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Toriten (Chicken Tempura)
“Toriten” (Chicken Tempura), a specialty dish of Beppu, is a tempura of marinated chicken. It’s best to have it with ponzu soy sauce with mustard on the side.
Hours
10:00 – 17:00
Address
1st floor Zaizen bldg.
14-2 Kusunoki machi
Beppu city
Phone
0977-85-8733
Toriten (Chicken Tempura)
“Toriten” (Chicken Tempura), a specialty dish of Beppu, is a tempura of marinated chicken. It’s best to have it with ponzu soy sauce with mustard on the side.
Yukari Ohira’s mural in Suehiro hot spring
A local Suehiro hot spring has been there since before 1945 (Showa 20th period). Its clear and simple qualities have been loved by neighbors ever since.
Yukari Ohira, a resident of Kiyoshima Apartment, has painted murals of Mt. Yufu in the women’s bath, and Mt. Tsurumi in the men’s. By purposely painting a male (rugged) mountain in the women’s bath and a female (gently sloping) mountain in the men’s, Ohira reveals her message.
Holidays
None
Hours
7:00 – 22:00
Address
4-20 Suehiro cho
Beppu city
Phone
090-5725-5215
Beppu Hatto (Beppu Eight Hot Springs)
Beppu consists of eight types of unique hot spring areas, and has a number of hot spring facilities.
Lani Maestro
“Higugma (Breaths)”
“Higugma (Beath.)” is an installation piece composed of 20 drawings by Lani Maestro for the Beppu Contemporary Art Festival “Mixed Bathing World” 2009. Currently, 10 of them are still kept in Beppu.
For a production, Lani Maestro stayed in platform05 and was inspired by the unique quietness and softness of the traditional Japanese house and decided to use the same materials for his own work. Then, he ordered the craftsperson who built platform05 row house to produce wooden frames to be a part of his work. For his drawings, Japanese shoji papers were used.
For the drawings, poetic words were written in Tagalog which her foster mother used to speak, and by using candle ash dust, her flickering emotions are expressed.
Encounter between locals and tourists in hot springs
You will find that the hot springs are available everywhere when you take a walk around central downtown and Kannawa area. Both locals and tourists enjoy the same bath. Although residents and tourists tend to use separate hot spring facilities throughout Japan, you can see both of them enjoying the same bath in Beppu.
In many hot spring facilities, local people often communicate with tourists in a very friendly manner in their bare skin, sometimes advising them to stay longer in the bath to avoid getting a cold afterwards.
Select Beppu
Located next to Saiho-ji temple, Select Beppu is a speciality boutique store in a folk house which is over 100 years old. You can find local crafts and products as well as art related goods.
Holidays
Tuesdays (open on national holidays)
Hours
11:00 – 18:00
Address
9-34 Chuou cho
Beppu city
Phone
0977-80-7226
Sanshu Dou
Cake Shop Yayoi Cho・Sanshu Dou offers many old fashioned sweets such as madeleines, cream puffs, and pies filled with seasonal fruits.
They offer you a complimentary tea if you eat their sweets at a little table inside their shop.
Holidays
Irregular
Hours
12:00 – 19:30
Address
1-15 Motomachi
Beppu city
Phone
0977-23-3770
Kiyoshima Apartment
Kiyoshima Apartment is a former boarding house with 22 rooms in 3 parts, built right after WWll. It has become a hub space for artists gathering from all over the country to live and create. The first floor is used for open studios/presentation rooms, and the second floor as a living space.
Often times, there are various events organized by its residents and also artists from all over the country. You can come for a tour, please make a reservation before your visit.
Holidays
Open studios available.
Address
Kiyoshima apt.
2-27 Suehiro cho
Beppu city
Phone
※ Please make inquiries for more details to NPO BEPPU PROJECT (0977-22-3560).
Chickamauga tree
Chickamauga tree in Beppu Park is considered “Japan’s oldest Christmas tree”.
You can see it lit up at the annual lighting ceremony every December.
Akashi Bunshodo
Akashi Bunshodo is a long-established art stationer near Beppu station. Their original products, such as “Kannawa Sepia” and “Tsurumi Green” fountain pen inks with colors inspired by Beppu are quite popular.
Holidays
Third Sundays
Hours
Weekdays: 10:00 – 18:30
Sun/national holidays: 10:00 – 18:00
Address
2nd floor Arc Hills 1
11-10 Ekimaecho
Beppu city
Phone
0977-22-1465
Beanery Motomachi Baru
At the beanery Motomachi Baru, you can enjoy works by Yasuhide Kunimoto while having food and drinks.
