Japan's hot spring capital on the island of Kyushu, where steam rises from the streets and thousands of springs fill everything from mud baths to sand baths. Here's what Beppu is like, when to go and how long to stay.
UK passport holders don't need a visa for short stays. Many onsen don't allow tattoos, so look for ones that do or book a private bath. Check entry rules on GOV.UK before you book.
Temperatures are the average daytime high in °C.
Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with cherry blossom in late March and early April, and autumn colour in November. Winter is cold, around 10°C by day, but that's when hot springs are most inviting, and the steam over the town looks wonderful. June and early July bring the rainy season, and late summer is hot and humid, with a risk of typhoons in August and September.
Seven colourful hot springs for looking, not bathing, from the cobalt-blue Sea Hell to the blood-red Blood Pond Hell.
Lie on the beach while staff bury you in sand warmed by hot springs, then rinse off in an onsen.
A wooden bathhouse from 1879 near the station, with a sand bath and simple hot baths.
A pretty onsen village under a twin-peaked mountain, with a misty lake and craft shops.
A cable car up to views over Beppu Bay and the steaming town.
Cook eggs, vegetables and seafood in baskets over natural steam vents in the Kannawa area.
Yes. Children love the bubbling hells, the steam-cooked eggs and being buried in hot sand. Many ryokan have private family baths, which is easier than public bathing with young children.
Two or three nights covers Beppu and a day in Yufuin. It fits well into a longer Japan trip by bullet train through Kyushu.
Fly into Oita Airport, about 45 minutes from Beppu by airport bus, with domestic flights from Tokyo and Osaka. Or take the train from Fukuoka, about two hours on the Sonic express.
Wash and rinse at the taps before you get in, don't wear swimwear in most baths, and keep your small towel out of the water. Men's and women's baths are usually separate.
Put Beppu on standby with everyone's other ideas. You each spread your points in secret, get one veto, and the draw picks where you go.