Japan’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire makes it a helpless victim of seismological and volcanic occurrences, but it’s not all fire and brimstone for this island nation. The very activity that threatens their lives also contributes to their health, in the form of hot springs. Japan is home to more than 27,000 hot springs within its 145,900 square mile area, each with its own brand of therapeutic properties. The town of Beppu alone contains over 2,900 hot springs, and the most popular of these is Beppu Onsen, a hot spring resort built around 8 distinctly different pools in stunning surroundings. Each is equipped with a public facility that provides their own brand of therapeutic properties, such as steam, mud baths, and even sand baths, where visitors are buried in naturally heated sand by an attendant. The pools are brilliant in shades of turquoise and red, with big clouds of steam billowing up into the picturesque mountainscape. If you’re going to be visiting Japan, Beppu Onsen comes highly recommended by many world travelers.
Image via raichovak
