270px, Beppu City Hall
is a city in
Ōita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,081,646 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, K ...
on the island of
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. As of November 30, 2023, the city had a population of 113,045 in 62,702 households, and a population density of 900 persons per km
2.
The total area of the city is . Beppu is famous for its hot springs.
In 2024, Beppu celebrated its centenary as a city.
Geography
Beppu is situated at the west end of
Beppu Bay
is an arm of the western end of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan.
Beppu Bay is located on the northeast coast of Kyushu in Ōita Prefecture. The city of Ōita, Ōita, Ōita lies on its southern coast and the city of Beppu, Ōita, Beppu at its west ...
, around the east central prefecture. Adjacent municipalities include
Ōita (the prefectural capital),
Usa,
Yufu, and
Hiji.
The east area of the city consists of an
alluvial fan
An alluvial fan is an accumulation of sediments that fans outwards from a concentrated source of sediments, such as a narrow canyon emerging from an escarpment. They are characteristic of mountainous terrain in arid to Semi-arid climate, semiar ...
as well as
alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a plain (an essentially flat landform) created by the deposition of sediment over a long period by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A ''floodplain'' is part of the process, bei ...
, made with rivers flowing into Beppu Bay, namely Asami River, Haruki River and Sakai River. The main urban area of Beppu has been formed within this relatively narrow land which spans approximately 5 km from east to west and 10 km from north to south.
The west area of the city includes a number of scenic locations such as Yufugawa Canyon, which has been selected as one of One Hundred Views of Oita, and/or some designated areas of
Aso Kujū National Park, with a large amount of forests.
Around the city are mountains or highlands with elevations of several hundreds meters above sea level. Most of those mountains are
Quaternary
The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...
volcanoes. Particularly, locations such as
Mount Tsurumi is relatively new, and fumarolic activities are observed. Besides Mount Tsurumi,
Mount Yufu, Mount Ohira and others comprise a range of mountains.
There are a large number of seismic faults on the north and south of the alluvial fan, surrounding the urban area (giving rise to a large number of thermal vents). Given the short distance from the sea shore on the east coast to the west part of the city with altitude of several hundreds meters or higher, the city has many slopes mainly on the east-west direction.
Climate
Beppu has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Beppu is 15.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1663 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around 4.3 °C.
Demographics
Per Japanese census data, the population of Beppu is as shown below
History
The area of Beppu was part of ancient
Bungo Province. During the
Kamakura period
The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
, due to its onsens, it began to be used as a health resort for wounded samurai.
Beppu Port (later Kunisaki Port) was opened on May 30, 1871, with connections to
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
and other ports on the
Seto Inland Sea
The , sometimes shortened to the Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, three of the four main islands of Japan. It serves as a waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Ba ...
. It was the main logistics hub for the
Imperial Japanese Army
The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
during the
Satsuma Rebellion
The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the , was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government of the Empire of Japan, nine years into the Meiji era. Its name comes from the Satsuma Domain, which had been influential in ...
of 1877. Hot spring development as a tourist destination began in earnest from 1879 with the opening of Takegawara Onsen. In 1885, a ferry service to
Uwajima in Shikoku commenced. The village of Beppu was established on May 1, 1889 with the creation of the modern municipalities system and was raised to town status on April 11, 1893.
Beppu and Hamawaki Town merged on April 1, 1906 (with a total population of 12,306).
Beppu Station opened on July 16, 1911 and on July 15, 1923, a regular seaplane route to Osaka was opened. It was raised to city status on April 1, 1924 (total population 32,276). In 1945, after the Allied Occupation, ''Camp Chicamauga'' (present day Beppu Park) was established as the regional headquarters. In December 1957, the camp closed and was transferred to the local
GSDF garrison; the site reopened as a park in 1979.
Government
Beppu has a
mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a
unicameral
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...
city council of 25 members. Beppu contributes five members to the Ōita Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of the
Ōita 3rd district of the
lower house
A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...
of the
Diet of Japan
, transcription_name = ''Kokkai''
, legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet
, coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg
, house_type = Bicameral
, houses =
, foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...
.
Education
Beppu has 14 public elementary schools and seven public junior high schools operated by the city government, and two public high schools operated by the Ōita Prefectural Board of Education. There are also one private elementary school, junior high school and two private high schools. The prefecture operates one special education school for the handicapped.
There are also several colleges and universities within the city:
*
Beppu University, a private university first chartered in 1954, also has a campus in Oita City.
*
Beppu Mizobe Gakuen College, established in 1986, is a private junior college located in the north of Beppu.
*
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, a private university established in 2000.
Transportation
Railways
JR Kyushu
The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...
-
Nippō Main Line
The is a railway line in Kyushu, in southern Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). Also known as the Fukuhoku Nippo Line, The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, K ...
* - - -
Highways
*
Higashikyushu Expressway
*
*
*
Local attractions
The economy of Beppu is strongly influenced by tourism with its many hot spring resorts.
Hot springs
Beppu is famous for its ''
onsen
In Japan, are hot springs and the bathing facilities and Ryokan (inn), traditional inns around them. There are approximately 25,000 hot spring sources throughout Japan, and approximately 3,000 ''onsen'' establishments use naturally hot water ...
'' (Japanese style
hot springs
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...
). It has eight major
geothermal hot spots known as .
The eight major hot spring areas are
Beppu Onsen,
Kankaiji,
Kamegawa,
Shibaseki,
Kannawa,
Myoban,
Horita, and
Hamawaki.
