What's Good For Phlegm

Yufuin

On the advice of Lorraine, I decided to leave 别 府 Beppu to spend a day 汤 布 院 Yufuin , a village of 10,000 residents just minutes by bus from the capital onsen, which is also quite likely filled sources. It is a mountain called naturally 由 布岳 Mount Yufu.

Yufuin backed Mount Yufu

View on Google Maps

After I woke late, I have just enough time to squeeze my bento heated in a microwave oven on the handset to take the 11:37 bus. The bus goes up Yufuin, but on the way, there is a stop at the foot of the mountain: 由 布岳登 山口 Tozanguchi Yufu-dake. My plan then is to get there, climb the 1583 meters and descend on the city take a bath.

Between Yufuin and Beppu, a deserted amusement park, one more

At the foot of the climb

The thing that does not fit into my plan is the weather. One of my keitai provides 80% of rain in the afternoon. It is beyond the 70% upper limit for my go outside without the weather does strike me out, and it is confirmed by the grannies in stockings, who go after a short morning hike, and I say we should not go up and you will see nothing.

Well, looking at me, they were not wrong, it's blocked. But with the slight hope that it does not rain and the top is reached, I attack the climb ...

It is cold, but it does not matter ...

At 500 m from the start, one is at 853 m altitude

It always rises in the mysterious fog, it has nothing to do with thick green forests of Kyushu and "from below".

Then all sudden snow. It was even less expected, but I keep under a fine rain

then to 1494 m, there is a fork to join the two vertices. The above is the west, so it left

From there, there are only 10-15 minutes, but short. The wind is very powerful.

The small leaves room for easy road channels open in bursts

Once past that bit, I find myself in a bowl or the gusts would make me almost fall. I'm not helped by my big bag in the back either.

As through the mist, I see that we should climb a ridge to reach the summit, I decided to give up a few dozen meters from the finish, so preserve my life to enjoy the onsen that await me, and that any tempered I deserve enough.

Game over

The path descends to join Yufuin bifurcates directly, and I take it until it evaporates in a cleared area. So I am on the highway not where expected, but in sight of my target.

Yufuin

A field of small lianas solid rogues and I arrive in town, I'm going through in full to the small pond 金鳞 湖 Kirin-ko, a pool warm water fed by the onsen. It is bordered onsen more or less expensive, and one I was looking for is 下ん 湯 Shitan-yu, bathing facilities. I more than 2 times without suspecting that this was ... a small wooden hut right on the quiet lake.

下ん 湯 Shitan-yu

There are 2 bathrooms, interior and exterior, notions, since there is no wall between the two. There is nobody to manage it (surely the premises are clean from time to time with the 200 yen donation), and directly overlooks the pond Kirin-ko, which is one place rather tourism. This shows very well the coaches Korean grannies coming unload their goods violet and take pictures.

The bath "outside", and tourists umbrella

On the other hand, the onsen Shitan-yu is the small thatched roof, next to the Chagall Museum

After soaking saving, I get dressed in clothes still wet, the most horrible thing in the world, out to dry by walking, now that the rain stopped. On the other hand, one sees nothing people naked, pierced the wall of the onsen is a kind of subtle natural dyed window.

Various birds are happy to have their warm onsen giant

I walk to the station, crossing all the little shops of expensive things that make a small destination Yufuin chic for rich people. It is clear that it is much quieter than Beppu, but a little too city-oriented-100%-to-the-tourists for my taste.

The road to the station

I returned by bus to Beppu, trembling with cold, still making me とり 天 Toriten だ ん ご 汁 Dangojiru, local specialties, before reconsidering my plans for the evening. I was thinking of going to sleep next to the onsen secret Hebin-yu, but since I still flickers, I'll flip through magazines combined to find the 駅 前 高等 温泉 Onsen Ekimae Koto, an institution, as its name suggests, just opposite the station, which is 1600 yen the night in a dormitory.

The grannies to entry are not welcoming at all, pretending that I could not read the signs in front of me. Finally I get my cheap mattress in a room with a mattress every two weeks occupied by strange old alone that cause it. The bathrooms are very small, accessible through the basement stairs dangerous when one of the old slides and lies dead for 5 minutes, until the grannies just kick it up. It's not a happy place, but at least I'm dry ...

