Steady rain today. ☔️ We’re with the herd this morning. The ship did a great job making sure everyone had an umbrella. A golf umbrella. So, the whole herd is armed with umbrellas, and no one has peripheral vision. It’s umbrella bumper cars. So far, I have been poked in the face, the ear, and my last functioning nerve.

Anyway.

We’re in Beppu, Japan today, famous for its hot springs — just over 2,800 of them. Part spa, part geological event, the geothermal activity comes from two nearby volcanoes, which heat the underground water and send steam rising from natural vents all over town. It’s like the entire city is exhaling on a cold day.

An Excursion Pivot

We were supposed to go on a hot springs bathing excursion today. It’s a good thing I read the fine print on our tours before we go: “Guests are required to be naked in the hot springs. Swimsuits are not allowed.” Ummmm, no thank you. I’m gonna pass on the public nudity. 

Japanese people bathe naked in public because they believe it fosters something called hadaka no tsukiai (naked companionship), a sense of equality where social status is left behind. It’s a nice idea in theory. And while I fully support cultural experiences (and not offending our Japanese hosts), I also believe very strongly that we do not need to see Barb and Larry from Wichita au naturale. Ditto, the reverse. 

The Seven Hells of Beppu

Instead of naked compaionship, we visited three of the Seven Hells of Beppu, which we enjoyed fully clothed. The hells have great names: there’s Sea Hell, Shaven Monk’s Head Hell, Cooking Pot Hell, Crocodile Hell, White Pond Hell, Blood Pond Hell, and Tornado Hell. We visited Sea, Cooking Pot, and Blood Pond Hells. Kinda bummed we didn’t get to see Shaven Monk’s Head Hell.

You cannot swim in the hells because water temperatures range between 78 and 100 degrees Celsius or 172 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. At those temperatures, you are either poaching a small ham or boiling lobsters. 

Some Chemistry

The hot springs are different colors based on the minerals in the hot springs. Red from iron oxide, and blue from iron sulfate. There’s a lot of chemistry going on beneath the surface of the water. I would know more about this if I had paid attention in any chemistry class I ever attended.

Running with the Devils

Meet the oni – Japan’s demon, and a fixture of Japanese folklore for over a thousand years. Oni are supernatural creatures that bring bad luck, spread disease, and generally cause chaos – and they are absolutely everywhere in Beppu, which makes sense given that the place is literally called Hell. Someone embedded this one into the rock wall at Blood Pond Hell. Our guide told us he guards the Hells.

As far as I can tell, he’s doing a good job.

The oni even has his own ointment. Blood Pond Hell produces a natural skin cream made from the red clay of the hot spring – traditionally used to treat eczema, athlete’s foot, burns, and insect bites. Unofficially, it cures skin cancer and gout.

I thought we should get some. Ken: this is just too stupid. So we compromised and did not get any. And I’m still salty about it.

Of Course There’s a Shrine

Tucked into the grounds of Sea Hell is the Hakuryu Inari Okami Shrine. Because it’s Japan, of course there’s a shrine.

This one honors Inari — the kami of agriculture, prosperity, and family safety, and one of the most widely venerated deities in the Shinto tradition. Remember: Shinto doesn’t have one god. It has millions. Japan counts somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000 shrines across the country, and roughly 30,000 of them are dedicated to Inari alone. That tells you something about Japanese priorities.

Gift Shop Mysteries

All sorts of mystery products for sale in the gift shop. I have no idea what this is, but I bought it. Could be bath salts, could be tea, could be a snack. (Update: it was lavender bath salts, which is weird because I don’t remember seeing or hearing anything about lavender while we were there.)

Beppu Runs on Eggs

Locals use the steam from the hot springs to cook eggs – an astonishing number of eggs. The upside is that once the eggs get going, the sulfur smell no longer registers, because now everything just smells like eggs. This is either an improvement or a lateral move, depending on your relationship with sulfur.

Bathroom Break

Went to the bathroom, and received some extra guidance on how to use a western style toilet. I consider myself a professional at using western style toilets, but a refresher never hurts. Please note: no fishing, no picnicking, and (very important) no practicing your pommel horse routine. 

I wonder about the sequence of events that made this sign necessary. 

Walking around the hot springs, I found these beautiful water lilies in a pond. And I risked my life to get close to this Japanese spitting spider. The things I do for photos. 😉 

Tomorrow: At sea 🛳️.