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  4. Life in Beppu

Life in Beppu

LIFE IN BEPPU CITY

Beppu, the second biggest city in Oita Prefecture, is located in the central part of the prefecture and has a population of approximately 120,000. Blessed by nature, the city is also Japan’s hot spring capital.

Myoban Onsen

Myoban Onsen is one of the eight hot spring areas of Beppu. Myoban is the Japanese word for alum, a mineral that has been collected here since the Edo Era as a bath salt. These alum salts, called ”yunohana”, are collected in thatched roof huts, and the smell of sulfur is a vivid reminder that you’re in onsen country.

Sand Baths

There are also several sand baths in Beppu. Relax as you let an attendant bury your body in steaming hot sand. The photo is of the Beppu Beach Sand Bath.

Foot Baths

There are many foot baths around the city. Stop by for a soak and pleasant conversation with the locals.

Takegawara Onsen

With over 130 years of history, Takegawara Onsen is one of the symbols of Beppu. The current two-story wood building was built in 1938. Open from morning until night, Takegawara Onsen is not only a famous tourist attraction, it serves as a public bath for many local residents.

Getting There from APU

Take an Oita Kotsu Bus or a Kamenoi Bus bound for Beppu Station→ From the East Exit of Beppu Station, transfer to a Kamenoi Bus bound for Kannawa via Rakutenchi or the Soto-mawari Junkan-sen ("outer loop bus"), or transfer to a Kannawa or Tsurumigaoka-bound Oita Kotsu Bus→ Get off at the Nagarekawa Youme Town-mae bus stop→ Walk to Takegawara Onsen.
Take an Oita Kotsu Bus bound for Oita Station→ Get off at the Nagarekawa Youme Town-mae bus stop→ Walk to Takegawara Onsen

Getting There from Beppu Station

From the East Exit of Beppu Station, take a Kamenoi Bus bound for Kannawa via Rakutenchi or the Soto-mawari Junkan-sen ("outer loop bus"), or transfer to a Kannawa or Tsurumigaoka-bound Oita Kotsu Bus→ Get off at the Nagarekawa Youme Town-mae bus stop→ Walk to Takegawara Onsen

Beppu’s Hot Spring Steam

Kannawa Onsen is renowned for the many columns of hot spring steam that waft into the air. In 2001, Beppu's hot spring steam was selected second, behind Mount Fuji, in an NHK survey of the top hundred scenic landscapes that the Japanese people want to preserve into the 21st century.

Tanoura Beach

Tanoura Beach is a popular beach in Oita City. Enjoy a beautiful view of Beppu Bay from the sun deck.

Getting There from APU

Take an Oita Kotsu Bus or a Kamenoi Bus bound for Beppu Station→ Get off at Beppu Kitahama bus stop→ Take an Oita Kotsu Bus bound for Oita Station→ Get off at the Tanoura bus stop

Getting There from Beppu Station

From the East Exit of Beppu Station, take an Oita Kotsu Bus or a Kamenoi Bus bound for Beppu Station→ Get off at the Tanoura bus stop

Lake Shidaka

Lake Shidaka is a beautiful mountain lake located at an altitude of 600m above sea level. You can enjoy cherry blossoms in the spring, poppies and hydrangeas in the summer, and fall foliage after the weather cools down.

Getting There from APU

Take an Oita Kotsu Bus or a Kamenoi Bus bound for Beppu Station→ Get off at Beppu Station→ From the West Exit of Beppu Station, take a Kamenoi Bus bound for Yufuin, Sakai or Makinoto Pass→ Get off at the Shidaka-ko bus stop

Getting There from Beppu Station

From the West Exit of Beppu Station, take a Kamenoi Bus bound for Yufuin, Sakai or Makinoto Pass→ Get off at the Shidaka-ko bus stop

Lake Kagurame

Located near Lake Shidaka, Lake Kagurame is a popular for its 300,000 irises. With nearly 80 varieties, the flowers bloom in June and July, attracting many visitors.

