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Cobalt-blue hot spring pool at Umi Jigoku, Beppu, with steam, palms and a red torii gate
Photo: Leyo, CC BY-SA 2.5 ch, via Wikimedia Commons
Oita · nature

Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell)

海地獄

One of Beppu's "hells": a sea-like cobalt-blue pond billowing with steam. It looks cool and refreshing, yet the water is about 98°C.

Steam rising from the turquoise water of Umi Jigoku hot spring in Beppu
Photo: STA3816, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pond with giant water lily leaves in the garden of Umi Jigoku, Beppu
Photo: STA3816, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hot spring sources called "hells"

In Beppu, Oita Prefecture, hot spring sources where scalding water, steam or mud bursts out of the ground have long been called jigoku, or "hells". The name already appears in records from at least the end of the 17th century. Touring several of them is known as jigoku meguri, the "hell tour", and seven hells belong to the Beppu Jigoku Association.

Umi Jigoku, the "Sea Hell", is one of them, in the Kannawa Onsen (hot spring) area. It is said to have been formed about 1,200 years ago by an eruption of Mount Tsurumi, and it appears in old records under the name Kuberi-no-yu. In 2009 it was designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty, together with Chinoike Jigoku (Blood Pond Hell), Tatsumaki Jigoku (Waterspout Hell) and Shiraike Jigoku (White Pond Hell).

It looks blue, but it is about 98°C

The water in the pond is a cobalt blue that brings the sea to mind. The official website explains that the colour comes from the iron sulphate dissolved in large amounts in the spring water. It looks cool, but the water is about 98°C, and the pond is said to go down more than 200 m deep.

The grounds are a well-kept garden where you can also enjoy seasonal flowers and green trees. In the pond next door they grow giant water lilies (oonibasu) that spread out huge leaves, which reach their biggest around mid-August.

Treats made with hot spring heat, and getting there

The shop sells onsen tamago (eggs cooked in the heat of the hot spring) and puddings steamed in the steam from the hell.

From JR Beppu Station it is about 20 minutes by bus or about 15 minutes by taxi. By car it is about 5 minutes from Beppu IC, and there is parking. Check the official website for opening hours and admission fees.

Tips

  • If you plan to visit the other hells too, there is a combined ticket for the hell tour. Five of the hells are in the Kannawa area, while Chinoike Jigoku and Tatsumaki Jigoku are a little way off in the Shibaseki Onsen area.
  • The water in the pond is about 98°C. Do not lean out over the fence, and walk slowly when the steam makes it hard to see where you are stepping.
  • Around Obon (the mid-August festival for honouring ancestors), there is sometimes an event where you can sit on the leaves of the giant water lilies. If you are going in summer, check the announcements on the official website.

Sources

Updated 28 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

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