Beppu Hell Tour and Onsen: Where to Soak After Jigoku Meguri

The easiest bath to add after the Beppu Hell Tour is Oniishi no Yu, beside Oniishi Bozu Jigoku in Kannawa. Choose Hyotan Onsen if you want to make bathing the main event and reserve a private bath in advance. Mugen no Sato Shun-Ka-Shu-To is the quieter, hillside option, but it now offers private baths only and closes to new arrivals well before evening.

The Hells are sightseeing hot springs, not bathing facilities. If you want to soak after walking around them, the choice comes down to how far you are willing to travel and whether you need a guaranteed private slot.

Give the Hell Tour a realistic finish time

The seven Beppu Hells are split between two areas. Five—Umi, Oniishibozu, Kamado, Oniyama and Shiraike—are clustered in Kannawa. Chinoike and Tatsumaki are about three kilometres away. The current common ticket covers all seven and is valid on the day you buy it and the following day; the Hells are generally open from 8 am to 5 pm. Check the official ticket and access information for current admission and transport arrangements.

You do not have to cram all seven into one afternoon. If bathing is the point of the day, visit the Kannawa group and leave time for a soak. A full circuit followed by a trip to Horita can get tight, especially if you are relying on buses.

Oniishi no Yu: close to the Hells and open late

Oniishi no Yu sits next to Oniishibozu Jigoku. From Beppu Station’s west exit, the facility recommends a Kamenoi Bus toward Kannawa, then a short walk from Umi-Jigoku-mae.

There are five private family baths for up to four people, with a 60-minute limit. Three are ¥2,000 and two larger options are ¥3,300. They are not reservable, and reception closes at 9 pm. That works well if you are happy to decide after the Hell Tour; it is less suitable if you have a fixed dinner reservation and cannot wait.

The baths include an indoor pool, a forest-framed open-air bath and a second-floor view bath. Beppu’s tourism listing currently marks Oniishi no Yu as tattoo-friendly. Still check for a same-day facility notice before setting out.

Hyotan Onsen: the better pick when the bath is the afternoon plan

Hyotan Onsen is in Kannawa, around a 25-minute bus ride from Beppu Station followed by a short walk from the “Jigokubaru / Hyotan Onsen” stop. The facility lists opening hours of 9 am to 1 am; the large public bath closes at midnight. Adult admission is ¥1,160.

Hyotan’s 14 private family baths include eight indoor baths and six open-air ones. Each has its own steam bath, and the water is changed between guests. Unlike the other two options here, these baths need to be reserved by phone; booking opens one week before your visit.

Extra guests cost more. Confirm the current surcharge when you call.

That extra planning buys you a defined private slot. There is also enough variety in the public baths—open-air bathing, waterfall baths and steam bathing—to make a longer stop worthwhile. Don’t confuse late closing time with late buses: check your return journey separately.

Mugen no Sato: come for the hillside setting, not for convenience

Mugen no Sato reopened in August 2026 as a private-bath-only facility. Its current website lists eight private baths, no public bath, and sulfur spring water.

Rates vary by bath; check availability and current prices before setting out.

Reservations are not accepted. Guests are shown to a bath in arrival order. There is also no shower or tap water in any of the baths, so this is not the place for a full wash-and-change stop. The trade-off is the streamside hillside setting and a private soak away from Kannawa’s busier streets.

From Beppu Station, the official directions suggest taking a bus toward the ropeway, getting off at Horita Onsen, and walking about 15 minutes. The final admission time makes this a poor last-minute idea after a 5 pm Hell Tour finish. Check the facility’s latest hours and notices before travelling; it says hours can change and it may close in bad weather.

Which one fits your day?

With three or four hours, stick to the Kannawa Hells and Oniishi no Yu. If a private bath is non-negotiable, book Hyotan in advance and leave time between the tour and your slot. Mugen no Sato makes sense when the hillside bath itself is the reason for the trip; plan it as an afternoon destination and work backward from the 4:50 pm last reception.

If you have tattoos, Oniishi is the clearest choice among these three because Beppu’s tourism site explicitly lists it as acceptable. For Hyotan or Mugen no Sato, contact the facility rather than assuming their policies match. Our first-visit guide to Beppu’s municipal onsen explains what to expect at the city-run baths.

Sources

• Beppu Jigoku Association, admission and opening information and map and access
• Oniishi no Yu and Beppu Tourism, Oniishi no Yu
• Hyotan Onsen, prices and hours, family baths, and access
• Mugen no Sato Shun-Ka-Shu-To
• Images: Beppu steam, Wikimedia Commons; Hyotan Onsen, Wikimedia Commons.jpg). See each file page for photographer and licence details.

Tags: Beppu Hell Tour, Kannawa Onsen, Beppu day-use onsen, private onsen, Hyotan Onsen title: "Beppu Hell Tour and Onsen: Where to Soak After Jigoku Meguri" slug: beppu-jigoku-onsen-route focus_keyword: onsen after Beppu Hell Tour secondary_keywords:

• Beppu Hell Tour bathing stops
• Oniishi no Yu opening hours
• Hyotan Onsen private bath reservation
• Mugen no Sato onsen access
• Kannawa hot springs after sightseeing

tags: [Beppu Hell Tour, Jigoku Meguri, Beppu, Oniishi no Yu, Hyotan Onsen, Mugen no Sato, Kannawa, day trip, private bath, opening hours, sightseeing route, bathing stop, Oita travel, Kyushu itinerary, onsen guide]