Onsen soaks and colorful thermal “hells” make for a relaxing, intriguing trip to eastern Kyushu
This hilly, bayside area of Japan’s Oita Prefecture is renowned for onsen hot spring baths and distinctive thermal pools. But is Beppu worth visiting with kids?
Our family of four took a two-night trip from Oita City to find out.
“Hot springs, parks, and amazing thermal features we could visit? Beppu was a wonderful short trip during our time in Japan with our kids.”
Our experience visiting Beppu, Japan with kids and a mobility disability
Find our more in our Beppu travel video
Family and accessible travel: A quick note about our little family
Anthony, Jodie, Connor, and Aster St. Clair: We are the Learners and Makers, and we empower families and the mobility disability community to travel confidently, their way.
As a family of four, we travel with two kids (ages 10 and 12 at the time of this trip). Plus, Jodie is an above-knee amputee who uses a prosthetic leg for her walking mobility.
When we travel and make vacation plans, we consider not only what is a good mix of fun and safe for our kids. We take into account how well Jodie will be able to enjoy what we do, plus how a destination enables her to spend more time enjoying our family trip, and less time being concerned about the logistics of access.
Accessible travel: Mobility disability considerations in Beppu, Japan
For many individual attractions, we’ll note mobility tips from Jodie’s experience as an amputee using a prosthetic leg for her walking accessibility. Here are few overall notes to keep in mind:
- Beppu Station’s central location makes it a useful hub for trains, buses, and general orientation. The station is setup for accessible access, though aisles and throughways in the shopping and dining area can sometimes be tight.
- The countryside surrounding Beppu, including the Hells, is hilly, and accessibility can be trickier.
- Beppu itself is located by the shores of the Bay of Beppu. Much of this area is flatter. Sidewalks are generally paved, wide, and clear. Traffic signals can help people with mobility impairments safely cross streets.
- Covered shopping arcades are wide, roofed to keep out the weather, and generally easy to navigate. These are also pedestrian zones, so you don’t need to worry about traffic.
- Elevators are generally available.
What is Beppu, Japan best known for?
With so much volcanic activity underground, Beppu is best known for its hot springs and baths. However, the city’s bayside location, lovely park, and traditional crafts are strong runners-up. In addition to soaks in public or private onsen, the nearby Hells of Beppu deserve a day trip all their own.
Mobility tip
Generally the public areas of the Hells of Beppu are easy to get around. The Cooking Hell loop around the main pool can be a tight squeeze though. The White Hell also is surrounded by a Japanese garden, and the steps and overall pathways in this area merit extra awareness. Surfaces may be slick or uneven, and there are some steps.
The areas around the Blood Pond and Sea Hell are the most accessible, with more built-up viewing areas around each pool, plus ample flat, paved areas for accessing the hells.
Mobility may be easiest for starting at the Sea Hell. From there, you can make your way downhill.
What we wanted to get out of our time in Beppu, Japan
What did we want out of our trip to Beppu?
- Onsen soaks (especially for Aster, who at 10 years old would be trying onsen for the first time)
- A day trip to the Hells of Beppu
- Making our own souvenir bamboo bells at the Beppu City Traditional Craft Center (not to mention touring the accompanying museum)
- Enjoying traditional Oita foods and Japanese-style breakfast at our ryokan
Where is Beppu, Japan located?
Beppu is located in Oita Prefecture, on the eastern side of Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu. The small city is bordered by inland hills and by the waters of the Bay of Beppu.
It’s also pretty easy to get here. You can take trains from Fukuoka or Kita-Kyushu. For example, leaving from Fukuoka, the Sonic Limited Express can have you at Beppu Station in about two hours.
Or, if you’re coming from Oita City like we were, the Sonic’s final stop when coming from Fukuoka, and it’s the start of the return trip. The Sonic passes through Beppu both ways, and it’s less than 10 minutes from Oita Station to Beppu Station.
Is Beppu, Japan a big or small city?
Beppu is a small city. Instead of local trains, you’ll mostly get around via bus, or much of the city is walkable. From Beppu Station to the outlying Blood Pond and the Tornado Hell Tatsumaki Hell Geyser, the two jigoku, or hells, that are the farthest away of the 7 Hells of Beppu, it’s about a 20–25 minutes bus ride.
Getting around Beppu is pretty easy and fast overall, especially if you’re accustomed to the bustle or the longer train travel times of Tokyo.
Is Beppu safe?
Beppu is a safe area. It’s helpful to know about a few, ahem, seedier spots though. Near the shopping arcades and some of the ryokans, there are some various bars and establishments that parents may want to be mindful about. There’s nothing too ostensibly seedy, but the girly/go-go bar aspects of these bars are there.
They’re easy to avoid though, they’re not dangerous, and they’re not going to be particularly active until after dark. It’s just a different slice of life. For families, we typically go out more during the day, so while it’s good to know these are around, they’re also not a big deal.
