Beppu Jigoku Meguri (Hells of Beppu)
Seven pools of boiling spring water, from cobalt blue at 98C to a 105C geyser.
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Beppu Jigoku Meguri (Hells of Beppu)
SaveSeven pools of boiling spring water, from cobalt blue at 98C to a 105C geyser.
The pools are too hot to touch, but four of the seven hells have a footbath.
MoreWhat kind of place
Seven hot springs here run close to boiling, and you visit them one at a time — a cobalt pool, gray mud bubbling up in lumps, a geyser.
Steam, hot mud, and scalding water have come out of the ground at Kannawa and Kamegawa for more than a thousand years, and an eighth-century provincial chronicle already described the place as land no one could go near.
Four of the seven now carry the national Place of Scenic Beauty designation, the geyser among them, known worldwide for how briefly it rests between eruptions.
Sources and evidence (26)
- Only two of the hells, Umi and Kamado, have a nursing room; the other five are listed with a dash.source
- A diaper changing table is set up in the wheelchair-accessible restroom at Tatsumaki Jigoku, with nothing listed for the other hells.source
- All seven hells have a wheelchair-accessible restroom, and Umi Jigoku has two of them.source
- The restroom at Tatsumaki Jigoku is barrier-free and can be used without leaving your wheelchair.source
- The restroom at Oniishibozu Jigoku is also barrier-free and can be used without leaving your wheelchair.source
- Chinoike Jigoku is the only one with a dog run.source
- Footbaths are at four of them: Umi, Chinoike, Oniishibozu, and Kamado.source
- The footbath at Chinoike Jigoku is free for anyone who has paid to get in.source
- The footbath at Umi Jigoku is a Japanese-style outdoor bath with a roof over it, fitted with handrails so it can be used from a wheelchair.source
- Kamado Jigoku has three footbaths, among them a sand steam bath and one filled with small stones.source
- Oniishi no Yu has gender-separated baths plus five family baths that can be used from a wheelchair, and shampoo, hair dryers, and locking lockers are free, while towels are yours to bring or buy on site.source
- If you drive, each hell has its own free parking lot.source
- The seven parking lots hold about 615 cars in total: 230 at Umi, 130 at Chinoike, 80 at Tatsumaki, 60 at Oniyama, 45 at Shiraike, 35 at Oniishibozu, and 35 at Kamado.source
- The Beppu Hells are a sightseeing site built around hot spring sources close to 212°F (100°C); the hell grounds of Kannawa and Kamegawa have vented steam, hot mud, and boiling water for over a thousand years, and the Bungo Fudoki chronicle recorded the area as land no one could go near.source
- Four of the seven, Umi, Chinoike, Tatsumaki, and Shiraike, were designated the national Place of Scenic Beauty known as the Hells of Beppu by a notice issued on July 23, 2009.source
- Umi Jigoku is a cobalt blue pool that runs at 208°F (98°C), and it formed in an eruption of Mount Tsurumi 1,200 years ago.source
- Chinoike Jigoku is boiling clay that turns even the rising steam red, and at 172°F (78°C) it is Japan's oldest natural hell, recorded in the Bungo Fudoki as the red hot spring.source
- Tatsumaki Jigoku is a geyser designated a natural monument by the city of Beppu, and among the world's geysers it stands out for how short its pauses are, with water at 221°F (105°C) and steam.source
- A roof stops the jet at Tatsumaki Jigoku, though it has enough force to shoot about 98 feet (30 meters), and when the lamp above the sign at the entrance glows red, an eruption is close or already underway.source
- The water at Shiraike Jigoku comes out clear at 203°F (95°C) and turns bluish white on its own as it falls into the pool and loses heat and pressure.source
- Shiraike Jigoku uses the heat of the hot spring to keep several kinds of large tropical fish on its grounds.source
- Oniishibozu Jigoku is old enough to appear in the Bungo Fudoki of 733, and it takes its name from boiling gray mud that looks like a monk's shaved head, at about 210°F (99°C).source
- Oniishibozu Jigoku carries a local ogre legend called the Ogre's Loud Snoring.source
- At Tatsumaki Jigoku, azaleas spread across the slopes from mid-April into the Golden Week holidays in early May, and in October the chestnut tiger butterfly arrives after a journey of 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers).source
- The rest house at Oniishibozu Jigoku, Kobiri, sells pudding steamed over the hot spring and steamed buns made with Kanchi-dori, a local Oita chicken.source
- The gelato shop at Tatsumaki Jigoku serves gelato made with Oita milk along with fresh-squeezed juice from seasonal mandarins picked at its own orchard.source
With kidsThe part that matters
The seven pools themselves are too hot to touch — 172 to 221°F (78 to 105°C) — but four of them have a free footbath, so there is still somewhere the kids get their feet in the water.
