Niels had a splendid idea for today; let's see what Beppu's Hells have to offer.
Beppu is the onsen capital of Japan and has the second highest volume of hot water in the world; basically poke a stick in the ground, and hot water comes out.
Beppu also has nine major geothermal hot spots. Because of this, the city calls them the "nine hells of Beppu".
They are easily reachable by bus, so we got a day pass and hopped on a bus to Kannawa, where seven of the nine hells are located.
I visited six of the eight available hells, and to be honest, it wasn't all that spectacular.
Of course, it's quite impressive to stand only a few metres away from a strong force of nature, but because of the fact that the hells were fenced in and basically very small, it didn't have any adventure in it; save for a few, the hells have been turned into just another tacky tourist spot to leave your money behind.
Also, Beppu as a town was started only 95 years ago, so it's not that you're witnessing something that's centuries old.
Fortunately, the price for visiting the hells is just a few euro for each one and there's a ticket booklet available at a discount price, so you are set back only a couple of tenners, including the bus fare.
Still, it's a good way to spend a day.
Cheers, K.