Kannawa
Jigoku mushi (hell steaming)
Seafood, vegetables and eggs steamed in hot spring vapour. No oil involved, so the ingredients taste of themselves.
Regional food guide
What to eat in Beppu
Written by hand, not generated. Dishes, markets, timing and prices for Beppu.
Steam rises across this town, and cooking with it is still part of daily life. You can eat steamed food in restaurants or steam it yourself at public facilities, which turns the cooking itself into part of the visit.
What people eat here
Start with the local defaults
Toriten
Chicken in a thin tempura batter, dipped in ponzu. Eaten throughout Oita prefecture.
Bungo beef
The local beef brand, served as steak or shabu-shabu.
Hot spring eggs
Eggs cooked in spring water until the white sets soft. Sold singly at stalls.
Seki mackerel and horse mackerel
Fish caught in the strait, eaten raw.
Where the food is
Markets, streets and harbours
Around Beppu Station
The downtown cluster of restaurants and shops, and the transport base.
Restaurants nearby
Kitahama and Ekimae-dori
Between Beppu Station and the sea, the station-front street and the Kitahama area hold izakaya, toriten set-meal diners and small bars. Toriten, the local fried-chicken speciality, is said to have started at a restaurant near here in 1926; evenings after a bath usually end up in this quarter.
Restaurants nearby
Takegawara
A quarter around an old wooden bathhouse.
Restaurants nearby
Myoban
A hillside spring area selling products made from the spring minerals.
Restaurants nearbyWhen to go
- The springs run year round, but the steam is far more visible in winter.
- Ryokan stays usually include dinner and breakfast. Check before planning to eat out.
- The steaming facilities have queues; going outside normal meal hours is easier.
Worth knowing
- 1At self-steaming facilities you either buy ingredients there or bring your own. Check the procedure first.
- 2The steam is genuinely hot. Keep children back from it.
- 3Straight after a long bath your body is already working; it is better not to eat heavily right away.
- 4Buses to the hillside spring areas are infrequent. Check the return times before you go up.
What it costs · Per person, roughly
A steaming set runs JPY 1,500-2,500, a toriten set JPY 1,000-1,500, and a hot spring egg JPY 100-200.
Beppu
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