is valid on the day of purchase and the next day, with one entry to each hell. Check the association’s admission page for current information.

You can buy the combined ticket at any of the seven hells, so you do not need to reach a particular site first to purchase it. Keep the ticket with you as you move between locations, because each included hell admits the ticket holder once. The ticket is a sightseeing pass, not permission to bathe: choose a separate hot-spring facility if bathing is part of your plan.

Plan the route and pace

From Beppu Station’s west exit, the Beppu Jigoku Association describes a bus journey of about 20 minutes to Umi Jigoku-mae or Kannawa, followed by about a one-minute walk from the stop. Its access page provides the association’s route information. The hells are not all at the same stop, so do not assume that reaching one site means the rest are immediately beside it; allow time for onward travel, waiting and the visits themselves.

The ticket’s two-day validity gives you the option of dividing the sites rather than trying to see all seven in one day. If you choose one day, check the time of the last bus you need as well as the 17:00 closing time, and plan to arrive at your final site before closing. A sensible sequence depends on the day’s bus services and your priorities, so verify the current timetable rather than relying on a route number from an old itinerary.

A combined ticket may be convenient when you plan to visit several of the included sites, but no individual admission comparison is provided here. If you intend to visit only a few, check current separate admission prices at the official site and compare the total with the pass price before buying. The seven-site ticket remains valid through the following day even if you decide to split your visits.

3. Take a Sand Bath or Steam Bath

Takegawara Onsen near Beppu Station

Takegawara Onsen is a municipal bathhouse in the Beppu district. Beppu City says it was established in 1879 and that the current building dates from 1938. The address is 16-23 Motomachi, and the walk from JR Beppu Station takes about ten minutes; the facility has no parking. Check the city’s Takegawara page for current operating details.

The ordinary bath and sand bath are separate experiences with different prices and hours. At the ordinary bath, the listed admission is ¥300 for junior-high age and above, ¥100 for children and free for children below elementary-school age; its listed hours are 06:30–22:30. For the sand bath, guests wear a yukata while staff cover them with sand warmed by hot-spring water. The listed price is ¥1,500 for visitors aged six and above, with hours of 08:00–22:30 and last reception at 21:30.

The city says municipal bath visits cannot be reserved in advance. Numbered tickets are distributed for Takegawara’s sand bath, and reception may close early when it is busy, so arriving before the stated final reception time is not a guarantee of entry. The ordinary bath and sand bath usually close on the third Wednesday, with a holiday adjustment when applicable. As of the November 3, 2026 check, the facility also listed a ¥100 set of shampoo, conditioner and soap for sale; bring this cost into your plans if you want those items. More on municipal bath arrangements is in the city’s hot-spring FAQ.

Kannawa Mushiyu’s herb steam bath

Kannawa Mushiyu offers a different kind of heat from a conventional bath. Visitors lie on sekisho, an aromatic herb, spread over a floor warmed by hot-spring steam. The steam-bath admission listed on November 3, 2026 was ¥700 for junior-high age and above. A rental yukata cost ¥220, or visitors could bring a T-shirt and shorts; the foot-steam area was listed as free. Confirm current details on the city’s Kannawa Mushiyu page.

The operating-hours notice supplied for this guide applies specifically to October 1, 2026 through January 31, 2027: 07:30–19:30, with last reception at 19:00. The usual closing day is the fourth Thursday of the month, with the following day used if the scheduled closure falls on a public holiday. Do not apply that seasonal hours window to a different date without checking the official page.

The steam bath has separate areas for men and women, with four people able to use each area at one time, so there may be a wait when it is busy. Beppu City notes that municipal hot springs are comparatively hot and that some baths provide hotter and cooler options. Follow the facility’s instructions and choose a comfortable option rather than staying in heat that feels excessive. The city’s hot-spring FAQ also explains that municipal baths do not take bathing reservations.

4. Try Steam Cooking in Kannawa

Jigokumushi Kobo Kannawa lets visitors cook using geothermal steam. The workshop is on Ideyu-zaka at Furo-moto 5-kumi in Beppu, within the Kannawa area. Its standard cooking-pot charge, checked on November 3, 2026, was ¥400 for up to 15 minutes, followed by ¥200 for each additional ten minutes or part of ten minutes. The facility does not accept reservations, so plan for the possibility that you may need to wait rather than treating a particular time as guaranteed.

The listed hours are 10:00–19:00, with last order at 18:00. The city lists a footbath and a foot-steam area at the facility, but the foot steam may be unavailable depending on steam conditions. The usual closure is the third Wednesday of each month, with the following day used when that date is a public holiday; the city notes that arrangements may change according to the time of year. Check the official Jigokumushi Kobo page before making the workshop the fixed point of your day.

The wider Kannawa neighbourhood is part of the visit. Beppu City describes narrow streets around the steam bath with public baths, inns and souvenir shops, alongside the area’s characteristic rising steam. Allow time to walk between the bus stop, the cooking workshop and any bath or hell you plan to visit instead of scheduling them as if they were all inside one building. Because the workshop takes no reservations, keep some flexibility in your plan and check the day’s arrangements on arrival.

