Onsen articles

N4 Beppu guide · 4 sections

別府温泉べっぷおんせんたのしみかた

How to enjoy Beppu Onsen

An N4 reading about Beppu’s eight hot-spring areas, rising steam, the famous Jigoku Meguri, and distinctive sand and steam baths.

  1. 別府温泉べっぷおんせんある有名ゆうめいです大分空港おおいたくうこうから別府べっぷまでバスことができますJR別府駅べっぷえき旅行りょこうとして便利べんりですえきから地獄じごくめぐりバスているのでくるまなくてもしやすいです

    Beppu Onsen is a famous hot spring destination in Oita Prefecture. You can travel to Beppu by bus from Oita Airport. JR Beppu Station is a convenient starting point for a trip. Buses also leave from the station for Kannawa and the Beppu Hells, so sightseeing is easy even without a car.

  2. 別府べっぷやっ温泉地おんせんちありこのやっまとめてびますおななかでも場所ばしょによってまち景色けしきちがいますとく鉄輪かんなわまちあちこちからしろがりますほそみちある温泉おんせん人々ひとびとつながっていることかんじられます

    Beppu has eight hot spring areas collectively called Beppu Hattō. Even within the same city, the water qualities and townscapes differ by area. In Kannawa especially, white plumes of steam rise from many parts of town. As you walk the narrow streets, you can feel how closely the hot springs are connected to people’s daily lives.

  3. 別府べっぷなな地獄じごく海地獄うみじごくあお池地獄いけじごくあかのでひとつずつちが景色けしきたのしめます地獄じごくめぐりするのではなく湯気ゆげあつどろなどします百度ひゃくどちかなるところあるので案内あんないよくんで安全あんぜん場所ばしょからましょう

    On Beppu’s Jigoku Meguri, you visit seven “hells.” Umi Jigoku is blue and Chinoike Jigoku is red, so each offers a different view. At Jigoku Meguri, you observe scalding water, steam, and hot mud rather than bathing in them. Because the water can be close to 100°C in some places, read the signs carefully and observe from safe areas.

  4. 別府べっぷ普通ふつう風呂ふろちが体験たいけんできます海辺うみべ温泉おんせんあたためたすなうえかかりひとくびからしたすなかけてくれます鉄輪かんなわむし温泉おんせん蒸気じょうきあたためたいし部屋へやはいうえよこになりますどちらもからだとてもあたたかくなるのでかかりひと説明せつめいいて利用りようしましょう

    In Beppu, you can also try experiences different from an ordinary bath. At a seaside sand bath, you lie on sand heated by hot spring water and an attendant covers you with sand from the neck down. At Kannawa Mushiyu, you enter a stone room heated by hot spring steam and lie on medicinal herbs. Both make your body very warm, so listen to the staff’s instructions before using them.

Study list · 16 words

Key vocabulary

Select any underlined word in the reading for a quick definition and Japanese pronunciation, or select a word or speaker button in the list below to hear its Japanese pronunciation.

Japanese Reading Meaning
温泉地おんせんちhot spring destination
大分県おおいたけんOita Prefecture
出発点しゅっぱつてんstarting point
鉄輪かんなわKannawa hot spring district
観光かんこうsightseeing
別府八湯べっぷはっとうBeppu’s eight hot spring areas
しつquality; characteristics
湯けむりゆけむりclouds of hot spring steam
生活せいかつdaily life
地獄めぐりじごくめぐりtour of Beppu’s hot spring “hells”
見て回るみてまわるto visit and look around
入浴にゅうよくbathing
熱湯ねっとうvery hot or scalding water
見学けんがくvisiting for observation
砂湯すなゆhot sand bath
薬草やくそうmedicinal herbs

Vocabulary