Beppu, Ōita

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Map showing location of Beppu in Oita Prefecture (as of 2006).

The Pond of Blood Hell (a hot spring in Beppu)

Beppu (別府市, Beppu-shi^?) is a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan.

As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 126,854 and the density of 1,013.78 persons per km². The total area is 125.13 km².

The city was founded on April 1, 1924 and is famous for its thousands of onsen (hot springs), which are regarded as sacred. With the largest volume of hot water in the world aside from Yellowstone and the largest number of hot spring sources in Japan, Beppu is Japan's onsen capital. Beppu contains nine major geothermal hot spots, which are sometimes referred to as the "nine hells of Beppu". Beppu is also divided into 8 major hot spring areas, otherwise known as Beppu Hatto. The 8 areas are Beppu, Kitahama, Kamegawa, Shibaseki, Kannawa, Myoban, Horita and Hamawaki. Beppu is considered a tourist town by the Japanese and is rather picturesque. Like many other Japanese cities, Beppu is sandwiched between the sea and the mountains.

The combination of sea, mountains and onsen makes Beppu an ideal location for a summer vacation or even a weekend break from the city.

Recently, Beppu has been undergoing a renaissance. The city subsidized the creation of the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in 2000 an international university which focuses on International Relations and Business. The university attracts students from over 74 countries, making it one of the most culturally diverse universities in Japan.

University staff member Joel Dechant has helped internationalize the Kannawa area of Beppu by becoming the first English language volunteer guide in the city. His work has helped put the spotlight on the efforts of city government and local non-profit organization Kannawa Yukemuri Sanpo to revitalize the historic Kannawa district. The city has since received government funding as part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Renaissance Project to aid in restoring cobblestone roads in Kannawa.

The international student population has also envigorated the local restaurant scene with Jamaican, Indian, Lithuanian and Indonesian restaurants. In restaurants operated by locals too, food from various different countries served by Japanese-speaking international student waiters and waitresses have now become a common sight.

Beppu is also famous for its traditionally thriving sex-industry, which a local sex museum (Beppu Hihokan) depicts and commemorates. The Hihokan was founded by a sex artifact aficionado in the 1980s and contains a number of interesting exhibits.