Since the window 駅 前 高等 温泉 Ekimae Koto Onsen

This day was the day fail the year, but I'm going back the next day Beppu with secret corners of local .

This adventure is an episode of Yakushima hitchhiking trip

Engine Turbo Oil 2380

Beppu In

Beppu (别 府) in the prefecture of Oita 大分, 九州 north of the island's southern Japan, resonates throughout the country as the city of hot springs, the onsen town.

I was already gone when Road Trip Kyushu in 2006, but being newbie, I had followed Kobayashi-san in tourist mode, and rather than basking in baths, we had toured 地狱 [jigoku] hells, ponds where vapors escape and thuds, transformed into tourist circuit, with crocodiles and other animals that do not belong there.

But since then, having discovered the power sulfuric baths, I wanted to return to me soak in 温泉 [Onsen] including 野 天 风 吕 [rotenburo], open-air baths, like ShinHodaka (but the best and wildest are Hokkaido).

I started the day at 10 am at the Beppu station, where there is an office Tourism handy, even with a queue for foreign tourists, empty, while the Japanese are busy. The establishments in the city are well presented, and the more I question the lady, she gives me more coupons. There is even a map to find the English secret onsen. I'm disappointed because it breaks the challenge of finding a hot pool inaccessible lost in a forest, with some grandpas premises at any break. Anyway, for the day I am a super condensed course the best places that I can quickly reach by bike.

Beppu Tourism Online: the schedules and prices onsen (Click to enlarge)

I decided to start with a 砂 风 吕 sand bath, 15 minutes by bike along the coast. The weather is lousy and rain is forecast, but I like that moisifierait day, only three small drops fall.

The ugly 別府 タワー Beppu Tower, even Asahi Tower in downtown

Beppu is a town wedged between the mountains and the sea, facing Shikoku. Dozens of fumaroles escape the flanks of these mountains, evidence of volcanic activity underneath, but especially indicative of hot baths when I'm about to relax me ... yum.

smoky mountains behind Beppu

then I arrive at 别 府 海 浜 砂 汤 Beppu Kaihin Suna-yu, facing the sea

is under the little canopy that I'm going to silt

别 府 海 浜 砂 汤 Beppu Kaihin Suna-yu, 1000 yen for 15 minutes under the sand

The sand is soaked with spring water. Moreover, it flows underneath and its vapors back through the sand layer. The 2 girls prepare a hole where I lay down, arms along the blow, and they cover me by packing a little. And without warning, after 5 minutes, beads of sweat rolling down my temples and I feel my pulse beat at the ankles. I can hardly open his eyes for the photo shoot but we can not say that the view of the loaders is top, they are rebuilding the port or dikes.

After the phase of grit, a little bath

unpublished Photo: 竹 瓦 温泉 onsen Takegawara, another sand bath in Beppu, 33 months earlier ...

I renfourche mamachari the back of the Daigaku Lorraine St, then a small cobbled street. It's steeper than it did air and it smells like sulfur or rotten eggs everywhere.

Fort Boyard

Break 温泉玉 子 Onsen Tamago, a boiled egg at the onsen

Besides, the passage 别 府 秘宝 馆 Hihokan (600 yen discount), completely くだらない but I do not regret (photos on request)

A little earlier, we arrive at 铁轮 Kannawa, a district that includes most 地狱 Jigoku, sad tourism sources called hell (more pictures before ). There's one that I had not seen, supposedly the most beautiful. For 400 yen, so I'll be back in the 海 地狱 Umi-jigoku, hell sea

Arrival 铁轮 Kannawa: lots of smoke without fire

海 地狱 Umi-jigoku

Indeed, the color of the water is super nice. It would almost want to jump to

There 天然 written (natural) but I do not know if they add stuff in the water or not. In the store that one is forced to cross to get to jigoku, they sell bags of powder to put in her bath to reproduce umi jigoku-home.

In a greenhouse, the giant water lilies grow in a basin with warm water depths

An adjacent source seems more natural

It is also a 足 汤 [ashiyu], a bath football, not "hot spring of a leg "as it is fun to write

It is very hot, especially if you enter where the water is introduced, and there are floating yuzu to play with

There is also a pond within the confines of greenery surprising

It's not raining yet, so it's time to get down to business. I climb atop 明矾 Myoban, the part of Beppu who invites himself into the mountains. It is even behind the highway.

