Hakata Station
Today we were getting on a train and heading to Beppu City in Oita Prefecture, considered a haven for onsen lovers. So we walked to Hakata Station, the main railway terminal of the city of Fukuoka and the largest and busiest station on Kyushu. (Plus, it has great shopping.)
When I asked my friend, Racie, what she wanted to do in Japan, there was only one thing on her must-do list: onsen.
Since we were staying in Fukuoka, I browsed the Internet, looking for onsens in the area — and I stumbled upon Beppu City.
To be honest, I had never heard of this city before, much less its reputation for onsens.
Beppu City is a city in Oita Prefection in Kyushu — about a two-hour train ride from Fukuoka — littered with onsens. It’s a small city, with just under 120,000 people and stretching 48 square miles. But it’s a mecca for onsen fanatics with eight major hot spring areas known as Beppu Hattō.
What makes this place so unique is its vastness and richness of resources. Get this: the volume of water discharged is second only to that of Yellowstone National Park, the largest hot spring resort in the world.
This little town!
There are 2,909 hot spring vents within the city, accounting for more than 10 percent of all the hot spring vents in Japan. More than 130,000 tons of hot spring water gushes from the ground every day here, and you can see steam plumes all over the city.
You wanna onsen? I’ll give you an onsen!
Follow my #CatTravels adventures in Europe and Japan on Twitter @thedailydish and Instagram @catherinetoth.
10 Comments
great! ((:
Hi Cat! I have always wanted to visit a hot spring in Japan. Thanks for the pictures. Great legs! Smile Racie, I know you’re having a great time!
Awesome photos. Thank you for the virtual vacation!
Hello Cat!
Been to Fukaoka last year and this year and to Beppu about 5 years ago. Time for another trip back to Fukuoka and Beppu again.
Great pics of Beppu! Brought back memories. Onsen in Beppu is great but Ufu-in, that is close to Beppu, is one rank above. It’s a bit more expensive but more exclusive.
As for the yatai in Hakata, stay away from the ones in Nakasu. They are a tourist trap – all the locals there know it; the taxi drivers will tell you outright too. One driver told me back in May, “If you want dirty, expensive, and terrible food, go to Nakasu.” If you want to go experience yatai, go to the ones in Tenjin. Yup, you were there in the underground mall. The yatais in Tenjin are honest, cleaner, and a lot cheaper.
Upstairs in the Hakata station has a great “unagi” restaurant. Kyushu has Yanagawa city that is famous for their freshwater eels.
I meant to say “Yufu-in” and not “Ufu-in.”…..
Have you been to the north? I am curious how the tsunami areas look now. Was in Phuket before the tsunami there and after and it was amazing how fast people bounced back. More damage in Japan though!
CAT: It’s a good thing you guys are young and can walk. Me, I would have to soak my feet every 15 minutes! Waiting for you bathroom shots!
such fun. makes me want to go back again.
All that onsen talk reminded me of that tv show, Soko Ga Shiritai. There was that one older guy in the group, I think his name was Misaka, who had been to some huge number of onsen in Japan. I think he even wrote a book about onsen.