5. Use Buses for Beppu and the Airport

From Beppu Station to the hot-spring districts

Kamenoi Bus lists routes 2, 5, 7 and 41 from stop 3 at Beppu Station’s west exit toward Kannawa and Umi Jigoku. From the same stop, it lists routes 5 and 41 toward Myoban and the Jumonjibaru Observatory area. From Beppu Station’s east exit, routes 26 and 26A are listed toward Chinoike Jigoku and Shibaseki Onsen. These route numbers were checked on November 3, 2026; consult the operator’s tourist-area bus directions for current information.

There is a discrepancy between the official route lists for buses from the west exit toward Kannawa. Kamenoi Bus lists 2, 5, 7 and 41, while the Beppu Jigoku Association lists 2, 5, 24 and 41 for the route toward Umi Jigoku-mae or Kannawa. The association gives an approximate journey time of 20 minutes and about one minute on foot from the relevant stop; Beppu City’s Jigokumushi Kobo access information gives a one-way adult fare of ¥330 from Beppu Station west exit to Kannawa. Because the route lists differ, confirm the bus’s destination display and the operator’s timetable at the stop rather than relying on the number alone. See both the association access page and the Kamenoi Bus directions.

The Beppu Jigoku Association also describes an option from Kamegawa Station: take route 26 to Chinoike Jigoku-mae for access to the blood pond hell. From Beppu Station’s east exit, routes 26 and 26A are listed toward Chinoike Jigoku and Shibaseki. Check the direction and stop name on the current service information before boarding, especially if you are travelling to a specific site rather than exploring the district generally.

Returning from Kannawa and travelling to the airport

At Kannawa Bus Center, Kamenoi Bus lists stop 1 for services back to Beppu Station: routes 5, 7, 20, 24, 26 and 26A. The operator identifies routes 5 and 7 as the shortest route back to the station. Stop 2 serves routes 16, 16A and 29 toward Chinoike Jigoku and Shibaseki, and routes 5, 24 and 41 toward Myoban and Jumonjibaru Observatory. Check the return schedule before starting your visit so that you know which stop and service fit your next destination.

For Oita Airport, Oita Kotsu lists an airport bus from stop 4 at Beppu Station via Kamegawa Station. The published travel time from Beppu Station to the airport is 56 minutes, and the adult fare listed on November 3, 2026 was ¥1,600. Check the Oita Kotsu Beppu Station–Oita Airport page for the departure timetable for your flight date, and allow time for the rest of your airport journey. The published journey time is a bus estimate, not a guarantee that it will match every connection or flight schedule.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

Are the hells bathing facilities?

No. The hells are sightseeing sites, and the combined ticket covers entry to seven named attractions, not bathing. Choose a separate facility such as Takegawara’s ordinary bath or sand bath, or Kannawa Mushiyu, if you want to bathe. Check the relevant official page for that facility’s own hours, price and closing day.

Can I reserve a municipal bath or the steam-cooking workshop?

Beppu City says its municipal baths do not accept bathing reservations. Takegawara distributes numbered tickets for the sand bath, and reception may close early when it is busy, so allow flexibility. Jigokumushi Kobo Kannawa also does not accept reservations; check its official page for the day’s opening arrangements and keep time available in case of a wait.

How long is the Seven Hells ticket valid?

The combined ticket is valid on the day of purchase and the following day. It admits the holder once to each of the seven included hells, and it can be purchased at any of them. The listed common opening hours are 08:00–17:00, so plan your last visit around closing time and check the current official admission page.

Which bus should I take to Kannawa?

Kamenoi Bus lists routes 2, 5, 7 and 41 from stop 3 at Beppu Station’s west exit toward Kannawa and Umi Jigoku, while the Beppu Jigoku Association lists 2, 5, 24 and 41 for its Kannawa/Umi Jigoku-mae access. The city gives an approximate 20-minute journey and ¥330 adult one-way fare from Beppu Station west exit to Kannawa, based on the November 3, 2026 check. Because the official route lists differ, check the destination display, stop and timetable on the day rather than boarding on the basis of a route number alone.

Is there a sand bath in Beppu?

Takegawara Onsen has a sand bath in which guests wear a yukata and are covered with hot-spring-warmed sand. The listed price is ¥1,500 for ages six and above, and the city says numbered tickets are distributed; reception may close early when it is busy. Do not confuse this with the former municipal Beppu Kaihin Sunayu: the city’s 2024 tourism-statistics document is summarized as recording its discontinuation from April 1, 2023, but the source file could not be opened during this fact check, so confirm the current status if planning around it. The cited city statistics PDF is the reference for that summary.

What should I check before setting out?

Recheck each venue’s official hours, fare and closure information, particularly the date-limited hours for Kannawa Mushiyu and the possibility of early sand-bath reception closure at Takegawara. Confirm bus departures and destination displays, including the differing route numbers published for west-exit services toward Kannawa. If you are connecting to Oita Airport, compare the airport-bus timetable with your flight date rather than relying only on the published 56-minute journey time.