Kamado has three of those footbaths on its own, one of them a sand steam bath.
With a baby, plan your stops around Umi and Kamado, the only two with a nursing room, and Tatsumaki, where the only changing table is inside the wheelchair-accessible restroom, so you know which gate to head for before you need one.
Five of the hells are close enough to walk between, and the other two are about 2 miles (3 km) away, so plan on a car or a bus to reach them.
One pass covers all seven and is good for the day you buy it and the day after, so you can walk the five one day and drive to the last two the next instead of squeezing all seven into one afternoon.
Sources and evidence (4)
- All seven in two to three hours with a four-year-old, Umi first, Tatsumaki last, jigoku-mushi pudding at Okamotoya.source
- A family of four: tonkotsu-shoyu ramen with free rice refills at Koikara Ryu, then ryukyu and toriten at Mayakashiya.source
- August, no combined pass: they drove to four hells only, to match the children. The heat with a sling was the trial.source
- Three children, a week away: two sights a day, drives under three hours, two Beppu hells, laundry at coin laundries.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1Shiraike Jigoku uses the spring heat to keep large tropical fish, so amid pools too hot to touch there is one place where a baby in your arms simply watches fish. The combined ticket is valid the day you buy it and the next, so you need not do all seven in one day - split them around a nap.Only two of the seven have a nursing room: Umi Jigoku and Kamado Jigoku. The diaper-changing sheet is inside the wheelchair-accessible toilet at Tatsumaki Jigoku (all seven hells do have a wheelchair-accessible toilet). Chinoike and Tatsumaki sit about 3 km from the other five, so move between them by car or bus.
- Ages 2-3The pools are too hot to touch, but four of the seven - Umi, Chinoike, Oniishibozu and Kamado - have a footbath where feet can go in. All the footbaths are free. Kamado Jigoku has three of them, including a sand-steam footbath and one filled with pebbles, each a different thing to stand on.All seven take about two to three hours (a family with a four-year-old, by car). Five of them, in the Kannawa area, are within walking distance of each other; Chinoike and Tatsumaki are about 3 km away. The combined ticket is good for the purchase day and the next, one entry per hell, so cutting the day short leaves the rest for tomorrow. The pools run 78 to 105 degrees Celsius.
- Ages 4-6Tatsumaki Jigoku is a geyser, and the lamp above the sign at its entrance turns red when an eruption is close - a child can watch that lamp and wait it out. The seven are each a different color: cobalt blue at Umi, red at Chinoike, bluish white at Shiraike, grey boiling mud at Oniishibozu. The rest house Kobiri at Oniishibozu sells pudding steamed over the hell.The combined ticket is 2,400 yen for adults (high school and up) and 1,200 yen for children (elementary and junior high); the price list carries no individual rate for preschoolers, so ask at the ticket window of the first hell you enter. All seven are open 8:00-17:00, every day of the year.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe hells are spread over two areas: the five around Umi Jigoku in Kannawa are close enough to see on foot, while Chinoike Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku are about 3 km away, where a car or bus is recommended.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed2–3 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：not checked
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (2)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
All seven in two to three hours with a four-year-old, Umi first, Tatsumaki last, jigoku-mushi pudding at Okamotoya.
