Today we made a trip to Kyushu - southwestern of Japan’s main islands. Our destination was Beppu - city on the west coast, famous for its hot springs. Hot water gushes at many spots in the city. Beppu ranks first in gush volume in Japan and is in a high place in the world in the number of water sources and the variety of chemical properties. The steam that hovers above Beppu makes an amazing impression!
The main attraction is Beppu Hatto - the eight hells. It is the name for the top eight hot springs, each with their own unique waters qualities and atmosphere. The tour to see them all took us about 2.5 hours and some were more worth seeing than others but the general impression was positive. The one thing worth mentioning is that Beppu Hatto had its years of a glory in the 80s and you can tell, that not many things have changed since then.
The second thing we had in plans was to spend some time in an onsen - a type of a public bath that is built around a hot spring. After some research (and encouraged by some discount coupon we got from the tourist information point) we decided to go to Hyotan Hot Springs Kannawa.
We had a brochure with instructions what to do and how to behave step by step. First of all man and women use separate baths as you need to be naked when you are inside. Before entering the tubes you need to wash yourself from top to toe. Then you can just sit and enjoy the hot water. This particular onsen has also an outdoor bath - in women section there was a hot waterfall falling into a stone bath. Together - stunning view, fresh autumn air plus the hot spring equals the total relaxation.
We really admire the Japanese culture where people are not ashamed of being in the nudity. There were women in all different shapes and sizes in different ages but when you think about it we are all the same and there is no reason to be ashamed. Also it is a perfect example for girls and young women to show them how body is changing and how natural and somehow beautiful that process is.
It was an unforgettable experience…
