Japan Onsen Atlas温泉アトラス
Exterior of Kannawa Mushi-yu
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STA3816 CC BY-SA 3.0 View original page

Kyushu & Okinawa · Onsen area

Kannawa Onsen

かんなわおんせん · 鉄輪温泉

Oita

OpenNational Health Resort Onsen100 Onsen to Know Japan — No. 86
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Official classification

Spring type (therapeutic classes)

Chloride spring

Official spring-type name (as recorded)Sodium chloride spring (the district's typical type, per the official site)

Source temperature
Unconfirmed
pH
Unconfirmed
Flow rate
Unconfirmed
Radon
Unconfirmed

Appearance & feel

Water colour · Feel

Clear

Colour and feel are listed only where a source states them. They vary by day and by bath.

What makes it special

Steam rises from every corner of town; people cook vegetables in it, lie on herb-strewn stone to be steamed themselves, and bathe in 100-yen communal baths.
Why?

The official Kannawa site calls it the Beppu district with the most steam, and lists jigoku-mushi steam cooking, the mushi-yu steam bath and flow-through communal baths from 100 yen. Wikipedia notes that most of Beppu's springs are concentrated here.[1][2][3]

Facilities in this area

Facilities come from the register (Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, official sites). Those marked "natural spring unconfirmed" are listed on the basis of their name only.

Public bathhouse · Open

Kannawa Mushi-yu

Day-use bathing
Yes
Fee
¥700checked 2026-10-09
Hours
6:30–20:00checked 2026-10-09
Official site
Baths3
TypeGenderSourceBath temperatureFree-flowingAdded waterHeatedRecirculatedDisinfected
Indoor bathSeparateKannawa steamUnconfirmedUnconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]
Indoor bathSeparateKannawaUnconfirmedYes[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]
Foot bathMixedKannawa steamUnconfirmedUnconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]
Public bathhouse · Open

Shibu-no-yu

Day-use bathing
Yes
Fee
¥100checked 2026-10-09
Hours
Unconfirmedchecked 2026-10-09
Official site
Baths1
TypeGenderSourceBath temperatureFree-flowingAdded waterHeatedRecirculatedDisinfected
Indoor bathSeparateKannawaUnconfirmedYes[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]
Public bathhouse · Open

Netsu-no-yu

Day-use bathing
Yes
Fee
¥0checked 2026-10-09
Hours
6:30–21:00checked 2026-10-09
Official site
Baths1
TypeGenderSourceBath temperatureFree-flowingAdded waterHeatedRecirculatedDisinfected
Indoor bathSeparateKannawaUnconfirmedYes[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]
Day-use bath · Open

Hyotan Onsen

Day-use bathing
Yes
Fee
¥780checked 2026-10-09
Hours
9:00–翌1:00checked 2026-10-09
Official site
Baths1
TypeGenderSourceBath temperatureFree-flowingAdded waterHeatedRecirculatedDisinfected
Open-air bathSeparateKannawaUnconfirmedYes[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]Unconfirmed[2]

Getting there

Reachable by public transport

From JR Beppu Station, 16–26 minutes by Kamenoi Bus (Wikipedia) to the Kannawa stop; the official site allows about 30 minutes by bus or 15 by taxi. From Oita Airport the Airliner bus takes about 40 minutes to Beppu Kitahama, then about 10 minutes by taxi. From Hakata bus terminal in Fukuoka, an express bus reaches Kannawa in about 2 h 10 min.

Getting there
Beppu Station · 25
Checked
2026-10-09
Show on mapOpen in Google MapsOfficial site

About the water

Kannawa's typical water is a sodium chloride spring, which the official site calls soft and moist on the skin; the salt is said to slow cooling after the bath. Sources are very hot — the steam used for cooking is about 98 °C. There are many sources and each bath differs, so this is the district's general character. Beppu as a whole has more than 2,000 sources and Japan's largest flow (Beppu City).

SourceSource temperaturepHRadonChecked
Kannawa (many sources)UnconfirmedUnconfirmedUnconfirmedno check date

Three things not to miss

Exterior of Kannawa Mushi-yu
Photo information
STA3816 CC BY-SA 3.0 View original page
01

Kannawa Mushi-yu steam bath

At the top of Ideyu-zaka, Kannawa-kami A steam bath said to have been founded by the monk Ippen in 1276. You lie in a yukata for about eight minutes on a stone floor heated by hot-spring steam and strewn with sekisho, an aromatic herb. 700 yen, yukata hire 220 yen, 6:30–20:00, closed the 4th Thursday. The foot-steaming bench outside is free.

A way of using the spring without a tub, unique to Kannawa. It is municipally run, and visitors pay the same as locals.[2][3]

Jigoku-mushi steam kettle
Photo information
As6022014 Public domain View original page
02

Jigoku-mushi Kobo Kannawa steam kitchen

On Ideyu-zaka, Furomoto 5-kumi A city-run kitchen where you rent a kettle fed by 98 °C hot-spring steam and cook your own food. 10:00–19:00 (last orders 18:00), closed the 3rd Wednesday. No reservations; numbered tickets. Free foot bath, foot steaming and drinking fountain on site; free parking.

