Experience the best of Beppu

Beppu, in Oita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, sits between mountains and the sea, and plumes of steam rise from vents across the town. It has more hot-spring sources and a greater flow of hot water than any other place in Japan. The Hells of Beppu, a group of showpiece springs, include the blue Sea Hell, the blood-red Chinoike pond and bubbling mud pools, to be viewed rather than bathed in.

On the beach, bathers are buried in warm sand heated by the springs, and public bathhouses are scattered around town. Takasakiyama Monkey Park, south of the centre, is home to wild macaques that come down from the hill, and a ropeway climbs Mount Tsurumi for views over the bay. Yufuin, a short way inland, is a resort town on a basin ringed by peaks, and the carved stone Buddhas of Usuki lie to the south.

Food here is steamed in the springs themselves, in a style called jigoku-mushi, with vegetables, seafood and eggs cooked over hot vents. Oita's chicken tempura, toriten, fresh mackerel from the Bungo Channel and kabosu citrus are other local flavours, and barley shochu is the local spirit. Cool months make the hot baths all the more welcome.