Mamachari climbing

ago while high 湯の里 Yu-no-sato, a park that rents houses for taking private baths. At the entrance, I stumbled upon dental students who had taken me a ride to Fukuoka the previous day, the series of chance encounters continued. We have lunch together before going to finally enjoy what I come see, and baths with magical properties.

Herein for those who want to be quiet

Just above, there is a 野 天 风 吕 outdoor bath for 500 yen, an extraordinary color, overlooking the city of Beppu and of course the bridge of the highway that comes off.

湯の里 Yu-no-sato

別府 明礬 湯の里 温泉: something we should all be in her garden

In other houses, they also grow 湯の花 Yu-no-hana: the "flowers thermal water. They come to crystallize minerals sources and sell them in little bags to put in her bath at home.

湯の花 Yu-no-hana

A little lower down, there Beppu 保養 ランド Hoyoland , I could not avoid with its description.

Mud-filled paradise: an unforgettable sensation, as if you are right Entering Into Hell

For cons, the entry is all rotten, it looks like an abandoned building. But it takes me 1050 yen at the counter, I put on my slippers, and go.

泥 汤 Doro-yu, mud bath, this is what awaits me

The path to go home until the bath is twisty and fun. We see a little further jets of steam, the same as it was in jigoku banned from swimming, and that's where I'm heading ...

Entering Hoyoland ...

Wandering with a camera in the bathroom and people naked, is uncomfortable and a little person, but I tried to take pictures representative.

The interior is rather dark, especially in evening, and the colors of water and bricks give a magical and medieval. The field is vast, there are passages between indoor and outdoor baths and separate baths mixed, mud baths and steam rooms. Men and women are more or less separated and mixed.

The main bath inside, said Colloid-yu, hot

There is a sort of secret passage into the street, which descends to the basement to a rinse bath for those who return, then back down a long corridor before emerging on a giant bath outside.

Moving Live

The famous giant mud bath

The wooden barriers delineating the area of women and men. In fact, there is a bottom of mud and water up to 1 meter. The water is almost opaque, so people come forward to a squatting place cushy, where they collect mud they put on their shoulders and arms. We are supposed to do that day, to dry in the sun, but it was too late for me. The sludge is made gray, is a kind of paste that smells of sulfur ash.

More hidden (background on the photo above), there is a bathroom smaller but much more mud. It's very easy to fall because my legs are taken and sucked by the viscosity.

Already a bath outside, it's a bit being in a primitive state, naked in the water in the middle of nature, if in addition we can roll in mud (clean) is the top.

all naked under the stars, between a mud bath and a jet of steam that comes straight from the bowels of the earth. If there was not the overpass, it would really be in prehistory

the other side of the bath giant, there is a path that crosses a river on a small wooden bridge bypasses the entry of women and men joined the field with the cascade of onsen.

Discover

滝 汤 Taki-yu

The むし 湯 steam rooms, you can not see anything . Upon entering, I am guided by voices that make me sit on a wooden bench. It's more suffocating than any other room, and we all itchy eyes quickly.

むし 湯 mushi-yu

pumps hell

Back to main bath. Hoyoland is amazing

On returning I found a local specialty, the とり 天 (toriten) , the から 揚げ (fried chicken) fat and juicy, and I stop at a last onsen, ひょうたん の 湯 Hyotan-no-yu. A Hyotan is a gourd that form there, and there is a bath in the form of the eponymous onsen.

input ひょうたん の 湯 Hyotan-no-yu

Inside, it feels artificial, but it's damn good. Besides the 19 consecutive 滝 汤 waterfalls and deserted, underground, and the concrete slab gross 野 天 风 吕 outdoor bath is relaxing. I meet two yak * zas (Beppu is intimately linked to prostitution) and a hot sauna with jets of cold water industry, before you burst out completely, my energy was dissolved in hot water.

Everywhere in free access, the 足 汤 [ashiyu], foot baths

Lorraine sleep I go home directly, any skin feeling smooth and minerals. The next day, hiking to Yufuin , then back to Beppu for another crazy day: Beppu secret corners of local .

This adventure is an episode of Yakushima hitchhiking trip