Beppu combines hot springs on an exceptional scale with distinctive bathing experiences and a long-established onsen. The city has nearly 3,000 hot springs and the largest volume of hot spring water in Japan. For travelers who want to make hot springs the focus of their trip, this is a compelling starting point: the city is home to eight major hot spring areas.

Hot Springs on a Grand Scale

The hot spring areas offer numerous indoor and outdoor baths with different water qualities. This lets you consider two questions for your trip separately: Would you prefer to bathe indoors or outdoors, and are you interested in the different water qualities? The eight areas give the hot springs a geographic structure; indoor and outdoor baths offer specific types of bathing. This comparison can help clarify what you hope to get from your stay, without reducing all the hot springs to a single bathing experience. Beppu can therefore be seen both as a major hot spring destination and as a place with a wide variety of bathing experiences.

Takegawara Onsen: History and Architecture

Takegawara Onsen offers a specific historic point of reference. Built in 1879, it is one of Beppu’s oldest and most famous hot springs. The building itself is also symbolic: it is considered a symbol of Beppu’s hot springs. Here, history and architecture add a cultural dimension to the question of how to bathe. If you would like to consider the cultural side of the area as well as its hot springs, this named onsen offers a way to understand the connection between bathing culture and architecture.

The Sand Bath as a Distinctive Bathing Experience

Visitors can take a sand bath at Takegawara Onsen. Staff cover visitors wearing yukata with hot sand. This sets the activity apart from indoor and outdoor baths, where water is the focus: the sand, yukata, and assistance from staff shape the experience. If this particular sand bath is your reason for visiting, check the latest operating details before your trip. This lets you include the distinctive bathing experience in your plans without assuming that its arrangements are guaranteed.

Getting There from Ōita Airport

You can reach Beppu from Ōita Airport by bus in about 45 minutes. Traffic and schedules can affect the actual journey time. Treat this as a guide and check the timetable for your travel day so you can factor the ride into your arrival plans. The bus connection offers a specific point of reference for getting to the city; the stated duration is an estimate, not a guarantee of an exact journey time.

Choosing Beppu as a Place to Stay

When looking for a hotel in Beppu, it can help to first consider what matters most for your trip. If you are particularly interested in Takegawara Onsen, the bathhouse’s history and its sand bath offer specific points of reference. If you would rather focus on the variety of hot spring areas, the different bathing experiences offer another point of focus. This way, Beppu remains more than just the name of a place to stay—it becomes part of your travel decision.

For an overview of the wider region: Ōita Prefecture.