Beppu,
the city floating on hot spring

Beppu is the world's largest hot spring city. Its unique spectacle of hot spring steam was rated number two next to Mt. Fuji in the contest of "100 Places of Scenic Beauty in Japan to Be Retained in the 21st Century." The culture of hot springs has long been intertwined with life of its local people.

Beppu offers various kinds of hot springs to attract many tourists such as open-air baths, sand baths on the beach, unique mud hot springs, steam baths with history of over 1,000 years and unexplored hot springs in the mountain, not to speak of normal hot springs in public bath houses, hotels, Japanese inns, and even private homes.

While staying in Beppu as a base to travel in Kyushu Island, you can make a day trip to Mt. Aso, the world's greatest active volcano, Stone Buddha in Usuki, Yufuin with Japanese pastoral scenery and Fukuoka, the largest city in Kyushu either by rail or by coach.