Holidays
Sundays
Hours
18:00 – 2:00
Address
8-10-B1
Motomachi
Beppu city
Phone
080-4582-2104
Climate of Beppu
Beppu has a very mild climate averaging 16.6 degrees Celsius, and belongs to the Seto Inland Sea climate. It barely snows in the downtown area which is near the ocean.
Oita Made
Oita Made shop is located inside Beppu Ginza shopping arcade which stretches from Beppu Station road. There are about 50 kinds of products that were realized by collaborating with 42 groups of producers within Oita prefecture. All the goods are made by manual labor with what’s produced in Oita prefecture, such as corn soup processed from fresh corn, gummies with rich kabosu juice, geta wooden clogs, and bamboo pens. Inside the shop, you can find paper sign boards introducing a message from each producer.
Oita Made commits to only what is produced in Oita prefecture, and introduces their appeal to all over the country. Please visit the store when you need to pick souvenirs with an authentic Oita flavor.
Holidays
Tuesdays (open on national holidays)
Hours
11:00 – 18:00
Address
(platform02)
6-21 Motomachi
Beppu city
Phone
0977-75-8413
Yasuhide Kunimoto “Scene”
“Scene” is a mural by a painter Yasuhide Kunimoto which depicts a crowd of people who have visited Beppu. The artist wishes the work to coexist with the people on the street, the city, and their memories.
Hotel New Tsuruta, which this piece was painted on, was founded in 1917. A large hot spring bath with an overlook of Beppu Gulf has its spring water coming directly from the source.
Hamawaki district
Beppu was founded from the Hamawaki district where you can still see the remnants of the old days.
International tourist town
Beppu is a hot spring tourist town residing in Oita prefecture within Kyusyu Island.
The city has welcomed many tourists for a long time, and continues to have many residents from overseas especially after the opening of an international university.
Roll Cake (Swiss Roll)
“Roll Cake” (Swiss Roll) is a basic menu at any Japanese sweet shop. This simple cake which rolls whipped cream inside sponge originated in Beppu.
Location of Beppu
Beppu city, located in the center of Eastern Oita prefecture, is only 3 stations (about 15 minutes) away from Oita city – the capital of Oita prefecture.
Bijin no Yu (Hot Spring of Beauty)
“Bijin no Yu” (Hot Spring of Beauty) is rich in metasilicic acid – its serum-like thick water can bring you beautiful skin.
Salt Spring
The salt spring is called the hot spring for warmth. Its thermal effect works to avoid the body to cool down after bathing.
Kochuubou Karin
Kochuubou “Karin” just opened a few of years ago. The owner, Mrs. Lin, who is from the northeast part of China, makes dumplings using seasonal vegetables and meat.
The most basic menu here is lamb meat dumplings. “Drunken Shrimp” soaked in Chinese rice wine is another recommendation.
Holidays
Irregular
Hours
18:00 – 23:00 (limited supply of dumplings)
Address
10-1 Motomachi
Beppu city
Phone
090-9589-9545
Hot spring industry
A unique aspect of Beppu’s international tourist economy is that more than 80 percent of the population works in the hospitality industry such as hotels, retail, and tourism.
Hot springs are not only used for tourism and the daily lives of local people, but also for a wide variety of uses like the production of myoban, geo-thermal energy, medical treatment, flower plantations, fish habitats, and even mud beauty treatment.
HITOTZUKI
The artist group HITOTZUKI has murals on Beppu Kankou Kai (Beppu Tourism Society) and Tateishi building in Akiba cho, Beppu city. You can see the symmetrical patterns beautifully bloom in blue geometric curvilinear lines. Leaving the original white walls of the building, cloud-like wavy patterns are painted with a gradient of blue over it. The blue color is sensitive to the weather, and appears the most gorgeous under cloudy weather.
Radio Journey “Beppu, traveled through sound”
Radio Journey “Beppu, traveled through sound” is an art piece that leads you to walk through the city of Beppu with sound (radio). You can rent out a pair of headphones and a map at Select Beppu.
Silvain and Christophe, founders of the creative media, Arte Radio which you can enjoy on the internet, provide us with “Journey of Sound” that cruises through the city of Beppu. The artwork is composed by various sounds such as noises of everyday life and voices of people on the street.
Beppu Towel
The Beppu Towel design has been using the same printing blocks made between 1955 – 1965 (Showa 30’s) to keep their retro-flavored illustration. They are so adorable that you will want to collect them all.
Holidays
Sundays (Irregular on national holidays)
Hours
9:00 – 18:00
Address
9-15 Hikari machi
Beppu city
Phone
0977-22-0902
Kusamoto Shouten
Since old times, Kusamoto Shouten had been a wholesale store that mainly carried so called “white goods” such as flour, sugar, and rice.
