Beppu hells and Kannawa

Five of the seven association hells are grouped around Kannawa; Chinoike and Tatsumaki are a separate pair roughly three kilometres away. Begin with the sights you most want to see, allow transport between clusters, and reserve a different stop for an actual onsen soak.

Umi Jigoku, Beppu. Photo: Bpcon98 / CC0 1.0. Source date: 4 June 2022.

Blue water, pale steam and green hills make Umi Jigoku an immediate introduction to Beppu’s geothermal landscape. The pleasure of the hells is in their contrasts: a bright pond, slowly bubbling mud, then steam rising among Kannawa’s rooftops. Choose the scenes that catch your imagination rather than treating seven entrances as a checklist.

Start with the Kannawa cluster if you want a manageable first visit. Add Chinoike and Tatsumaki only when your day has room for a transfer and an uncertain geyser wait. The displayed hell ponds are geothermal sights to observe; use a designated footbath or a separately operated bathing facility for soaking.

Umi Jigoku offers a cobalt-blue pond. The association gives its water temperature as approximately 98°C: its appearance should never be mistaken for a swimming pool. Oniishi Bozu adds a different texture with bubbling grey mud. These make a useful starting pair when you want contrasting geothermal scenes without adding the separate-area transfer.

A wider view of Kannawa and the mountains, photographed 5 May 2009. Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5.

Chinoike is a red hot-mud pond, a distinct reason to extend your route beyond Kannawa. Tatsumaki is a geyser, so its appeal depends partly on waiting for a natural event. Among the remaining Kannawa sights, Kamado has several different hot-spring pools and steam demonstrations. Oniyama includes captive crocodile and alligator displays. Shiraike combines a pale blue-white pond with tropical-fish displays. Choose these according to your interests; the common ticket does not require you to enter every site.

The distinction between display ponds and bathing facilities matters here. Some grounds have designated footbaths, including Umi and Chinoike. A footbath is a separate visitor facility, not permission to enter the displayed geothermal pond. If a proper onsen soak is your priority, reserve time for a bathing facility or your accommodation's bath and check its own admission and use conditions.

Steam among Kannawa’s rooftops, photographed 11 October 2016. Photo: David Stanley, Beppu Hot Springs, CC BY 2.0.

• A short sightseeing window: pick the Kannawa sights that interest you most and keep your afternoon flexible.
• A full sightseeing day: combine both areas, lunch and time around Kannawa, with space before your return journey.
• An overnight stay: separate sightseeing from bathing and dinner rather than fitting everything between arrival and check-in.

The seven sites covered by the association's common ticket sit in two groups. Five are around Kannawa: Umi, Oniishi Bozu, Kamado, Oniyama and Shiraike. Chinoike and Tatsumaki form the other pair in the Shibaseki area. The official access guide puts the separation at approximately 3 km and recommends a bus or car between them. This is not one compact seven-stop walking circuit.

For the journey into the district, use our Beppu Station to Kannawa with luggage guide. Decide where your bags will go before choosing an attraction order. Storage at a station or accommodation should be checked for your particular arrival; do not assume an attraction will hold a suitcase.

1. Choose your first area. For a Kannawa-first visit, decide whether Umi or another particular sight is your priority. Use our Beppu Station to Kannawa guide for the correct station exit, stop name and bag plan; then select the departure for your travel date.
2. Visit your selected Kannawa sights. Take time to enjoy the contrasts between your chosen sights, from bright ponds to bubbling mud.
3. Pause before transferring. Look at your remaining time, the next connection and your evening commitments. Lunch and a walk through Kannawa can be a satisfying endpoint.
4. Add Shibaseki if the day allows it. Check transport in both directions before making the transfer. Leave enough room to change plans if the geyser wait is longer than expected.
5. Keep bathing separate. Return to your chosen bath or accommodation with time to spare, especially when dinner has a fixed start.

View the flexible sightseeing-day diagram

Allow time for bathing, meals and your return.

Avoid planning around a promised eruption interval at Tatsumaki. An association notice dated 15 January 2026 warns of longer waits and variable eruption duration, affected by natural conditions. Ask staff about the current situation when you arrive; the published notice cannot guarantee what you will see that day.

Standard individual admission is ¥500 per site for adults of high-school age and above, or ¥250 for elementary- and middle-school children. The seven-site common ticket is ¥2,400 or ¥1,200 respectively and can be bought at any of the seven ticket offices.

The common ticket allows one entry per site on the purchase day and the following day—not unlimited re-entry. That can help an overnight visitor divide sightseeing across two days.

At these ordinary rates, one to four sites cost less separately; five or more favour the common ticket. This comparison excludes discounts. Prices and ticket conditions checked on 27 October 2026.

The association lists usual opening hours as 08:00–17:00. Check current notices before travel, and leave enough time to enter, complete your visit and make the journey back rather than treating 17:00 as an arrival target. Bus fares, departures and attraction entry are separate decisions; consult the operator's current information for transport.

Check current attraction notices, the day’s weather and your actual bus connections. Keep a flexible alternative if outdoor sightseeing or the separate-area transfer no longer suits the conditions. Confirm where you will leave luggage and when you need to be back for dinner.

Choose accommodation around your evening as well as your sightseeing list. If you want to stay in Kannawa, check the property’s actual location, arrival arrangements, dinner time and bath conditions before booking. A daytime sightseeing ticket does not establish what a hotel room or bath includes.

For where this sightseeing day fits into a wider stay, return to our Beppu neighbourhood and stay guide. Choose your base around the kind of evening you want, then build the hells visit around that decision.

• Beppu neighbourhoods and stay planning
• Explore Japan Trip Info
• Beppu Station to Kannawa: bus, taxi and luggage
• Tatsumaki operating notice — 15 January 2026; explained in this guide.