Kyushu with a 4-year-old: two nights by rental car, and the Hells of Beppu
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
A family of four: tonkotsu-shoyu ramen with free rice refills at Koikara Ryu, then ryukyu and toriten at Mayakashiya.
Beppu with the family: local food, and a walk through the hells
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
August, no combined pass: they drove to four hells only, to match the children. The heat with a sling was the trial.
A hot-spring town they will remember: two nights in summer Beppu with a six-month-old and a first-grader
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Three children, a week away: two sights a day, drives under three hours, two Beppu hells, laundry at coin laundries.
How we run a long trip with three children
Beppu Jigoku Meguri (Hells of Beppu) · Links & reads ▾
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Where to go next
Where it is
559-1 Kannawa, Beppu-shi, Oita 874-0045source
Before you go
- Each hell has its own ticket window, and any of them sells the combined pass that covers all seven.source
- The price list shows no individual rate for preschoolers, only a note about a 500 yen group rate for preschools and daycare centers, which requires a reservation.source
- The combined pass is good for two days, the day you buy it and the day after.source
- You can buy the combined pass at any of the hells, and you are advised to buy it at the first one you visit.source
- Wheelchairs can be borrowed on site — three at Umi Jigoku, two at Kamado Jigoku, and one at each of the other five — and none of them can be reserved ahead.source
More notes (1)
- Group check-in is handled only at Umi Jigoku or Chinoike Jigoku.source
Basics
- Fee：The combined ticket covers all seven hells: ¥2,400 for an adult, meaning high school age and up, and ¥1,200 for a child of elementary or junior high school age (the table has applied since 1 February 2025). There is no individual price for a pre-school child in the table — the only line is a group rate of ¥500 for pre-schoolers. Groups of twenty or more pay ¥2,000 and ¥1,000. With a disability certificate it is ¥1,200 and ¥600. Parking is free at every hell, about 615 spaces across the seven. The four footbaths, at Umi, Chinoike, Kamado and Oniishibozu, are free once you are inside. The hot spring at the back of Oniishibozu Jigoku, Oniishi-no-Yu, is charged separately and is not part of the combined ticket: ¥620 for an adult, ¥300 for an elementary school child and ¥200 for a pre-school child, and its five private family baths are ¥2,000 for the indoor bath or ¥3,300 with an open-air bath, for up to four people for an hour.source
- Hours：All seven hells keep the same hours, 8:00 to 17:00, every day of the year.source
- Time to allow：2–3 hsource
- Booking：Every one of the seven hells has its own ticket window, and the combined ticket that covers all seven is sold at any of them — you buy it at whichever hell you reach first. It is valid for the day you buy it and the day after, and lets you into each hell once. Groups of twenty or more are handled only at Umi Jigoku or Chinoike Jigoku. School groups, kindergartens and nurseries, and disability-support facilities all need to book ahead; a disability-support facility applies by fax to the association office at least a week before.source
Basics in detail (18)
Hours and closures
- All seven hells keep the same hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and are open year-round.source
Other
- The Beppu Hells tour means visiting the seven hells: Umi, Chinoike, Tatsumaki, Shiraike, Oniishibozu, Oniyama, and Kamado.source
Fees
- The current price list took effect on February 1, 2025.source
- The combined pass costs 2,400 yen for an adult, meaning high school age and up.source
- The combined pass costs 1,200 yen for a child, meaning elementary and junior high school students.source
- Groups of 20 or more pay 2,000 yen per adult and 1,000 yen per child.source
- Visitors with a disability certificate pay 1,200 yen for an adult and 600 yen for a child, and the certificate has to be shown.source
- The pass admits you to each hell once.source
- The footbaths at the hells are free to use.source
- The hot spring behind Oniishibozu Jigoku, Oniishi no Yu, charges separately: the regular baths, split by gender, are 620 yen for adults, 300 yen for elementary school students, and 200 yen for preschoolers.source
- Oniishi no Yu has five private family baths, each for up to four people for one hour, at 2,000 yen for an indoor bath or 3,300 yen for one with an open-air bath.source
Getting there
- The hells sit in two clusters, and the five around Umi Jigoku in the Kannawa area are close enough to visit on foot.source
- Chinoike Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku are about 2 miles (3 km) from the rest, so a car or bus is recommended to reach them.source
- From the west exit of JR Beppu Station, take Kamenoi bus 2, 5, 24, or 41 toward Kannawa for 20 minutes, get off at Umi Jigoku-mae or Kannawa, and walk one minute.source
- A taxi runs about 15 minutes and about 1,900 yen from Beppu Station to Umi Jigoku, or about 10 minutes and about 1,300 yen from Kamegawa Station.source
- The nearest station to Chinoike Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku is Kamegawa Station, about a 25-minute walk from Tatsumaki Jigoku.source
- Umi, Kamado, and Tatsumaki Jigoku each have a cycle port for Oita Cycle Share, the local power-assisted bike service.source
Contact
- The site is run by the Beppu Jigoku Association, at 559-1 Kannawa, Beppu, Oita 874-0045.