Mt. Tsurumi: Aso Kuju National Park

At 1,375 m, the peak of Mt. Tsurumi affords a stunning panorama of Beppu Bay. On a clear, you can even see Shikoku and part of Honshu. Enjoy the different scenery each season has to offer: azaleas in spring, the Beppu nightscape in summer, the brilliant fall foliage, and ”juhyo” (frozen fog droplets on trees) in winter. There is a ropeway at 500 m that will whisk you to the peak. Every April, numerous hikers and runners flock to Beppu for the Mt. Tsurumi Climbing Race, whose course starts at 0 m on the beach and ends on the summit of Mt. Tsurumi at 1,375 m.

Beppu Park

Beppu Park is a large green space in the middle of the city—a relaxing oasis for the citizens. Famous for its cherry blossoms in spring, it offers a colorful array of beautiful flowers for most of the year.

Getting There from APU

Take a Kamenoi Bus bound for Beppu Station West via Noguchi→ Get off at the Beppu Koen-mae bus stop

Getting There from Beppu Station

From the West Exit of Beppu Station, take a Kamenoi Bus bound for APU via Noguchi or Kannawa via Noguchibaru→ Get off at the Beppu Koen-mae bus stop

Umitamago

The Oita Marine Palace Aquarium, better known as Umitamago, is an exciting aquarium that makes you feel like you are one with the ocean. Get an up-close look at a diverse array of marine life in the various tanks and hands-on displays and enjoy unique performances by dolphins, walruses and sea lions and more. The deck offers a beautiful view of Beppu Bay behind Mt. Takasaki, the mountain famous for its monkeys.

Getting There from APU

Take an Oita Kotsu Bus or a Kamenoi Bus bound for Beppu Station→ Get off at Beppu Kitahama bus stop→ Take an Oita Kotsu Bus bound for Oita Station→ Get off at the Takasaki-yama bus stop

Getting There from Beppu Station

From the West Exit of Beppu Station, take an Oita Kotsu Bus bound for Oita Station→ Get off at the Takasaki-yama bus stop

Mt. Takasaki Monkey Land National Park

Mt. Takasaki is currently home to about 1,300 wild Japanese monkeys. Every day, numerous monkeys come to a gathering area where you can watch them romp and play in front of your very eyes.

Getting There

Follow the same directions for Umitamago.

Jigoku Meguri: Beppu Hell Tour

Beppu’s hot springs come in all shapes, sizes and colors depending on the minerals they contain. Some of the most famous hot springs are the eight Hells (”jigoku”) which are designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty: Umi Jigoku, Chinoike Jigoku, Tatsumaki Jigoku, Shiraike Jigoku, Kamado Jigoku, Oniishibozu Jigoku, Yama Jigoku and Oniyama Jigoku. One Hell is actually a steaming hot geyser. At another, you can try a delicious boiled egg. And some Hells use the hot water to raise animals and cultivate plants.

African Safari

Located in neighboring Ajimu, African Safari is one of Japan's largest safari parks with 1,400 animals of 70 different species. Measuring 1.15 million m2, the park is ten times the size of APU. You can drive your car though the park or take a thrilling ride on a "Jungle Bus". There is also a petting zoo on the premises.

Getting There from APU

Take a Kamenoi Bus bound for African Safari or Senninda→ Get off at the African Safari bus stop

Getting There from Beppu Station

From the West Exit of Beppu Station, take a Kamenoi Bus bound for African Safari or Senninda→ Get off at the African Safari bus stop

Harmony Land

Harmony Land is a theme park based on popular Sanrio characters including the world-famous Hello Kitty and My Melody. It is especially popular with female tourists and families. Parades and festive live performances are held daily.

Getting There from APU

Take an Oita Kotsu Bus bound for Beppu Kotsu Center, Beppu Station or Oita Station→ Get off at Kamegawa Station→ Take the JR Nippo Main Line toward Hiji→ Get off at Hiji Station→ From the Hiji-ekimae bus stop, take an Oita Kotsu Bus bound for Harmony Land → Get off at the Harmony Land bust stop

Getting There from Beppu Station

Take the JR Nippo Main Line toward Hiji→ Get off at Hiji Station→ From the Hiji-ekimae bus stop, take an Oita Kotsu Bus bound for Harmony Land → Get off at the Harmony Land bust stop

Kijima Kogen Park

At Kijima Kogen Park, you can enjoy thrilling rides on roller coasters, go-carts, a giant Ferris wheel and more! The most popular attraction is the Jupiter, Japan's first wooden roller coaster, which was built with 60,000 southern yellow pine trees imported from the United States.

