Blood Pond (Chinoike Jigoku) in Japan. blood pond in japan

Blood Pond (Chinoike Jigoku) is one of the most famous springs of Bellu, which is located in Japan. In Japan, near the city beppu(Beppu), there are several similar places, which the Japanese themselves call hell. And so let's figure it out, why hell?

Swimming in this pond is not recommended due to the high temperature, reaching 90 degrees, and the high concentration of iron salts, which color the water blood red. And above the surface of the water, steam envelops everything and creates the impression of a bloody place of eternal torment in hell.

- This is the result of the vital activity of a geyser located in an underwater cave. Geysers throw out more than 50,000 cubic meters of water per day. The cave periodically fills with water, and the magma lying nearby heats the liquid and brings it to a boiling point. When the water boils, there is a sharp release of it into the lake. At this moment, the surface of the reservoir seems to boil! Emissions occur quite often, with an interval of about 40 minutes.

Above the lake, you can observe vapor emissions from active volcanoes located on the banks bloody pond. This amazing and at the same time frightening sight attracts many tourists from all over the world.

With a blood pool many legends are associated, and in Japanese, its name means "Hell". One of these legends says that sinners were boiled in its waters. And this is probably true, because at a temperature of 90 degrees you can easily weld.

green leaves on the shore Red Pond and the steam rising from the boiling red waters is a truly incredible sight that makes many thousands of tourists make a pilgrimage.
Beppu has become a popular tourist destination since it was founded in 1924. The steam here comes out through every available crack, as if the city is on a giant frying pan and is fried on a big fire. About 12 million tourists from all over the world visit this place every year.

Fence Blood Pond protects unwary tourists.
Blood Pond- one of the most interesting sights of Japan.
Great waypoint independent travel across Japan!

Blood Pond(Chinoike Jigoku) is one of the most famous springs of Bellu, which is located in Japan. In Japan, near the city beppu(Beppu), there are several similar places, which the Japanese themselves call hell. And so let's figure it out, why hell?

Above the lake, you can observe vapor emissions from active volcanoes, which are located on the shores bloody pond. This amazing and at the same time frightening sight attracts many tourists from all over the world.

green leaves on the shore Red Pond and the rising steam from the boiling red waters is a truly incredible sight that makes many thousands of tourists make a pilgrimage.
Beppu has become a popular tourist destination since it was founded in 1924. The steam here comes out through every available crack, as if the city is on a giant frying pan and is fried on a big fire. Every year this place is visited by about 12 million tourists from all over the world.

Fence Blood Pond protects unwary tourists.
Blood Pond- one of the most interesting sights of Japan.
A great way to travel around Japan on your own!

When I was passing through the city of Fukuoka, I decided to drive to the city of Beppu (別府), in Oita Prefecture (大分県).

How to get to Beppu?

If you are in Tokyo, then the most fast option is a plane that flies to Oita Airport (大分空港). I, on the other hand, was in Fukuoka (福岡) and therefore took advantage of local trains.

There are many different ways to get there, but the most optimal is the Sonic train (such a blue one), heading to the station. Oita (大分).

From Hakata Station (Fukuoka) it reaches Kogura Station (小倉), and then, without transfers, you turn the seats to the other side and the train will go further to Beppu Station (別府).

The cost for one way will be approximately ¥4,000.

And then we go to 9 ponds of hell Beppu

Upon reaching Beppu station, you need to transfer to a one-car train and drive back two stations to the station. Kameda (亀田).

And from there, take a bus to the first destination - Infernal Bloody Pond (血の池地獄), but more on that later.

When it was released, I talked about how the people of Kagawa Prefecture call their prefecture Udon Prefecture - Udon-Ken (うどん県), while the people of Oita Prefecture call their prefecture Hot Springs Prefecture - Onsen-Ken (おんせん県). As the name suggests, Oita Prefecture has the most hot springs in Japan. According to statistics, there are 4,471 onsen here.