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (5)
- Official: Nursing space, Diaper changing table, Family restroom
- Official: Stroller access notes
- Official: Indoor / outdoor
- Official: main site
These are hot spring sources rather than baths, named hells because the ground here was once impossible to approach. Umi Jigoku is cobalt blue and 98C. Chinoike Jigoku is boiling red clay, its steam red too, recorded as Japan's oldest natural hell. Tatsumaki Jigoku is a geyser, and a red lamp at the entrance means an eruption is close. Shirai Jigoku raises large tropical fish on spring heat. Those four are designated national scenic sites. Umi, Chinoike, Kamado and Oniishibozu have footbaths.
| Indoor / outdoor | Outdoor | Entirely outdoors — you walk between open pools of boiling water and steam, 78C at Chinoike, 95C at Shirai, 98C at Umi and 105C of steam at Tatsumaki. There is no indoor route and no covered alternative. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | beppu-jigoku.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing space | Yes (2) | Two of the seven hells have a nursing room: Umi Jigoku and Kamado Jigoku. The facilities table shows a dash for the other five — Oniishibozu, Oniyama, Shirai, Chinoike and Tatsumaki. Plan the day around those two. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | beppu-jigoku.com |
| Diaper changing table | Yes (1) | One changing sheet, inside the wheelchair-accessible toilet at Tatsumaki Jigoku — and Tatsumaki is the hell about 3km away from the walkable cluster. No changing sheet is listed at any of the other six. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | beppu-jigoku.com |
| Family restroom | Yes | All seven hells have a wheelchair-accessible toilet, and Umi Jigoku has two of them. The ones at Tatsumaki and Oniishibozu are described as barrier-free, so you can go straight in in a wheelchair. Wheelchairs are lent out too — three at Umi, two at Kamado, one at each of the other five — but they cannot be reserved. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | beppu-jigoku.com |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | The hells sit in two separate areas. The five around Umi Jigoku, in Kannawa, are close enough to walk between; Chinoike Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku are about 3km away and want a car or a bus. Parking is free at each hell, about 615 spaces in total — 230 at Umi, 130 at Chinoike, 80 at Tatsumaki, 60 at Oniyama, 45 at Shirai, 35 each at Oniishibozu and Kamado. From JR Beppu station's west exit, Kamenoi bus 2, 5, 24 or 41 towards Kannawa takes 20 minutes to the Umi Jigoku-mae or Kannawa stop, then a minute on foot; a taxi is about 15 minutes and about ¥1,900. For the far pair, the nearest station is Kamegawa — bus 26 to Chinoike Jigoku-mae takes about 7 minutes for ¥140, a taxi about 7 minutes for ¥1,000, or 25 minutes on foot to Tatsumaki. Umi, Kamado and Tatsumaki each have an Oita Cycle Share port for electric-assist bikes. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | beppu-jigoku.com |
| Stroller friendly | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet |
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