Yamada Bessou

Top choice in Beppu


This sprawling, family-run 1930s inn has wonderfully preserved Japanese rooms and well-chosen art and furnishings evoking periods from art deco to today. The stone-and-tile onsen and private rotemburo are so lovely you'll hardly mind that only a couple of the eight rooms have full bath and toilet; two others have toilet only.

If you'd like to drop by just to use the baths, day use is ¥500 to ¥700; baths are open 11am to 3pm.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Beppu attractions

1. Beppu Tower

0.13 MILES

Built in 1957, this erector-set-style tower near the bay has an observation deck with 360-degree views. It's a popular visit for couples.

2. Beppu Traditional Bamboo Crafts Centre

1.55 MILES

You may be blown away by the versatility of bamboo, which grows copiously in the Beppu region. In the ground-floor gallery, intricate, refined pieces span…

3. Shira-ike Jigoku

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One of the Kannawa group's hells, Shira-ike has blue-white water and a Japanese garden. It tends to be the quietest of the neighbourhood's jigoku (hells;…

4. Kamado Jigoku

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So named because it was once used for cooking (kamado means stove in Japanese). One of the Kannawa group's jigoku (hells; boiling hot springs).

5. Oni-yama Jigoku

2.94 MILES

Oni-yama is especially known for the 80-plus crocodiles that have been bred here since the Taishō period (1912–26). It's one of the Kannawa group's jigoku…

6. Oniishibōzu Jigoku

2.96 MILES

One of the Kannawa group's jigoku (hells; boiling hot springs), Oniishibōzu has bubbling grey mud that looks like a monk's shaved head.

7. Yama Jigoku

2.97 MILES

Yama is not included in the onsen meguri ticket and must be visited separately. A variety of animals are kept here in enclosures that look uncomfortably…

8. Umi Jigoku

2.98 MILES

Umi is a steamy blue due to iron oxide in its 98°C water. It's said to be about 200m down to the source. One of the Kannawa group's jigoku (hells; boiling…