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BEPPU |
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The best approach to BEPPU , on Kyushu's northeast coast, is on the
Yamanami Highway which drops down into town from the western hills. It's
an extraordinary sight: spirals of steam rise from chimneys and billow
out of the ground itself in dramatic confirmation that this is one of
the world's most geothermally active regions. Over 100 million litres a
day of near-boiling water gush out of more than 3000 springs, to be
harnessed for local swimming pools, heating and medicinal purposes or to
fill the dozens of public and private baths that make this one of
Japan's most popular onsen resorts. Unashamedly dedicated to pleasure,
from the refined to the bawdy, this town of only 130,000 people receives
over twelve million visitors a year. Most of these are domestic tourists;
many foreigners who come here find Beppu all too tacky, but its sheer
vulgarity can also be huge fun - the trick is just to jump in and enjoy
yourself.
When not soaking in a tub or buried in hot sand, there isn't a lot else
to do in Beppu. The most popular attractions are the nine jigoku , or "hells",
which spew out steaming, sulphurous mud or form simmering lakes in lurid
hues. Despite the hype, only two or three are of any real interest, and
you'll be better off instead heading for Tsurumi-dake and the hills
ringing Beppu to the west. If you're leaving Kyushu from here, be sure
to take the daytime ferry for Kobe and Osaka, a glorious voyage right
through the island-spattered Inland Sea.
The Town
There are eight distinct hot spring "towns", dotted about Beppu, each
characterized by the varying proportions of iron, sulphur and other
minerals in the water. Most activity, however, is concentrated in
Kannawa . Not only is this northern district home to seven of the nine
jigoku ("hells"), but it's also a spa in its own right with a beautiful,
garden rotemburo , as well as an outrageously tacky museum of erotica.
Dedicated bathers might want to try one of Beppu's sand baths or take a
dip in the vast, jungle-filled atriums of the Suginoi Palace .
Alternatively, you can ride the ropeway to the top of Tsurumi-dake for
superb views over Beppu bay and inland to the Kuju mountains. |
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