3 reasons why we went to Beppu, Japan with kids
Beppu, Japan combines the energy and variety of a vibrant city, with a desire to slow down enough to enjoy life and not be in a rush. Here are 3 reasons in particular why we wanted to stop in Beppu for a couple of nights:
Onsen/hot spring baths
Onsen abound in Beppu. In the nearby hills where the Hells are, so much steam billows out of the ground that you’d think the place was making clouds. We wanted to enjoy soaks in the onsen, especially in the bookable private onsen at our ryokan, for a little rest and relaxation time.
Hells of Beppu thermal pool attractions
The Hells of Beppu are really fun to visit. Each pool is a different color, has a different character, and offers different amenities and attractions. Some have foot baths. Others have cafe with eggs and puddings cooked in the steam.
Distinctive local foods
Beppu showcases some delicious local foods, including a light and juicy tempura chicken, jigokumushi or steamed foods (such as eggs and puddings, steamed at the Hells of Beppu), and the silky yet hearty dumpling stew dango-jiru.
Mobility tip
If you have mobility impairments to take into account, there are accessible onsen in Beppu and the surrounding area. This list of accessible hot springs breaks down some options and recommendations.
Accommodation: Hotels, rentals, and where to stay in Beppu, Japan
While Beppu, Japan has a range of budget, mid-range, and luxury accommodation, we’d suggest staying at a ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn, that has its own onsen. Since onsen bathing is such a signature experience when staying in Beppu, using public or private baths at a ryokan combines your stay with one of the activities you’ll treasure long after your Japan trip is done.
Mobility tip
Accessibility in Japanese accommodation is a work in progress. Before you make a booking, we’d suggest contacting a hotel, rental, or ryokan directly to discuss their accessibility features.
While we have not personally stayed at the places below, our understanding is they do offer accessible facilities:
Where we stayed in Beppu, Japan
We stayed at the Nogami Honkan, a Japanese ryokan
A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn. Around the ryokan, you can relax in a lightweight cotton yukata, or traditional robe (kid sizes available too). Expect to sleep on comfy futons on tatami floors. Breakfasts can be Western or Japanese style, and we’d suggest the Japanese.
Just a short walk from Beppu Station, the Nogami Honkan delighted us with lounging spaces, free anytime coffee and tea, and even a manga library. Instead of the public on-site onsen, we booked the separate private bath. That made it easier for Aster to try out her first onsen. It’s also a great option if, like Jodie, you have tattoos.
Use our link below to book your stay at Nogami Honkan:
Mobility tip for Nogami Honkan
When Jodie uses onsen, she leaves her prosthetic leg in our locked room and uses crutches to walk. When going from our room to the two on-site private onsen we bathed in, the elevator took her to the floor we needed.
Two private onsen are in a separate building on the opposite side of the quiet, narrow side road across from the main entrance of Nogami Honkan. There is the occasional small step to the Ko-Ju Sen private onsen. Ko-Ju Sen is two rooms: the first is a combo bathroom and prep room, where you can store your things. The second, larger room is the onsen space itself.
Nogami Honkan has a private onsen room inside the main building itself. While you can take the elevator to the floor where the onsen area is, taking a few stairs is required to get to the onsen room itself.
More places to stay in Beppu, Japan
7 popular things to do in Beppu, Japan (2 are FREE)
During our 2-night stay in Beppu, here are some of the things we got up to as a family of four:
- Made souvenir bamboo bell balls, and toured the amazing bamboo art exhibits, at the Beppu City Traditional Craft Center. We now hang the bells in our accommodation wherever we travel.
- Soaked in relaxing natural hot spring onsen
- Lounged in the manga library and dined on Japanese-style breakfast at a ryokan, or traditional Japanese inn
- Wandered the fall colors and Bamboo Grove at Beppu Park
- Took serene walks around the covered shopping arcades and side streets near our ryokan: During an afternoon walk, we happened upon Hatoba Shrine
- Lunched on traditional Oita dishes at Bangu Chaya at Beppu Station
- Took a day trip to the nearby Hells of Beppu
Our 2-night Beppu itinerary
On our first day, we arrived around lunchtime for traditional foods at Bungo Chaya, then took a bus plus a walk to the craft center. That evening we had dinner in at our ryokan and enjoyed a soak at the onsen.
We started our second day with a Japanese breakfast at our ryokan, then we took a bus to Beppu Park. That afternoon we wandered the shopping arcade and side streets near our ryokan, and that’s where we happened upon Hakoba Shrine, which also had some intriguing baseball signs and memorabilia. We ended the evening with a relaxing night in, combined with another onsen soak.
After another Japanese breakfast and checking out of our ryokan the following morning, we spent the day checking out the Hells of Beppu, then a caught a train to Oita Station and had dinner at the food court in Amu Plaza.
Mobility tip
- Japanese buses and public transportation in general are accessible to riders with mobility needs.
Attractions: What we did and what we skipped
We would gladly return to Beppu for another onsen soak, plus check out some attractions and areas we didn’t get to the first time around.
5 things we did in Beppu, Japan
Crafted our own souvenir bamboo bells at the Beppu City Traditional Craft Center
The kids both really enjoyed weaving colored strips of bamboo through pre-made bamboo bells. The result? Four jingly bells we now travel with and display in every place we stay, like a little piece of both home and travel.
