■Beppu Beach Sand Bath
For a break from Beppu’s usual onsen routine, head to the beach for a sunayu, or sand bath. 

There are two places in Beppu where you can try this unusual style of bathing.  Beppu Beach Sand Bath is one of them.  Located in Shoninga-hama Park, at Beppu Beach Sand Bath you’ll have a view of Beppu Bay as female attendants bury you up to your neck in heavy, steaming black sand.  The sensation is like a wearable sauna, and the weight of the sand is said to stimulate pressure points throughout the body.  When you emerge from the sand 10 minutes later, you’ll be sweating and tingling from head to toe.  It’s just the thing to get the blood flowing again if you’re feeling sluggish.

>>Access
Shoningahama, Beppu city, Oita

Beppu IC====(25 min. by car, direction to Kamegawa)====Beppu Beach Sand Bath

Beppu station====(20min. by bus No. 10, 16, 20, 26)====Rokushoen bus stop====(1min. on foot)====Beppu Beach Sand Bath

>>Hours
8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (April - October)
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (November - March)

>>Holidays
4th Wednesday of each month

>>Fee (Admission)
Adult: 300 yen
Child (elementary shool student): 100 yen



■Takegawara Onsen
The handsome old Takegawara Onsen is a Beppu Landmark.  Established in 1879, the faÁade of the building was added in 1938, and the elegant high-ceilinged lobby invites lingering.  But of course, the real attraction here is the baths.  Takegawara’s water is quite hot, and will take some getting used to for hot spring novices.  Many visitors, though, come for the sunayu, a pit of steaming coal-black sand in a large wood-framed room with tall windows.  After washing yourself, you enter the sand bath and lie down with a towel over your front, and an attendant carefully buries you in the coarse sand for ten to fifteen minutes.  Another rinse and a soak in the tub, and you’re ready to go.  If you’re hungry, this is a good time to duck across the street to Takeya, serving up the local specialties of dango soup and yaseuma.

>>Access
16-23 Motomachi, Beppu city, Oita

Beppu IC====(15 min. by car, direction to Beppu station)====Takegawara Onsen

Beppu station, east exit====(10 min. on foot)====Takegawara Onsen

>>Hours
6:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. (Regular bath)
8:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. (Sand bath)

>>Holidays
3rd Wednesday of December (Regular bath)
3rd Wednesday of each month (Sand bath)

>>Fee
Regular bath: 100 yen
Sand bath: 1,000 yen

■Myoban Onsen
The sulfur hot springs of Myoban Onsen, set in the hills north of Beppu, have drawn visitors for centuries.  Today, the onsen’s relatively quiet atmosphere makes it a good escape from the crowds and flashiness of its better-known neighbor.

Scattered around Myoban you’ll see low, thatched buildings.  These huts are used in the production of yunohana, sulfur “flowers” or crystals that develop naturally on the ground around the springs.  The collection and processing of yunohana has remained largely unchanged since the Edo period, and the method is a recognized National Important Intangible Folklore Asset.  The crystals are the main component of bath salts sold in Myoban, a popular souvenir that is said to help heal skin conditions.

>>Access
Myoban no Sato
6-kumi, Myoban Onsen, Beppu city, Oita

Beppu IC====(6 min. by car)====Myoban no Sato
Beppu station====(15 min. by car)====Myoban no Sato

>>Hours
Regular bath
10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. (April - October)
10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. (November - March)

Family bath
9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. (April - October)
9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. (November - March)

>>Holidays
No holidays

>>Fee
Regular bath

Adult: 600 yen
Child: 300 yen

Family bath
1,500 yen / 2,000 yen / 2,500 yen per hour

-Matt Mangham

>>Hotels and Ryokans close to Beppu Area