Yamada Bessou
In the early Showa period, a number of vacation homes were built. One of them is Yamada Bessou where a former vacation home has been converted into a Japanese-style hotel. By staying there, you can enjoy not only its luxurious architecture but also their hot spring baths.
Holidays
None
Hours
10:00〜15:00
(※It’s a one-day hot spring. Please call to check the availability beforehand.)
Address
3-2-18 Kitahama
Beppu city
Phone
0977-24-2121
Shinanoya
Shinanoya is a cafe converted from a vacation home built in the early Showa period. If you come in a small group, we recommend the window seats where you can look over the garden. Try their wide variety of wholesome dishes.
Holidays
None
Hours
9:00 – 21:30 (Last order 20:45)
Address
6-32 Nishi Noguchi cho
Beppu city
Phone
0977-25-8728
Korean restaurant Koraibo
The Korean restaurant Koraibo is known for their menu with plenty of garlic. We recommend steamed pork, jongol (Korean style sukiyaki), and steamed tongue. Please try ginseng tempura with honey sauce over it.
If you are catching a cold or need to feel more energetic, we recommend their oxtail soup. It’s a perfect restaurant “to eat healthy to live healthy”.
Holidays
Mondays
Hours
18:30 – 1:00
Address
5-8 Motomachi
Beppu city
Phone
0977-26-0454
Bar Eau De Vie
Bar Eau De Vie is a restaurant with a chic mature groove. For a reasonable price, you can enjoy authentic cocktails mixed by an experienced bartender.
Holidays
First and third Mondays
Hours
19:00 – 1:00
Address
1st floor Kitahama Miura bldg.
1-9-13 Kitahama
Beppu city
Phone
0977-21-6011
Beppu Reimen (Cold Noodle)
“Beppu Reimen (Cold Noodle)” is one of the food specialties of Beppu. With the Japanese style broth soup and chewy noodles with buckwheat, the Chinese-style barbecued beef shank meat, and sour cabbage kimchi give accents to its flavor. Having reimen after a hot bath tastes superb.
In general, buckwheat is used for the noodles, but some restaurants do not use them or have a non-buckwheat option. It is a good idea to check when ordering if you have a buckwheat allergy.
Enamel signs in back alleys
At back-alleys in the downtown area, you will find a total of 48 enamel signs that tell you names of the streets and their related stories explained with retro illustrations.
Watering down the hot spring
Hot springs in Beppu are quite hot. If you prefer your hot spring to be a mild temperature, it is best to place yourself near the water faucet which is used to adjust the water temperature. Please ask other users for permission when you want to put more water in the bath.
Choromatsu
It goes without saying that a recommendation at Choromatsu is kamosui (duck hot pot). It’s a famous dish where they cook duck meat, guts, vegetables, tofu, and others in an earthen pot at your table. Their deep-fried chicken is also our favorite. The restaurant is recommended for customers of all ages.
Holidays
Mondays
Hours
17:30 – 24:00
Address
1-4 Kitahama
Beppu city
Phone
0977-21-1090
Yakushi Matsuri (Healing Buddha Festival)
At “Yakushi Matsuri” (Healing Buddha Festival) in Hamawaki every August, you can experience quaint Japanese festivals such as “Oiran Dochu” (Procession of Courtesans) and “Mitate Zaiku” (Resembling Crafts).
Onsen Meijin (Hot Spring Master)
You will get certified as “Onsen Meijin” (Hot Spring Master) if you get stamped on your “Supaport” at all 88 hot springs in Beppu. You can even get a cool towel, so please go ahead and try.
Beauty products using hot springs
The beauty products using hot springs such as toners and face wash soaps are popular souvenirs for ladies.
Karukan
Beppu’s popular sweets “Karukan” is a sweet treat made of steamed dough and roots. These chewy sweets come in plain and with bean paste inside.
Fireworks show on Christmas
There is a fireworks show every Christmas day where you can see extravagant fireworks color the night sky along with Christmas songs and pop songs.
Coin-operated hot springs
Some charter baths and family use baths are coin-operated and can exchange the water each time.
Onipan Cafe
Onipan Cafe is a bakery famous for their rich flavored, yet simple dough. Using natural yeast from rice malt, most of their ingredients such as sweet bean paste, custard, and curry sauce are homemade.
