It was Beppu today. The hot springs paradise in Japan. Famous for having the highest concentration of steam emitting from the ground.. That was the sight that greeted us when we arrived by a train that took 4 hours (The faster train would have taken only 2hrs). Pockets of dense steam were floating in the air in various areas.
There are several "jigokus" to visit here. Jigoku means Hell. But each one's entrance is 400yen (S$5.20) or we could buy a day pass at 2000yen (S$27) for all. But we reckon it is sufficient just to view the most interesting one as they are all boiling water and steam simply. The best one is the Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell) which is a scalding 90 degrees and clear blue in colour. Dense steam emits constantly throughout and there were eggs being cooked in a woven basket too.
There was also a smaller reddish jigoku which has iron contents in it thus the colour. Less hot but still not possible for soaking in. And then we found a free foot onsen hidden in a corner which is freaking hottttttt.. Once we came up, the part of our leg soaked was obviously a different shade. Almost cooked. haha.. we're guessing, having experienced 4 different onsens now, that the temperature of the foot onsen is 50-55 degrees celsius.The lotus-like leaves that grow in the pond can grow huge during the summer months. And can carry the weight of children below 20kg.
Then we strolled towards the sea side and found a public sand bath. But weirdly the sand was covered with water too.. Maybe it wasn't ready for use. Great view by the water front and if you're coming here, i would recommend 2 full days here. That should suffice.
For dinner, we found an eatery operated by an old couple and had Champon, a famous dish of Nagasaki, coz we didn't had it the day before. It is similar to Chinese-style soup noodles. And then right after, some takoyaki next door. Decent.
Stuart - having tasted some live squid today. Eyes and tentacles still moving.
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