Hoshino Resorts KAI Beppu: Enjoy the Summer Hell Festival at Beppu’s Hot Springs

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Hoshino Resorts KAI Beppu is a hot spring inn located in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, one of Japan's leading hot spring areas. From June 1, 2023 to August 31, 2023, the limited-time event "Hell Summer Festival" will be held.

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Hoshino Resorts

Hoshino Resorts was first established as a Japanese inn/ryokan in 1914 in Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture before it began the operation of other resorts in Japan. Today, it has evolved into a highly influential hotel management company and is run by 4th-generation family member Yoshiharu Hoshino. Providing a unique experience focused on the local charms of each destination and a high level of omotenashi, Japanese-style hospitality, the company has expanded rapidly out of Karuizawa since 2001 and now operates more than 60 accommodations both in and outside Japan with one of the following categories: luxury hotel brand "HOSHINOYA," hot spring ryokan brand "KAI," countryside resort hotel brand "RISONARE," city tourism hotel brand "OMO," free-spirited hotel brand "BEB," or other unique lodgings.

Hoshino Resorts KAI Beppu

“KAI” is a hot spring inn brand operated by Hoshino Resorts with 22 facilities nationwide. We offer various accommodation plans and events that allow you to experience the traditions and culture of the region.

The stage of the event introduced this time is the hot spring inn "Hoshino Resorts KAI Beppu" located in Beppu Onsen, Oita Prefecture, which boasts the largest number of hot springs and the largest amount of gush in Japan.

From June 1st to August 31st, 2023, this ryokan will hold the Hell Summer Festival. This is an event where you can enjoy activities unique to Japanese summer festivals.

In this article, we will introduce four features of the Hell Summer Festival.

Relationship between Beppu and Hell

There are many hot spring sources and places where hot steam erupts throughout Beppu. Because of its appearance, Beppu was once called "hell" and avoided as an inaccessible and terrifying place.

Now that it has become a popular hot spring resort, Jigoku has come to be featured as one of the aspects that expresses Beppu's characteristics, with an element of entertainment.

Feature 1: Hell-themed activities

At this event, you can enjoy the standard activities of Japanese summer festivals. One of them is "Yo-yo Fishing of Hell(*), which was inspired by the tourist attraction Jigoku Meguri (Hell Hopping).

"Jigoku Meguri (Hell Hopping)" is a tourist attraction that represents Beppu Onsen, where you can see the source of the hot springs close to 100 degrees. Here, there are several hot springs with different characteristics, such as "Blood Pond Jigoku" with red hot springs and "Umi Jigoku" with cobalt blue hot springs.

For this reason, the color of the yo-yos floating in the bucket, which is reminiscent of the rugged rocks of hell, changes daily, from red to blue.

*Yo-yo fishing: A game to enjoy by fishing rubber balloons filled with water

Feature 2: Street food that warms your body to the core

Many of Beppu's hot springs have hot springs with temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius, and the hot springs in Beppu's public baths, known as "jimo springs," are famous for their hot water.

In connection with such characteristics of Beppu Onsen, we will offer food stalls that will warm your body to the core at the event.

Among them, we recommend "Jigoku Ramen", a ramen that you can adjust the spiciness to your liking by adding a chili pepper spice. In addition, Oita's famous confectionery "Usuki Senbei", which is characterized by the ginger flavor, and ginger sauce and ginger powder to add a sense of spice are also available.

Feature 3: A hot spring master teaches you the charm of Beppu

At the Jigoku-no-Yu Pilgrimage Information Center, located in one corner of the summer festival venue, a hot spring expert who knows all about the eighty-eight hot springs in Beppu City, which are registered on the Beppu Hatto Onsen Road, explains the characteristics of each hot spring. I will tell you the charm.

There is a lot of information that can be used for sightseeing in Beppu and hell hopping the next day, such as how to bathe, how to enter a public bath, how to visit effectively, secret hot spring information that only a local guide and hot spring expert knows.

Feature 4: Festival decorations made by local artists

Inside the ryokan, summer festival decorations using hot springs and plants are used to dye cloth.

This decoration was created by Mr. Tomohiko Yukuhashi of the Onsen Dyeing Research Institute, who is engaged in research and production of hot spring dyeing in Beppu City.

Hot spring dyeing has the characteristic of producing many colors by combining a single dye with hot springs of different quality. A variety of hot spring qualities are used, and decorations that make use of the individuality of the hot springs create the mood of a “summer festival in hell.”

Event overview

Period : June 1st to August 31st, 2023

Time : 18:30-21:00

Target : Guests

Fee : Free

Reservation : Not required

Learn more about Hoshino Resorts

In addition to the Hoshino Resorts KAI Beppu introduced this time, Hoshino Resorts operates hotels throughout Japan where you can enjoy a variety of lodging experiences.

For details, please check the Hoshino Resorts official website!

https://www.hoshinoresorts.com/en/

Written by

Hoshino Resorts

Tokyo

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