The Hells of Beppu

This is my first time in Kyushu, with my first full stop in the small city of Beppu.  Beppu is known for one thing alone: its natural hot springs/onsens.  In particular are what are called the "8 Hells", eight natural hot springs far too hot to be diluted into public bath houses, and each with its own theme behind it.  For example, the sea/umi hell is named for its bright blue coloring, while the blood hell is named for its red coloring.

There are of course many public baths in the town, though I didn't go to any that were too fancy.  That said, each one I did go to was 100 yen, and serves as exactly as advertised, a public bath.  One of the two I went to was 43 C, and left my legs a little red.

I like this area because people usually let me talk in Japanese and not have to use English.

Besides that, all else I have to comment on is the food.  While Osaka food can be described as "throw everything with batter onto a grill", Kyushu food can best be described as "throw everything into a noodle soup".  In particular, Beppu's local speciality is the Dangojiru - best described by wikipedia as "a miso or a soy sauce-based soup containing wheat noodles as well as vegetables, shimeji mushrooms and pork".  Toriten, a chicken tempura dish, is probably even moreso a local Oita prefecture dish, but I generally avoid fried foods.