In order to understand how much or how little this is for Japan, we will take the second largest hot springs. There are only 2,785 onsen in Kagoshima Prefecture. And it is Beppu that is the most important place to visit hot springs, because. there is a huge concentration of onsen here. There are about 2300 of them here.

The most famous area of Beppu is the nine hot springs, each of which has its own unique feature. Almost all of the water in Beppu is comparable in quality to artesian water.

Map: 9 Hellish Beppu Hot Springs

I made up detailed interactive map along the Beppu Ponds (in Russian), and below about each place I will describe in more detail.

What is Jigoku Meguri 地獄めぐり?

Jigoku Meguri(地獄めぐり) is a small route with all the main unusual hot springs of Beppu called "Adami".

Word Jigoku(地獄), which is placed at the end of the word of these ponds, translates as "Hell", because, unlike ordinary onsen, i.e. hot springs, it is impossible to swim in them, you will rather boil alive there + the water boils, bubbles and creates steam. Hence the name.

It seems to me that in old times people were afraid of such places due to the fact that in those days there was simply no science to explain such anomalies. Compare with the picture where sinners are punished? Now look at the bloody pond in Beppu.

The cost of 7 ponds is ¥2,000, it is better to take a voucher for all 7 ponds at once, it will be cheaper. The voucher does not apply to other hells of ponds, so you will have to buy tickets separately, or simply skip them.

Well, I will tell about all the places in more detail and start with Beppu's Bloody Hell Pond!

Blood Pond of Hell in Beppu

Among the 9 hot springs, the most famous is Hell's Blood Pond (血の池地獄 Chi No Ike Jigoku).

A huge amount of iron-containing minerals at the bottom of the pond gives it a bright red color - hence the name.

The depth of the bloody infernal pond is more than 30 meters, and the temperature reaches 78 degrees Celsius and you can easily boil yourself alive in it, so there are fences and warning signs everywhere.

This pond is one of the oldest and has existed for more than 1,300 years. Thousand years ago locals it was avoided, fearing its "hellish" properties, calling it "hell", because the pond is very hot and emits a huge amount of steam + a terrible "bloody" color!

But later, thanks to this pond, people began to create various medications for leather, and also learned how to paint houses with his red clay. Since such unique phenomenon found almost nowhere in the world, the pond has been recognized by the Japanese government as one of the most important places.

By the way, each Jigoku has its own souvenir shop with unique goods for a particular pond. Here, for example, you can observe such a devil's head.

Hell Tornado (Tatsumaki Jigoku)

This place is called Hell Tornado (龍巻地獄) for a reason. Tatsumaki Jigoku. This is one of the largest geysers in Japan. Every 30 minutes it hits 105 degree boiling water for 40 or even 50 meters. And the water underground is even hotter - about + 150C.

Not far from the geyser there is a souvenir shop with geyser drinks, ice creams, etc.

While riding the bus, I constantly blocked my ears, because. there is very mountainous terrain and strong pressure drops, for the note to those who may have problems with this.

White Hell Pond (Shiraike Jigoku)

The water in it is more like boiling milk due to the content in it a large number calcium. The temperature is about +95C.

The white pond is surrounded beautiful garden, which you can go around in a circle.

After, I went to the next place!

Devil Monster Hell (Oniyama Jigoku)

Devil Monster Hell (鬼山地獄) also has another name - Crocodile Hell (ワニ地獄), because literally side by side here lives a bunch of crocodiles of various sizes and species.

The temperature of the pond itself is about + 99C, which absolutely does not bother a hundred crocodiles, which is located next to it. Naturally, they do not bathe in a 99-degree pond, but the water in the neighborhood, they say, is also quite hot.

Crocodiles have been bred here since 1912, and you can find a stuffed animal of the very first crocodile named "Ichiro" in the pavilion next door. He lived there the longest, as much as 71 years, and was the largest crocodile on the farm.

I even caught them feeding! It's both creepy and exciting at the same time. But keep in mind that you can only see the feeding on weekends.

