Beppu Jigoku Tour — Visiting Eight Unique Hot Spring "Hells"

Beppu, on the eastern coast of Oita Prefecture, produces more hot-spring water than anywhere else in Japan. At the heart of Beppu's volcanic theater are the Jigoku (Hells): a set of seven distinct boiling hot-spring pools, each with a different geological character, color, and mythology, arranged in two clusters and accessible on a single fascinating day-tour.

History and Origins of the Hell Tour

Across the Kannawa and Kamegawa districts of Beppu, jets of steam, hot mud, and scalding water have erupted violently for more than a thousand years. Because the sight was so wild, people feared this place and called it an unapproachable Hell. From the Taisho era onward, these springs were developed as tourism resources and came to be enjoyed as the Hell Tour. Umi Jigoku, Chinoike Jigoku, Tatsumaki Jigoku, and Shiraike Jigoku are designated Places of Scenic Beauty for their colors and forms.

The Seven Hells and Their Highlights

Today's Hell Tour visits seven Hells: Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell), Oniishibozu Jigoku, Kamado Jigoku, Oniyama Jigoku, Shiraike Jigoku (White Pond Hell), Chinoike Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell), and Tatsumaki Jigoku (Tornado Hell).

The iconic Umi Jigoku is a cobalt-blue pool of boiling water containing iron sulfate, so vivid it looks unreal; a greenhouse heated by the spring nurtures tropical water lilies. Chinoike Jigoku is a lurid crimson from iron oxide in the hot mud, said to be Japan's oldest natural hell. Tatsumaki Jigoku features a geyser that spouts scalding water at regular intervals. Others include Oniishibozu Jigoku, where gray mud boils, the milky-white Shiraike Jigoku, and Oniyama Jigoku, which keeps crocodiles—each with its own character.

Access & Basic Information

The Hells are split into two areas. Five of them—Umi, Oniishibozu, Kamado, Oniyama, and Shiraike—cluster in the Kannawa area and can be walked between. The other two, Chinoike and Tatsumaki, lie toward Kamegawa and require a further bus ride from Kannawa. A combination admission ticket lets you view all seven efficiently.

From JR Beppu Station, the usual approach is a Kamenoi bus to the Kannawa bus stop. A one-day route-bus pass, or a regular sightseeing bus that runs without reservations, makes it easy to reach the scattered Hells. Hours, fees, and the contents of passes and combination tickets can change, so check the official website for the latest details.

Practical Travel Notes

• Best season and time: Enjoyable year-round, but the cold season makes the steam and vapor look more dramatic. Mornings just after opening are relatively quiet.
• Time needed: To see all seven, allow roughly three to four hours including travel between areas.
• Avoiding crowds: Daytime on weekends and holidays gets busy, so early morning is ideal.
• Nearby real spots: The Kannawa area is dotted with steam-cooked jigoku-mushi restaurants and casual hot-spring experiences such as foot-steaming and hand baths. It pairs well with the Beppu Ropeway and the various springs of the Beppu Hatto.
• Budget sense: Besides the combination admission ticket, you can also tour using a route-bus pass or the regular sightseeing bus. Adjust your budget by combining transport and admission options.

A Word of Advice

The seven Hells fall into two groups: the walkable Kannawa cluster and the slightly distant Kamegawa cluster. To tour efficiently, combine the admission ticket with a route-bus pass, or use the regular sightseeing bus. Steam-cooked jigoku-mushi cuisine is a local specialty, so enjoy the blessings of the springs with your taste buds too.

📚 Sources

For information on the Beppu Jigoku Tour, the main references are the official site of the Beppu Jigoku Association, which operates the hells, and the tourism guidance published by the Beppu City Tourism Association. Details of the combined admission ticket, the one-day bus passes offered by operators such as Kamenoi Bus, and the regularly scheduled sightseeing buses can be checked through each operator's official information. Fees, opening hours, and the contents of the bus passes and combined tickets may change, so please confirm the latest details through official sources before you visit.

Visitor Checklist

• Estimated time: Allow about 3 to 4 hours to tour the five hells in the Kannawa area and the two hells toward Kamegawa, including travel between them.
• What to bring: Beyond a combined admission ticket, you can also tour using a one-day bus pass or the scheduled sightseeing bus, so prepare fares to match your chosen transport. In the cold season the steam looks dramatic but it gets chilly, so bring an extra layer.
• Suggested route: First tour the walkable Kannawa area (Umi Jigoku, Oniishibozu Jigoku, Kamado Jigoku, Oniyama Jigoku, Shiraike Jigoku), then take a bus toward Kamegawa for Chinoike Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku, and finish with jigoku-mushi steamed dishes in Kannawa.
• Crowd tips: Midday on weekends and holidays gets busy, so early morning right after opening is best.

