Beppu and Humidity

Beppu is a comfortably medium size city on the southern end of Japan. It is nestled between heavily forested mountains and the pacific ocean.

Beppu is also situated in an area scattered with hotsprings, and thus it is Japan's official onsen (hot spring) town.

Because the onsen is a piece of Japanese tradition dating back thousands of years, it has certain rituals and customs associated with it. The onsen is probably the best indicator of Japanese attention to cleanliness. The onsen bath houses are split by gender, and swimsuits are not allowed in the pools. The only piece of cloth allowed into the bathing area is a small towel for each person. This can be used to cover one's self, but most people don't bother. To keep the pools clean, everyone must wash thorougly, with soap, at washing stations clustered along one wall. The nudity was a bit of a shock for us, at first, but we quickly became accustomed to it.

One thing to know is that there is no chlorine in the pools. Just mineral water. This may make some people hesitant, but let me tell you, the Japanese onsens are far cleaner than any American hot tub I have ever been in, and they have the added advantage of making you feel really good after you are done. You will never feel that dry itchy chlorinated awfulness that American pools bestow upon you.

Another thing to make note of: most onsens, including the really good ones, are cheap. The best one I went to in Beppu cost 100 yen. That's $1.11 according to  Google. Our hostel had an onsen, that we were free to use at any time. On the 26th of each month, every onsen in Beppu costs 260 yen, even the most expensive ones.

Another thing about Beppu: the air itself is practically an onsen. It was unbelievably humid. The air was a warm soup. I sweated constantly.

We stayed for three nights, and had an awesome time. We lazed around in various mineral pools, played much Fire Emblem, ate cup ramen, and slept lots.