Getting There from APU

Take an Oita Kotsu Bus bound for Beppu Station or Oita Station or a Kamenoi Bus bound for Beppu Station→ Get off at Beppu Station→ From the West Exit of Beppu Station, take a Kamenoi Bus bound for Yufuin or Makinoto Pass→ Get off at the Kijima Kogen Park bus stop

Getting There from Beppu Station

From the West Exit of Beppu Station, take a Kamenoi Bus bound for Yufuin or Makinoto Pass→ Get off at the Kijima Kogen Park bus stop

Beppu: Hot Spring Capital of Japan

Beppu is home to over 2,500 hot springs, making it Japan's biggest source of natural hot spring water by volume and the second largest in the world after Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Ten of the 11 known types of hot springs in the world exist in Beppu, which has eight distinct hot spring districts: Beppu, Kannawa, Kankaiji, Myoban, Kamegawa, Shibaseki, Horita and Hamawaki. These are collectively referred to as ”Beppu Hatto”. There are many different kinds of hot springs in the city, including hot spring steam baths, hot sand baths, and one of the largest mud baths in the world. Beppu is also famous for its ”jigokumushi”, or hot spring steam cooking. As one of Japan’s famous centers of ”onsen” (hot spring) culture, Beppu attracts visitors from all corners of Japan and throughout the world year-round.

*Please click on the photos to a picture to enlarge it.

Natural Beauty

Blessed with mountains, lakes and ample coastline, Oita offers a variety of gorgeous scenery for every season. In Beppu, spring brings with it fresh greenery and cherry blossoms, while sun-soaked beaches make for an enjoyable summer. The golden rice terraces and many-colored foliage usher in fall, and the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Tsurumi and other mountains round out the four seasons. The surrounding area is full of spots for swimming, fishing, diving, camping and other outdoor activities.

*Please click on the photos to a picture to enlarge it.

Tourist Attractions

From zoos to amusement parks, there are many exciting tourist attractions in and around Beppu for people of all ages.

*Please click on the photos to a picture to enlarge it.

Weather in Beppu

Since Japan is a long series of islands stretching from north to south, the weather varies widely depending on the region. Beppu is located in eastern Kyushu, the southernmost of the four main islands, and its climate is relatively mild year-round. The four distinct seasons bring with them different kinds of natural scenery, not to mention seasonal delicacies unique to the region. The APU campus is on a mountain, and it sometimes snows in the mountains in the winter. This is the perfect time to warm yourself up in one of the city's many hot springs.

Annual rainfall and average temperatures

Average temperatures in Oita (2012)


Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg.
temp.
(C°)		 5.8 5.4 10.1 15.2 19.2 21.9 26.8 27.7 24.3 18.9 12.6 7.2

Average monthly rainfall in Oita Prefecture (2012)


Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg.
rain
fall
(㎜)		 28.0 147.0 101.5 129.0 92.5 630.5 516.5 191.0 234.0 72.5 57.0 64.0

Spring: March to May

When the cherry trees bloom, everyone goes out for ”hanami” (flower viewing). As the weather warms, you will find you only need a light jacket.

Summer: June to August

The period from mid-June to mid-July is called ”tsuyu”, or rainy season. Summers in Beppu are humid, so wear light, breathable clothing. Watch out for the strong UV rays in the daytime.

Fall: September to November

Fall is when the leaves in the mountains turn vivid shades of yellow and red. The days are cool and comfortable, but the nights and early mornings gradually grow colder.

Winter: December to February

You’ll need your heater in winter. You might even see snow around APU a couple times during this time of year. Warm weather gear such as gloves, scarfs, thick socks and a coat are a must.

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