Practical Information for Your Visit

Basic information from the Beppu Jigoku Association (official)

• Number of hells: Seven in all (Umi Jigoku, Chinoike Jigoku, Tatsumaki Jigoku, Shiraike Jigoku, Oniishibozu Jigoku, Oniyama Jigoku and Kamado Jigoku)
• Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (the same for all 7 hells)
• Closing days: Open all year round
• Address and contact: 559-1 Kannawa, Beppu City, Oita Prefecture 874-0045 (0977-66-1577)

Combined admission ticket (revised on February 1, Reiwa 7 / 2025)

• Individuals: 2,400 yen for adults (high school students and older) and 1,200 yen for children (elementary and junior high school students)
• Groups of 20 or more: 2,000 yen for adults and 1,000 yen for children
• Visitors with disabilities (individual): 1,200 yen for adults and 600 yen for children / visitors with disabilities (20 or more): 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children
• School groups (reservation required): 1,200 yen for high school students, 800 yen for junior high school students and 700 yen for elementary school students. Kindergarten and nursery groups pay 500 yen per child (reservation required)
• Validity: Two days, the day of purchase and the following day (the date of purchase is stamped on the front of the ticket)
• How to buy: Tickets can be bought at the ticket office of any of the hells. You may enter each hell once. Group bookings are handled only at Umi Jigoku or Chinoike Jigoku

Parking (about 615 spaces in total across the 7 hells, spread among them)

• Umi Jigoku 230 spaces (with a bus lane), Chinoike Jigoku 130 spaces (also with a bus lane), Tatsumaki Jigoku 80 spaces, Oniyama Jigoku 60 spaces (with a bus lane), Shiraike Jigoku 45 spaces, Oniishibozu Jigoku 35 spaces, and Kamado Jigoku 35 spaces (with a bus lane)

Facilities

• Wheelchair-accessible toilets are provided at all 7 hells (2 of them at Umi Jigoku). Wheelchairs are available to borrow: 3 at Umi Jigoku, 2 at Kamado Jigoku and 1 at each of the others (they cannot be reserved)
• Nursing rooms are at Umi Jigoku and Kamado Jigoku, and there is a dog run at Chinoike Jigoku. The wheelchair-accessible toilet at Tatsumaki Jigoku has a nappy-changing table
• Umi Jigoku, Kamado Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku have cycle ports for "Oita Cycle Share" (electrically assisted bicycles)

Access by public transport (Beppu Jigoku Association official information)

• Towards Umi Jigoku: 20 minutes from the west exit of JR Beppu Station on Kamenoi Bus routes 2, 5, 24 and 41 bound for Kannawa, getting off at "Umi Jigoku-mae" or "Kannawa", then a 1-minute walk
• Towards Chinoike Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku: About 40 minutes from JR Beppu Station on Kamenoi Bus route 26, fare 390 yen, getting off at "Chinoike Jigoku-mae". From the Kannawa bus stop, take a route 16 bus and get off at "Chinoike Jigoku-mae"

Access by car

• From the Beppu IC on the Higashi-Kyushu Expressway, turn right and go straight along Prefectural Route 11 towards Kannawa Onsen for about 3 km, about 5 minutes (towards Umi Jigoku)
• For Chinoike Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku, turn left at the "Kannawa Onsen Iriguchi" intersection if you use the Beppu IC, or turn right at the Kosetsu Ichiba intersection off National Route 10 if you use the Hayami IC

The "Beppu Hell Tour Course" sightseeing bus (Kamenoi Bus)

• Fares: 4,500 yen for adults, 3,500 yen for junior high school students and 2,300 yen for elementary school students and younger (revised on May 1, 2025). The bus fare includes admission to the hells
• Duration: About 3 hours (about 60 minutes of which is spent walking with the bus guide's commentary)
• Departure points and times: Kitahama Bus Center (morning service departs at 9:10, afternoon service at 13:50) and platform 4 in front of Beppu Station (morning service departs at 9:20, afternoon service at 14:00)
• Reservations: Advance booking is required. Reservations open at 10 a.m. two months before the day of operation. Kamenoi Bus sightseeing bus reservations (0977-23-5170 / 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., open every day). When the bus is full, priority goes to those who have booked, and you may not be able to ride without a reservation

Free travel pass (Kamenoi Bus)

• One-day Mini Free Pass: 1,100 yen for adults. It can be used on all Kamenoi Bus routes within the city of Beppu, including "Gurutto" (the Beppu-Kannawa loop) and "Supatto" (the Beppu-Kannawa-Myoban round trip)

*The admission fee for each individual hell is not listed on the official website of the Beppu Jigoku Association. *No prices for students or children for the One-day Mini Free Pass could be found on the official ticket sales site. *Parking charges are not stated on the official website of the Beppu Jigoku Association (the access page notes that "each hell has free parking"). (Sources: the official Beppu Hell Tour website (Beppu Jigoku Association), and the official website and official ticket sales site of Kamenoi Bus Co., Ltd.)