After our class, we wandered through exhibits that feature the history and application of bamboo craft throughout the area, not to mention contemporary takes from living artists who dazzled us with the different forms bamboo could take.
Mobility tip
The two-story Craft Center has an elevator for visiting the classroom area on the second floor. However, the activity room we used, along with all the exhibit areas, are on the accessible ground floor. Paths through the exhibits typically provide good width for getting around safely and comfortably.
Soaked in the onsen (public and private options to choose from)
Beppu is full of public and private onsens. Here’s a guide to finding one, along with onsen etiquette.
Mobility tip
In ryokans and onsen, talk with staff about how best to get around. Staff are generally proficient in English, and translation apps come in handy too. During our stay at Nogami Honkan, we could make use of the elevator. There are typically some steps and narrow hallways involved with reaching onsen, and of course, onsens are wet areas that may have slippery surfaces.
Savored Japanese breakfast while staying in a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn)
Tatami floors, futons, comfy robes, and a serene space are just the beginning. One of the key features of a ryokan is traditional dining. We started our days with filling, delicious, multi-dish Japanese breakfasts.
Mobility tip
Ryokans typically have a mix of Western-style tables and chairs, along with low Japanese floor tables. Talk with staff over their setup and what works best for your mobility.
Spent a morning wandering Beppu Park (especially the serene bamboo grove)
About five minutes’ bus ride from Beppu Station, Beppu Park is a relaxing and free outdoor space. From cherry trees to a path-strewn bamboo grove, views of the hills to wide stone plazas, we enjoyed a serene stroll through this area.
Mobility tip
Beppu Park’s paths are well made, paved, and flat, offering convenient access for people with a range of mobility needs. Some areas have some incline, but the grade is fairly mild.
Day-tripped to the Hells of Beppu
The thermal pools of the Hells of Beppu are located in hillside areas a little outside of Beppu itself. However, they’re all easily reached by local buses from Beppu Station. We’d suggest at least a half-day to visit the Hells, or jigoku.
To find out more about the Hells of Beppu, check out our Hells of Beppu guide and our Hells of Beppu video. If you only have time to visit one Hell, we also share our recommended jigoku.
Mobility tip
Of the 7 Hells of Beppu, Umi Jigoku Sea Hell and Chinoike Jigoku Blood Pond Hell are the most accessible. Each has ample parking, and the main viewing areas for the ponds are reached via paved paths and have wide viewing areas.
Happened upon a baseball-themed shrine
Just a short walk from our ryokan, we happened upon Hatoba Shrine, which has a baseball theme (though sadly we weren’t able to figure out much else about it). The elevated shrine’s serene space was open yet felt cozy and enclosed. Along with savoring some quiet minutes here, we pondered why there was the baseball theme.
Here’s what we’ve learned since, thanks to this page at the Beppu City Official Tourism Site:
“This small shrine was built in 1870. Mr. Kazuhisa Inao who was a professional baseball pitcher of Nishitetsu Lions lived near here and frequented this shrine at that time, so it is called “Inao Shrine”. There is also a stone monument of the bat and ball with the autograph of Inao player on the grounds of the shrine.”
Mobility tip
Hatoba Shrine is on an elevated platform only accessible via 6 steps.
Dined on traditional Oita and Beppu foods, including lunch at a Beppu Station restaurant
Beppu Station and the covered shopping arcades feature local restaurants that specialize in traditional Beppu and Oita area dishes. We especially enjoyed the light and juicy tempura chicken, jigokumushi or steamed foods (such as eggs and puddings, steamed at the Hells of Beppu), and the silky yet hearty dumpling stew dango-jiru.
3 things we skipped (and why)
The bayside area and its many parks and beaches
We visited in December. While often sunny, lovely, and not too cold, the bayside area didn’t have much going on during our visit. However, throughout the year this area hosts local events. During a future visit we’d be checking the calendar for any reason to come back to the scenic bayside area.
Yufuin
Near Beppu, the hillside town of Yufuin is full of cool shops, Lake Kinrinko, more delicious food, a village that some have compared to English Cotswold villages, and of course, relaxing onsens. We didn’t have time to get up here this time around, but may center a future Oita trip around a few nights in Yufuin.
Takegawara Onsen
The large, impressive building of Takegawara Onsen dates back to 1879 and is one of the region’s oldest onsen. It’s also known for its hot sand baths, where you can soak in the earthy heat while being covered in hot sand.
We wanted to spend some time here, but sadly the window we had coincided with Takegawara Onsen being closed for maintenance. Another time, then.
Yes, Beppu is worth visiting with kids when traveling Japan
Hot springs, parks, and amazing thermal features we could visit? Beppu was a wonderful short trip during our time in Japan with our kids. We got to soak in onsen, check out the Hells of Beppu, and dine on delicious local foods. Our time in Beppu gave us a relaxing winter excursion and a lovely recharge during the holiday season. We’d gladly return for another season, more tempura chicken, and another glorious soak in a Beppu onsen.