Holidays
Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Hours
12:00 – 17:00
Address
Under “Beppu eki Kita kouka Shoutengai”(arcade under the North of Beppu station elevated structure)
9-20 Motomachi
Ekimae
Beppu city
Phone
0977-88-2690
Beppu Hatto Walk (Beppu Eight Springs Walk)
Beppu Hatto Walk (Beppu Eight Springs Walk) is a guided city walk tour which introduces the history, architecture, and gourmet spots of Beppu. It also runs in English for foreigners.
Second floor of hot springs
Most of the time, the second floor of Beppu’s public hot springs are community centers where the locals and residents gather and socialize.
Princess Kitties
Princess Kitties is a cafe located across from Chuou Kouminkan (Central Community Center). When ordering various desserts such as their homemade cakes and parfaits, we suggest sharing with friends since they come in big sizes. Our recommendation is the hearty tea-marinated roast pork sandwich.
Holidays
Wednesdays
Hours
11:00 – 23:00
Address
3-11 Tanoyu cho
Beppu city
Phone
0977-24-3344
Tenugui (washcloth)
Tenugui (washcloth) dries quickly and is more convenient than regular towels when getting around multiple hot springs.
The kinds of hot springs
Among all the eleven types of hot spring water, 10 of them are found in Beppu. It is rare to find this many kinds in such a small geographical area.
Sweet shop Kouransou
The brandy cake from the sweet shop Kouransou tastes simple and blissful with a slight aroma of brandy and its mouth melting delicate texture. They allow brandy to be soaked in completely and let it sit for a while for a fuller taste. Please ask them when it is ready to eat.
Holidays
Mondays and Sundays
Hours
9:00 – 18:00
Address
1-3 Minamimatogahama cho
Beppu city
Phone
0977-22-0405
Beppu Tsuge Kogei
Beppu Tsuge Kogei was founded in 1919 (Taisho 8th period). The hair brush made of boxwood neutralizes static electricity and prevents split ends and breakage. The brush turns more lustrous as you use it.
Holidays
Sundays, national holidays, obon, New Year’s Holidays
Hours
8:30 – 17:00
Address
10-2 Matsubara cho
Beppu city
Phone
0977-23-3841
Beppu Port
In 1871 (the 4th year of the Meiji period), large numbers of tourists, mainly from Kansai area, started to come after the opening of Beppu port.
Aili Zhang “The Waves and City”
“The Waves and City” by a Chinese artist Aili Zhang is a work based on collected found natural materials such as branches and leaves in Beppu. Its energy and potential appearance of the materials add a kind of magical essence to the work. It also seems like the work embodies herself. This work of natural materials allures our eyes and remains mysterious.
Takegawara hot spring
Takegawara (bamboo tiling) hot spring is a symbolic one for Beppu. It’s named after its bamboo tiling roof when it was first built in 1879 (Meiji 12th period).
An indoor sand bath in Takegawara hot spring is something you rarely see in Japan.
Holidays
regular bath: none (Temporary closed on the end-of-the-year clean ups.)
sand bath: third Wednesdays (If it’s a national holiday, the sand bath will be closed on the following day instead.)
Hours
regular bath: 6:30 – 22:30
sand bath: 8:00 – 22:30 (The last reception at 21:30 ※ May close earlier depends on crowdedness.)
Address
16-23 Motomachi
Beppu city
Phone
0977-23-1585
Peeling effect
Hot springs with high acidity can cause peeling. It is recommended to moisturize properly after bathing.
Inari Mochiya・Aramaki Shouten
A recommendation at Inari Mochiya・Aramaki Shouten is a ganache bean-paste pancake. Please enjoy its fully filled ganache with rich white bean-paste inside. The ganache bean-paste pancakes are served half frozen. You can enjoy a defrosted fluffy soft texture, or a half frozen crunchy texture.
Holidays
Wednesdays
Hours
7:00 – 18:00
Address
1-15 Matsubara cho
Beppu city
Phone
0977-23-2534
Bamboo handicrafts
Bamboo handcrafts are famous products in Beppu. Many craftsmen still live and produce them in the present day. What is special about those fragile bamboo handcrafts is the material gradually turns into a light brown color as they age.
Kumahachi Aburaya
It is Kumahachi Aburaya, a merchant from Ehime, who transformed Beppu into a tourist area. He was a man of ideas who never stopped promoting the attractions of Beppu to all of Japan. His main achievement is that he put many ideas into action, such as the very first female bus guide, and creating the basis of the now-famous hot spring city called Yufuin.
As a Christian, Kumahachi Aburaya kept a motto “welcome and treat travelers cordially”. It came from the line from the New Testament which teaches us not to forget to treat travelers warmly. There is a bronze statue in front of Beppu station in honor of him. It was made out of the image of Kumahachi greeting us with “Hi!” coming down from heaven.
