Jigoku Meguri and the hot spring landscapes of Beppu

Jigoku Meguri in Beppu is a circuit of hot spring sites, not a single pool, and the name has become shorthand for the town’s hells. The central draw is visible at once: steam, mineral colours and water in sharply different shades.

Beppu’s circuit of the hells

The best-known form of Jigoku Meguri brings together seven named sites in Beppu, with Umi Jigoku and Chinoike Jigoku among the most recognisable. The circuit is part of the city’s wider onsen landscape, and Beppu has long been associated with hot spring culture on Kyushu.

The name itself points to the character of the springs. These are viewing sites rather than bathing pools, where boiling water, mud and vapour make the ground surface the main attraction.

Colour, steam and mineral water

Jigoku Meguri is striking because each site presents a different surface. Umi Jigoku is known for blue water, while Chinoike Jigoku is noted for its red, iron-rich appearance.

That variation comes from the springs themselves rather than from architecture. The circuit turns a cluster of geothermal features into a sequence of distinct landscapes, each one named and presented separately.

Beppu’s onsen town context

Beppu is one of Japan’s major hot spring cities, and Jigoku Meguri sits within that wider setting. The area was part of ancient Bungo Province, and Beppu developed as a resort town around its onsen during the modern era.

The circuit links the town’s geothermal scenery to its tourist identity. The hells give the city a place-specific image, with steam plumes, mineral deposits and the names of each spring carrying the story.

Visiting Jigoku Meguri: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The sites are in Beppu, in ?ita Prefecture on Kyushu. They are reached through the town rather than as a remote excursion.
• The ground around the springs is hot and the places are set up for viewing, not bathing. Paths, railings and platforms keep the focus on the surface features.
• Five of the better-known hells are grouped in Kannawa, while others lie in the wider Beppu area. The names on signs help distinguish each stop in the circuit.
• The official language is Japanese and the currency is the yen. English-language names for the hells are also widely used in visitor material.

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Frequently asked questions about Jigoku Meguri

Where is Jigoku Meguri?

Jigoku Meguri is in Beppu, in ?ita Prefecture on Kyushu in Japan. The circuit sits within the town’s hot spring districts.

What should a visit be like?

Expect a sequence of viewing sites with steam, coloured water and hot ground. The springs are arranged as named stops rather than as one single landscape.

What makes Jigoku Meguri distinctive?

The appeal lies in the contrast between the sites: blue water, red water, vapour and mud. It is a hot spring circuit built around what can be seen at the surface.