The Ultimate Hell (Jigoku) Tour in Japan – Visiting Hot Springs in Beppu, Oita Prefecture

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Beppu, is a city located in Oita Prefecture, known for its hot springs (onsens) and the hells (jigoku). Hell?! Yip. Hell. They are basically hot springs but too hot for humans to dip that they’re open for viewing purposes and other activities. Each offers different characteristics from colour, history, and temperature. There are eight of them in total: 7 are included in the ticket booklet and one is separate.

These hells are hella hot! Managed by Each jiguko displays the temperature of the pond in Celsius. It may look like regular steam, run your hands through and you will probably get a third degree burn. One thing I learned from my chemical engineering degree is that steam burns more than boiling water due to its latent heat of vapourization so I wouldn’t mess with these hells.

Getting There and Ticketing Price

For regular adults, there are two ticket purchase methods: either visit one hell at a time costs ¥400 or you can purchase the ticket booklet costs ¥2000 that includes 7 hell tickets. 5 are conveniently close to each other while the other 2 are . I chose the booklet for souvenir purposes. Note that they have different prices for students, group, child, etc. Operating hours of the whole area is 8:00 – 17:00 daily.

Once you enter a hell, the friendly staff tears a portion of the ticket slip so they know you’ve already been there. The booklet explains to you (though in Japanese) where the places are located. Do not fret because the area has many directional signs in different languages like English so you won’t get lost.

To get to the site, if you’re using the JR Rail Pass and coming from Beppu station, take bus 2, 5, 9, 24, or 41, get off at Kannawa Bus Terminal and walk for about a minute. Beppu, included in the Three Best Hot Springs in Japan, the first hell you’ll see is Umi Jigoku.

Umi Jigoku 海地獄

Sea Hell in English, most likely your first stop because it is close to the ticketing booth. Surrounded by water lilies, the blue water in colour is the result of the blue water that’s naturally present. Cobalt blue is not a common colour for Japanese hot springs so it’s the most visited hells in the area. The water outlet temperature is ~98C. It is the most visited and I think the largest of the hells. My first hell, I was very thrilled to see the blue hot steaming water and there’s bonus that I get to see live cooking show.

Oniishibouzu Jigoku 鬼石坊主地獄

Shaven Monk’s Head Hell in English, the name comes from the mud boiling cement-like colour water that makes a ‘bubble-like’ form resembling a shaven’s monk head. The water outlet temperature is ~99C. I stayed at this pond for a good couple of minutes, staring at the bubbles as they got bigger then pop!

The facility sells steamed buns, has a foot bath, and toilet.

Kamado Jigoku かまど地獄

Cooking Pot Hell in English, blue-ish coloured water, the site offers multiple boiling ponds. There are six ponds marked 1 through 6. The entrance features a red horned devil-looking statue, has a free foot bath facility, sells snacks and steamed egg. The water outlet temperature is ~90C.

Cooking pot, this is where most of the steamed eggs to sell are cooked. My pitstop to calm my feet from hours of walking and the Japanese heat.

Oniyama Jigoku 鬼山地獄

Demon Mountain Hell in English, famous for the crocodiles in the site so it is also known as Crocodile Hell. Green-ish in colour, the jigoku breeds around 70 crocodiles and there’s a museum to know more about the crocodiles. Tourists can watch the crocodiles being fed. The water outlet temperature is ~100C.

Shiraike Jigoku 白池地獄 

White Pond Hell in English, from the name itself, the jigoku is known of the white colour of the water. Surrounded by a lavish garden, this jigoku offers a relaxing view where you can seat at a bench and watch the scenic pond release steam. The water outlet temperature is ~95C. I enjoyed sitting down admiring the nicely trimmed bushes on the garden surrounding the pond.

More Hells

The booklet includes 2 more tickets outside the Kannawa district and they are located at Shibaseki district. Go back to Beppu Station, take bus number 26, then get off at Chinoike jigoku.

Chinoike-Jigoku 血の池地獄

Blood Pond Hell in English, from the name itself, the hot spring is blood-red in colour due to the magnesium and iron oxide present in the waters. It is also the oldest hot spring known in Japan. The water outlet temperature is ~78C. This location has a huge souvenir shop.

Tatsumaki-Jigoku 龍巻地獄

Waterspout Hell in English, this geysir hell is an exciting viewing activity where water spouts around every 30 minutes for a duration of . The water can go 30m above ground and the outlet temperature is ~105C.

Another hell in the area is Yama Jigoku. Not included in the booklet so you have to pay separately. The entrance fee costs ¥500 and a two minute walk from Umi Jigoku.

Don’t forget to relax and Eat Snacks

Visiting the jigokus takes a lot of energy. An all day activity so you definitely want to sit down and relax. Those muscles need to calm down after hours of walking, specially when you happen to be in Japan during summer.

When you visit, do not leave without trying out some pudding and egg steamed straight from the boiling waters. Do it properly, dip your feet in the foot bath (ashi mizu) while enjoying the eats. I did the full-experience at Kamado Jigoku: foot bath while eating that traditional onsen steamed egg enjoyed with soy sauce.

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