There are over 150 individual ''onsen'' facilities for bathing in Beppu.
There is an ''onsen''
stamp rally
A is an event or course dedicated to collecting stamps that follow a certain theme at sites such as train stations, rest areas, tourist attractions, museums, zoos, Onsen, onsen towns, shopping malls, and other locations. The popularity of stamp ...
where individuals receive a stamp for each ''onsen'' they visit. If an individual receives 88 stamps, they are considered to be an "''onsen'' expert" (温泉名人, ''onsen meijin'').
Notable ''onsen'' bathing facilities in Beppu include
Takegawara Onsen,
Myoban Yunosato Onsen, and
Hyotan Onsen.
The "
Hells of Beppu" refer to a variety of hot springs in Beppu which are for viewing rather than bathing.
There are seven hells that are part of the ''Jigoku Meguri'' (地獄めぐり) tour.
It includes hells such as ''Oniyama Jigoku'' (鬼山地獄), which literally means "
monster
A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes Anxiety, terror ...
mountain hell" due to the large numbers of crocodiles bred and kept on its grounds and ''Umi Jigoku'' (海地獄) or "Sea Hell" which is known for its vibrant cobalt-blue water.
Five of these are located in the Kannawa district, each within walking distance of each other, and two are located in the Shibaseki district which require about a five minute bus or car ride to access from the Kannawa district hells.
Beppu has not only usual hot springs but some sand and foot baths as well. One famous spot was ''Beppu Kaihin Sunayu,
Ashiyu
An is a Japanese or Taiwanese public bath in which people can bathe their feet. The majority of ''ashiyu'' are free.
Overview
The term ''ashiyu'' is a combination of the two characters "ashi" 足 meaning "foot", and "yu" 湯 meaning "hot water ...
'' (別府海浜砂湯, 足湯), ("Beppu marine beach sand bath and foot bath"). However, it has been closed for redevelopment since April, 2023 with reopening scheduled for 2025. Sand baths can still be found at Hyotan Onsen, and foot baths can be found in various locations throughout Beppu including the Sea Hell (海地獄, ''umi jigoku'') on the Hells of Beppu tour.
File:Natural iron hot spring.jpg, Natural iron hot spring which is one of the "Hells of Beppu"
File:How to see Beppu.jpeg, 1937 travel poster, Beppu hot springs
File:Beppu City.jpg, Kannawa area of Beppu city
File:Beppu hotspring-well01.jpg, A hot spring-well in Beppu
Other attractions
opened in 1979 and is located in the center of the city, a 15-minute walk from Beppu Station. Beppu Fireworks Festival, held in late July, is one of the biggest fireworks displays in Oita. Five thousand fireworks are set off from boats floating on Beppu Bay. Beppu Contemporary Art Festival "Mixed Bathing World" is an art festival held every three years in Beppu.
A well known local landmark is
Beppu Tower, which opened in May 1957. The
Beppu Ropeway (which opened December 1962) connects Beppu with Mount Tsurumi. The Tokiwa Department Store opened on October 8, 1988 as part of the redevelopment of the Kitahama area, and on November 29, 2007, YouMe Town Beppu opened as part of the Kusunoki Port redevelopment.
Shidaka Lake is located above sea level. Otobaru Waterfall is a local natural attraction, located in the mountain area of Beppu city, 20 minutes' walk from Wonder Rakutenchi, a traditional amusement park.
Takasakiyama Monkey Park is located 10 minutes from the center of Beppu by bus. The park is home to more than 1,500
Japanese macaques. Kijima Kogen is a resort which includes an 18-hole golf course and hotel alongside an amusement park. It is located on a plateau en route to Yufuin.
Sports
Beppu is part of the course of the annual
Beppu-Ōita Marathon
The is an annual men's marathon race that takes place every February between the cities of Beppu and Ōita, Ōita, Ōita on the island of Kyushu in Japan. The race has IAAF Silver Label Road Race status and is a listed course of AIMS (Associati ...
, which traces a path between Beppu and its neighboring city of Ōita. The competition has been held every year since 1952 and is classed as an
IAAF
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international sports governing body, governing body for the sport ...
Silver Label road race.
Beppu is also the destination of the “100km Walk”, an annual event where thousands of competitors walk overnight from
Yukuhashi to Beppu. The 26th event was held on October 12-13, 2024.
Beppu is home to the
Oita Heat Devils basketball team. The team's season was canceled in 2011 due to the earthquake that struck Japan on March 11.
International relations
The city of Beppu has sister city relationships with the following locations.
*
Atami, Shizuoka, Japan, since August 5, 1966
*
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
, Somerset, England, United Kingdom, since October 31, 1994
*
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...
, United States, since May 20, 1985
*
Jeju, South Korea, since January 17, 2003
*
Mokpo
Mokpo (; ) is the List of cities in South Korea, third largest and most densely populated city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, located at the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, close to Yudal mountain. Mokpo has frequent high-speed ...
, Jeollanam-do, South Korea, since October 1, 1984
*
Rotorua
Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...
, Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand, since July 10, 1987
*
Yantai, Shandong, China, since July 26, 1985
References
External links
Beppu City official website
Beppu Navi homepageInformation about hot spring baths in Beppu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beppu, Oita
Cities in Ōita Prefecture
Populated coastal places in Japan
Port settlements in Japan