Beppu (Beppu City, Oita Pref.)

Open a one-square-meter wooden door and enter a stone chamber the size of 8 tatami mats (approximately 13 square meters). The floor is heated by a hot springs and covered with a layer of fragrant iris petals and herbs that can only be grown along clear streams. The fragrance is superb and people lie down on the flour and indulge in the moment.

Umijigoku is an expansive area that was created when Mt. Tsurumi erupted approximately 1,300 years ago. Its name, which means "Sea of Hell," was inspired by the fact that the color of the hot springs water found here resembles that of the sea.

Special cooking cauldrons using steam emitted by hot springs can be found in inns and restaurants throughout Beppu, Delicacies of every kind from the mountains and the sea, as well as vegetables, can be steamed in these cauldrons using only the emissions of hot springs to create what is known as "jigoku-mushi cuisine," (hell-steamed dishes). A special form of cuisine native to the Beppu area, jigoku-mushi cuisine gives visitors an opportunity to savor the unadulterated flavors of ingredients in all of their natural glory.