Izakaya Yorimichi
You can have lunch for only 500 yen at Izakaya Yorimichi, where locals come and gather quite often. It comes with a main dish and vegetables in small plates which makes a very nutritious lunch. The okonomiyaki and hot spring tofu are also our favorites.
Holidays
Thursdays ※No lunch on Sundays and national holidays.
Hours
Lunch: 11:30 – 13:00 (limited supply)
Dinner: 18:00 – 22:30
Address
6-31 Akiba cho
Beppu city
Phone
0977-22-5048
Real Point
Real Point is a secret cafe at the end of a narrow path between buildings. Their standard menu offers coffee of 10 different kinds, enzyme juices, organic homemade sweets, and wild yeast sandwiches.
Holidays
Wednesdays
Hours
12:00 – 22:00
Address
1-2-24
Kitahama
Beppu city
Phone
080-5255-1141
Various hot spring facilities (waterfall baths, mud baths, sand baths, and steam baths)
Beppu has a variety of hot spring facilities such as waterfall baths, mud baths, sand baths, and steam baths. Please enjoy their special qualities.
[Steam Baths]
The steam baths are vapor baths where the room is heated from underground using the steam and pressure by hot springs. It helps to recover from fatigue by increasing your metabolism and perspiration.
It is recommended to drink plenty of water before entering the steam bath. A better detox effect can be experienced by sweating more.
The duration of being in the steam bath is 8 to 10 minutes. Although the staff will give you notice after 8 minutes, leave the room as soon as you feel uncomfortable breathing or have an irregular feeling in your body.
(Kannawa Mushiyu / Shibaseki Onsen)
[Mud Baths]
The mud baths have many beneficial minerals.
You can immerse your body in it, or cover specific areas with it.
It keeps heat very well and has a great effect for healing high-blood pressure, nerve pain, and diabetic disease.
(Kenkou Hoyou Land)
[Sand Baths]
The sand baths are a kind of sweating treatment where they cover your body below your neck with sand that is heated by hot spring water.
It also gives heat stimulation by the pressure of the sands.
It works great for treating nerve pain, back pain, and shoulder pain.
(Takegawara Onsen / Beppu Kaihin Sunayu)
[Waterfall Baths]
The waterfall bath is also called Utaseyu (Massaging Bath).
The falling water creates kinetic energy and has a healing effect.
It works great for people who have problems with back, joints, and shoulders.
(Kitahama Onsen / Yutopia Hamawaki)
Ishigaki Mochi
Beppu’s long loved local traditional sweet “Ishigaki Mochi” is a simple steamed sweet with sweet potato chunks inside flour dough. The two flavors are plain and bean paste.
Onsen Matsuri (Hot Spring Festival) and Ogiyama Himatsuri (Mt. Ogi Fire Festival)
You can go to specific hot springs for free during the annual “Onsen Matsuri” (Hot Spring Festival) every April. The main event “Ogiyama Himatsuri” (Mt. Ogi Fire Festival) displays Mt. Ogi in beautiful flames in a night sky by burning the mountainside.
Saryou Ooji
Saryou Ooji is a restaurant that serves tea-ceremony dishes located on the right side of the Ideyuzaka Street when you walk from Kannawa bus center. Enjoy Kannawa’s special hell steamed dishes in private rooms.
Their hell steamed lunch is for 1600 yen and it is quite substantial. They also offer a complimentary hot spring bath for customers of the restaurant.
The set menu for dinner starts at 3000 yen. Try their exquisite steamed red sea bream head. If you could find a fish-shaped piece of bone, you may have good luck!
Holidays
Tuesdays
Hours
Lunch: 11:00 – 14:00
Dinner: 17:30 – 22:00
Address
5 Furomoto
Kannawa
Beppu city
Phone
0977-66-0011
CAFÉ COBACO
CAFÉ COBACO is a lovely cafe in a two story house where the first floor is a gallery that carries a variety of goods and the second floor as a cafe space. It’s especially popular with female customers.
The lunch menu is substantial and will even satisfy a man’s appetite. We recommend chicken nanban if you are especially hungry.
Holidays
Mondays
Hours
11:00 – 17:00
Address
2-2-34 Kitahama
Beppu city
Phone
0977-26-6015
Yakitori Shuka Kazari
Yakitori Shuka Kazari’s famous char-broiled chicken tastes even better with their special salt. The cozy small restaurant has a wide variety of alcoholic drinks which allows you to relax after a tough day.
Holidays
Every other Sundays
Hours
19:00 – 3:00 (Last order 2:00)
Address
Yasaka Renga St.
1-4-13 Kitahama
Beppu city
Phone
0977-24-7500