Kannawa Onsen: Hot Spring Guide, Prices & Access (Oita)

Among the districts of the Beppu Hatto, Kannawa is especially atmospheric, with steam rising from every point along its sloping streets. Old inns line the stone paved alleys, wrapping the area in a nostalgic mood. Its specialty is jigoku mushi, a steam cooking method using geothermal heat, so here you can enjoy both the baths and the food.

Highlights

At the Jigoku Mushi Kobo Kannawa workshop you can steam your own vegetables and seafood using the natural vapor and taste the results. Hell steamed cuisine is one of the dishes that best represents Kannawa, favored by therapeutic bathers since the Edo period. The Kannawa Mushiyu steam bath, which uses a sodium chloride spring, is another specialty, and walking through town you will find foot steamers and foot baths scattered about, making the stroll itself a pleasure.

Enjoying the Seasons

In the cold season the steam gathers thick, offering the dreamlike scenery unique to Kannawa. Spring and autumn are pleasant for strolling, so pairing alley walks with bath hopping is recommended. Since the steamed dishes use seasonal ingredients, every visit feels fresh.

Access and Basic Information

From JR Beppu Station it is about sixteen minutes by Kamenoi Bus to the Kannawa bus stop, with inns and workshops gathered nearby. The area is close to central Beppu and easy to reach by car. The famous hell tour sites are within walking distance, so you can explore the steam draped townscape on foot.

Practical Travel Notes

The Kannawa Mushiyu steam bath charges around seven hundred yen, operates from morning into the evening, and has a monthly closed day. The steam cooking workshop is very popular and you may wait at meal times, so arrive with some time to spare. The morning and evening, when the steam grows thick, are recommended for enjoying the photogenic townscape. Combining a walk, a bath, and a hell steaming experience makes for about a half day itinerary. Since the main Beppu hell tour sites are within walking distance, touring them together is efficient. Budget wise, public baths start from a few hundred yen, with a separate cost for ingredients when steam cooking.

A Quick Tip

The steam cooking is popular, so you may have to wait at meal times. Arrive with some time to spare and enjoy a stroll through town while your food steams to make the most of it. Since there are many slopes, comfortable walking shoes are reassuring.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Spring quality: Kannawa Mushiyu is a chloride spring
• Kannawa Mushiyu opening hours: 6:30-20:00 (last admission 19:30). In summer, from July 1 to September 30, the hours change to 7:30-19:30 (last admission 19:00)
• Kannawa Mushiyu closing days: The fourth Thursday of each month (the following day when it falls on a public holiday)
• Kannawa Mushiyu fees: 700 yen. A book of 10 tickets costs 6,300 yen. Yukata rental is 220 yen. The foot steam bath is free of charge
• Age restrictions: Only those of junior high school age and above may use Kannawa Mushiyu. If you have small children with you, the free foot steam bath and footbath are the options available
• What to bring: Instead of renting a yukata, you may bring your own T-shirt and shorts to wear inside. Towels and bath towel rental are charged
• Waiting time: The stone chamber takes up to four people at a time for each of the men's and women's sections, so at busy times you will have to wait your turn
• Jigokumushi Kobo Kannawa opening hours: 10:00-19:00 (last orders 18:00), closed on the third Wednesday of each month (the following day when it falls on a public holiday)
• Steam-cooking pot fees: A small pot costs 400 yen for up to 15 minutes (200 yen for each additional 10 minutes) and a large pot 600 yen for up to 15 minutes (300 yen for each additional 10 minutes). A book of 10 tickets for up to 15 minutes costs 2,500 yen (a large pot requires two tickets and allows up to 20 minutes). Only those of junior high school age and above may take part
• Ingredients: These can be bought at the facility. If you bring your own, a corkage-style charge applies
• Reservations: Jigokumushi Kobo does not take reservations; visitors are shown in according to the order of their reception ticket numbers
• Parking: Jigokumushi Kobo has free parking (26 spaces beside the facility and 5 nearby). Users of Kannawa Mushiyu get two hours free at the car park in front of Netsu no Yu (12 spaces, including 1 for disabled visitors) and the Kannawa Onsen district car park (19 spaces)
• Access (by bus): From bus stop No. 3 at the west exit of JR Beppu Station take Kamenoi Bus route 1, 2, 5, 7 or 41 to the Kannawa bus center. Inns, public bathhouses and the steam-cooking workshop are all clustered around the bus stop
• Footing: Kannawa is a hot spring town spread over a hillside, with many sloping lanes such as Ideyu-zaka as well as cobblestones and steps. Please come in comfortable walking shoes
• How long to allow: About an hour for the steam bath alone, including waiting time. Combining the steam-cooking experience with a walk around the town makes for a half-day outing
• Address and enquiries: Kannawa Mushiyu is at Kannawa Kami 1-kumi, Beppu City (phone 0977-67-3880), and Jigokumushi Kobo Kannawa is at Furomoto 5-kumi, Beppu City, along Ideyu-zaka (phone 0977-66-3775)

Information Sources

The opening hours of Kannawa Mushiyu, the change of hours in summer, the closing days, the fees, the ticket books, the yukata rental, the free parking period and the address were confirmed on the municipal hot spring pages of the official Beppu City website. The spring quality, the tradition that it was founded by the priest Ippen in the 2nd year of Kenji (1276), and the structure of the stone chamber spread with sweet flag leaves come from the Kannawa Mushiyu page on the tourism information site of the Beppu City Tourism Association. The opening hours, closing days, pot fees, ticket books, charge for bringing your own ingredients, the fact that reservations are not accepted, the number of parking spaces and the address of Jigokumushi Kobo Kannawa come from the information and price pages of the workshop's official website. The bus routes from Beppu Station to Kannawa were compiled from the guidance on the official Kamenoi Bus website. Details are subject to change, so please check the official information before you set out.