After 5 days in Beppu I am now on the ferry to Shikoku. Beppu was better than I had expected as guidebook descriptions such as “the Las Vegas of onsen towns” conjured up a somewhat tacky image.
The Eight Hells with their bubbling sulfurus pools are by far the most comercialized aspect of the town. Gift shops were sometimes larger than the actual attractions, and some Hells had made the dubious decision to include a mini zoo.
The main focus of Beppu, however, is relaxing in the many onsen. The hotels and ryokan usually have their own baths, but I headed down to the oldest, Takegawara Onsen, for a soak on the first night. The next day I hiked for an hour up to one of the natural mud onsen on the hillside above the town, and to complete the set I was burried up to my neck in a sand bath by the beach.

Last night was the Mount Ogi Fire festival where they set the hillside ablaze. Here’s a pic from my iPhone