It opens up the steam cooking that long-stay guests have always done in their self-catering inns. The steam lightly salts the food and brings out the sweetness of vegetables.[4]

03

The 100-yen communal baths

Scattered through the village Shibu-no-yu, Jigokubaru, Shonin-yu and Suji-yu (6:30–20:00) cost 100 yen, Tani-no-yu 150 yen, and Netsu-no-yu is free (6:30–21:00). All are flow-through from the source (official site).

These are the locals' baths, lent to visitors; no soap or showers, and the water is hot.[2]

The story

The steam bath a wandering monk founded

In 1276 the monk Ippen, founder of the Ji sect, is said to have calmed the steam vents here and opened a bathing place: the origin of Kannawa Mushi-yu, where people still lie on herb-strewn heated stone. Old lodgings descended from cheap travellers' inns survive as ryokan and self-catering kashima, and the town has lived as a place for long, slow cures.[3][2]

Putting heat to work

Beppu has more than 2,000 sources and Japan's largest flow, and most of them are in Kannawa. People here do more than bathe: they cook in 98 °C steam (jigoku-mushi), steam their bodies (mushi-yu and foot steaming) and drink the water. In September 2012 the district, together with Myoban, was designated an Important Cultural Landscape as the 'Beppu steam and hot-spring landscape'.[3][4][6]

Hundred-yen baths and the Hells

Kannawa has nine communal baths (Wikipedia); Shibu-no-yu, Shonin-yu, Suji-yu and Jigokubaru cost 100 yen and Netsu-no-yu is free, all flow-through from the source according to the official site. Most of Beppu's famous 'Hells' — Umi Jigoku, Kamado Jigoku and others — are also in Kannawa, so you can walk between baths and boiling ponds.[2][3]

Going solo

Easy for solo travellersUnconfirmed
Weekend / peak restrictionsUnconfirmed
Where to eat dinnerSteam your own meal at the kobo; eateries and cafés along Ideyu-zaka
Private bathYes

checked 2026-10-09

Through the year

Recommended months

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Months open

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

"Recommended" and "open" are recorded separately. Check the season for seasonal springs.

Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb — Cold air makes the steam plumes thick; the view from the steam lookout is best on winter mornings and evenings

Sep — Kannawa Yuami Festival honouring the monk Ippen (dates not confirmed)

Food, culture & experiences

Available / bookable

Beppu 'Hells' (Umi Jigoku, Kamado Jigoku, Oniishi Bozu Jigoku and others)

Steaming ponds, boiling mud and hot pools clustered in Kannawa[3]

5–15 minutes' walk from the Kannawa bus stop
Available / bookable

Fujiya Gallery Hanayamomo (former Fujiya inn)

A Meiji-era inn building, now a gallery; registered cultural property[3]

2 minutes from Ideyu-zaka
Available / bookable

Yukemuri steam lookout

Overlooks the steam of Kannawa and Mt Ogi; the 'Beppu steam and hot-spring landscape' was designated an Important Cultural Landscape in 2012[3]

About 5 minutes by bus or car from Kannawa

Editors' guide

Start with eight minutes in the steam bath, then walk down Ideyu-zaka to the 100-yen Shibu-no-yu. Steam vegetables and eggs for lunch at the kobo, walk to the Hells in the afternoon, look down on the smoking town from the steam lookout at dusk, and finish at Hyotan Onsen, open until 1 a.m. Winter mornings and evenings show the steam best. The communal baths are hot: splash yourself first.

The "editors' guide" above is written by the editors from sources; it is not a visitor's opinion.

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Overview

鉄輪温泉（かんなわおんせん）は、大分県別府市（旧国豊後国速見郡）にある温泉で、別府八湯の一つ。温泉の湧出量では日本最大である別府の源泉の大半が鉄輪に集中している。湯治場の面影を濃く残し、レトロな町並みと別府地獄めぐりの多くが鉄輪温泉にある。

This overview is based on the lead section of the Japanese Wikipedia article "鉄輪温泉" (CC BY-SA 4.0). View original page

Onsen areas nearby

Unconfirmed & notes

  • Communal bath hours given only where the official site states them; Shibu-no-yu, Shonin-yu and Tani-no-yu hours unconfirmed
  • Per-source temperature, pH and minerals unconfirmed (district type only)
  • Kashima inn solo terms and rates unconfirmed
  • Yuami Festival dates not confirmed

Sources

  1. 鉄輪温泉 公式サイト(鉄輪ツーリズム)鉄輪ツーリズム · 2026-10-09
  2. 鉄輪温泉 温泉一覧(料金・時間)鉄輪ツーリズム · 2026-10-09
  3. 鉄輪温泉 - Wikipedia(日本語版)Wikipedia · 2026-10-09
  4. 地獄蒸し工房 鉄輪 公式サイト別府市(地獄蒸し工房鉄輪) · 2026-10-09
  5. 鉄輪温泉 アクセス鉄輪ツーリズム · 2026-10-09
  6. 別府市 温泉(別府八湯・源泉数)別府市 · 2026-10-09

Register sources

Data status

Name & locationPublishedCoordinatesPublishedSpring typePublishedPhotosPublishedFacilitiesPublishedVisiting info (dated)PublishedEditorial articlePublished

Updated 2026-10-09

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