Beppu

This was the view from our hotel room in Beppu. Our hotel was called Hotel Arthur, and it had a suit of armor on display in a corner of the lobby. It was nice place with a private onsen. Beppu is famous for its hot springs, and it was here that I decided to brave an onsen for the first time. Our hotel provided us with a fancy two-layer yukata to wear down to the onsen, so things started off well.


I'd avoided onsens up until this point because of the naked factor. I guess the sight of two naked Americans scared the Japanese woman away, or maybe she decided to leave when we came and spoiled her private onsen experience. Regardless, we ended being the only ones in the onsen. The water was unbelievably hot! I imagined it would be like a hot tub, but it was much hotter. I only stayed in for maybe five minutes before I had to get out. My skin was pink and I was lightheaded. Onsens are supposed to be relaxing, but my experience made me feel like I was being boiled alive. It may be awhile before I brave an onsen again.


Upon recommendation from the Foreign Tourist Information Center, we went on the self-guided version of the Beppu Jigoku Meguri (the Beppu Hells Tour). It takes you to 8 natural hot springs, also called hells. Each one has a theme.

The first one we visited had a little zoo, and I fed an elephant. That's right I was in Japan at a place called "Mountain Hell" feeding an elephant. Some of the hells had places where you could soak your feet or hands; at one place you could boil eggs in the naturally boiling water.