Oita, Japan: Umi Jigoku in Beppu

Thanks tobeyondthebay's blog entry, here they have already reviewed which among the Beppu hells is the best to visit. 

I'm actually hesitant to visit Beppu due to its unique location as to why there are boiling ponds.  It may not be enjoyable to everyone, but I'm good to visit one hell for the experience.  The Beppu hot springs or hells are not actually for bathing, but are visited to view steaming various colors of bubbly mud ponds.

We took a bus from Yufuin bus station to Umi Jigoku.  The Kamenoi bus we took had few stops to main attractions along the way. Due to time constraints, we have only selected one destination.  You can plan your trip to visit other stops. 

Circling around Mount Yufu.

There's already a long queue of visitors when we arrived.  We paid for one hell (450 yen, 2023), but there is a discount ticket if you plan to visit other hells (2,200 yen, 2023). [Reference]

After the entrance gate, you'll pass by a pond, stamp counter, then a souvenir shop.

Then you'll see the blue hell. According to the site, "the blue color of the pond is due to the dissolved iron sulfate, which is a component in the hot springs."

Please be reminded that the steam has a foul odor.

Don't miss to take a turn at the tori gates, known as 'White Dragon Inari Okami'

Head your way uphill, to catch an overlooking view of the pond.

Taken behind the geiser.

Move away from the steam if it's too strong.

Then, move to the hidden red pond.  This one is smaller compared to the blue pond.

According to the site, "The blood pond or red hot mud contains iron oxide, magnesium oxide, etc., which naturally causes a chemical reaction under the high temperature and high pressure underground, erupts from the stratum and accumulates, so the entire surface of the pond is dyed red."  [Read more on their pamphlet.] 

There's also a greenhouse which has water lilies and lotus.

While watching, I didn't know that the mist from the pond was actually from the geiser.  I was amazed to see a geiser which I only read from books in high school.

We had snacks in front of the blue pond while people watching. 

Ordered: croquette 300 yen, steamed buns 200 yen, Jigoku steamed pudding 300, karaage 300, boiled egg 100 yen, lime ice cream 350 yen, blue cola 280

Not sure if there is an unhealthy effect if you eat the onsen eggs boiled from hot water of Jigoku.  Anyway, I ate the egg out of curiosity, nothing different.

Will the caretakers of the area have after effects to their health after years of being in the area, you can read further online.

For someone who has asthma, just be careful on your visit, wear masks and bring your puffs and meds for safety.

After our visit at Umi Jigoku, we walked towards Kannawaguchi (Kannawa bus station), the same area as Beppu Kannawa Tourist Information center.  If you have some time, stroll at Miyuki-zaka.  There are interesting restaurants and cafes on your way to the station.  This is also the part when I felt alarmed, I did not expect that there would be steam coming from the  sewer or water drainage.

Our visit in Beppu is safe, so we made it on time to Yufuin bus station for our next bus ride heading back to Hakata station. 

Date visited: 23-April-2023

Want to know more about this trip?

Read on Japan: Sasebo, Oita and Fukuoka - 8 days Itinerary and Expenses

Day	Places to See	Food and Restaurants	Accommodation	Others
1	Roam around Sasebo area		Toyoko Inn Sasebo Ekimae
2	Sasebo Flower Garden Huis Ten Bosch	Hikari Sasebo Burgers Yakitorihonda	Hotel Nikko Huis Ten Bosch
3	Matsumoto Azalea Park Miura Catholic Church	Ramen Akira	Hotel Resol Sasebo	Omura Park
4	Sasebo Port Yufuin (2017)	Starbucks Mo's Burger Yufuin	Yufuin: WEST in	Fujiyama Shrine
5	Yufuin Stained Glass Museum	Cafe La Ruche Sugi Goemon Café Kichigo Milch	same
6	Umi Jigoku, Beppu	Soup Stock Tokyo	Nest Hotel Hakata Station	Beppu Okamotoya
7	Kawachi Wisteria Garden Team Labs in FUK	FUK coffee seaside	same	Nanzoin Reclining Buddha
8	Roam around Hakata	Yoshinoya REC coffee	n/a	Uminonakamichi Seaside Park