Beppu: Hot Springs and Takegawara Onsen

Beppu and its hot springs

Beppu puts hot springs at the heart of a trip: The city has nearly 3,000 hot springs and the largest volume of hot spring water in Japan. The connection to hot springs goes beyond a single bathhouse. The springs shape the character of the destination and give your choice of where to travel a clear thematic focus.

Eight hot spring areas

Beppu has eight major hot spring areas. They offer numerous indoor and outdoor baths with different water properties. For planning your trip, these are two distinct aspects: The areas provide a perspective on the breadth of the hot spring theme, while the water properties distinguish the baths from one another. If you choose hot springs as your focus, you can make this variety a theme of your stay rather than equating Beppu with a single bath. The range of areas and baths therefore offers a different perspective from focusing on one particular historic building.

Takegawara Onsen as a historic landmark

Takegawara Onsen is a historic landmark in Beppu. Built in 1879, it is one of the oldest and most famous hot springs in the city. Its building is considered a symbol of Beppu’s hot springs, bringing architecture and the hot spring theme together in one named place. Compared with the eight major areas, it offers a different scale: the focus here is on the history and building of a single onsen, not on the variety of several hot spring areas. This makes Takegawara a specific focus for travelers who want to consider the cultural significance of the hot spring offerings as well.

The sand bath at Takegawara Onsen

Visitors can take a sand bath at Takegawara Onsen. Staff cover guests wearing yukata with hot sand. Compared with the indoor and outdoor baths offered in Beppu’s hot spring areas, the sand bath is a specific bathing experience with staff assistance. If you are interested in this particular activity, check the current operating details before your visit.

Getting there from Ōita Airport

Ōita Airport is a useful reference point for getting to Beppu, which can be reached from there by a bus ride of about 45 minutes. The actual journey time may vary depending on traffic and the schedule. If you are coordinating your arrival with the rest of your travel plans, check the schedule before departure and treat the stated duration as a guide, not a guaranteed connection time.

Find hotels in Beppu based on your interests

When searching for hotels in Beppu, you can use your interests as a starting point: A stay focused on the hot spring areas offers a different experience from a trip centered on Takegawara Onsen and its sand bath.

Discover more destinations: Kusu District, Usuki, Taketa, Yufu, Ōita, Tsukumi, Saiki, Kunisaki.

For the broader travel overview: Ōita Prefecture.