And also, in the pavilion there are aquariums with baby crocodiles, which are very reminiscent of their ancestors - dinosaurs, only in miniature.

Hell's Cauldron (Kamado Jigoku)

In my opinion, one of the most beautiful and underrated places in Beppu is Hell's Cauldron (竈地獄).

This is a group of several hot springs with bubbling blue water. The water here also reaches +90C. I've never seen water bluer than this in my life.

It feels like it was painted with paint, so unnatural, but it looks very beautiful and spectacular.

Also, it is noteworthy that there is a statue of the "devil-chef", because. here you can taste dishes cooked on steam from this source.

Also, there is a very similar to the bloody red pond, only a little smaller and less spectacular. The water here reaches +95C.

And then I went to the pond... "Monk's Head" O_O

Pond Monk's Head

Monk's Head Pond (Bo:zu Jigoku) or as it is now called Onishi Bo:zu Jigoku - mud hell.

This name comes from the grayish seething clay and air bubbles that form on the surface. The temperature of this clay is +99C.

Sea Hell (Umi Jigoku)

Sea Hell (海地獄) was last point my route is the farthest pond. This is one of the most beautiful 9 ponds of hell, however, I liked more the "hell's cauldron" pond (kamado jigoku 竈地獄).

The water in it has a bright cobalt azure hue, as a result of the eruption of the Tsurumi volcano 300 years ago. Water is comparable to sea water, but only in color, therefore given pond and named 海地獄 (Umi Jigoku) - "Sea Hell".

At the site of the source formed small lake depth of 120 meters with a water temperature of 90-98ºС.

This water is cooled and used for Ashi-yu (足湯) - this is when only the legs are dipped into the water from a hot spring. Also, Asi-yu can be visited by people with handicapped because it has all the necessary equipment.

About 360 thousand liters hot water, which contains approximately 1.26 tons of salt is pumped out of the pond. Every day, wooden pipes send water to hotels and homes, where it is used for hot baths.

Lilies and other exotic plants grow at the entrance. Water from the spring flows to the pond through pipes, which maintains a constant temperature suitable for the growth of tropical plants.

Also, you can buy bath bombs there so that your bath has the same color water as in Umi Jigoku.

And near the greenhouse, not far from the Sea Hell (Umi Jigoku), you can find a mini bloody pond. :)

So we passed 7 ponds of Hell, there are 2 more, but these same 2 remaining ponds cost some money and, in my opinion, they should be visited last if you looked at such ponds as a bloody hellish pond, a hellish cauldron, etc. .

That's it, we passed all the obligatory Jigoku (what is included in the voucher). Now about where you can go, but only optionally, if this is not enough (although you will still be wandering around from opening to closing).

Hell Mountain (Yama Jigoku)

Hell Mountain (山地獄) is mud volcanoes, from the depths of which gray mud escapes, and then freezes. Also, there is a mini-zoo with large animals (hippos, etc.), but the hell mountain is not included in the ticket price, which covers all entrance fees to jigoku meguri, so you will have to pay the entrance fee separately.

BUT ... I do not advise you to spend money on the entrance here, if there is no extra money, because. there is nothing special there.

Golden Dragon (Kinryu Jigoku)

Everything is simple. The dragon statue installed here emits three water jets in the morning hours, and just releases hot underground vapors. Again, there is an entrance fee.

Also, in Beppu, as in all of Japan, people approached the matter with humor and you can often see signs saying: "Beware! If you fall into the pond, you will get boiled!" I don’t know, maybe there was nothing funny here, but for me such a warning is obvious, since steam is pouring out like that. But this is written in English, in Japanese it is simply written about the prohibition of entering the limiters.

Hot springs are also used for cooking. With the help of steam from hot springs with high temperatures, eggs are boiled and puddings are prepared, which are very popular.

Evaluation of Beppu and Hellish Hot Springs "Jigoku Meguri"

This is one of the best places in Japan and I definitely recommend visiting given place, because it is unique, you won't see anything like it anywhere in the world.

The only minus of Beppu and that, natural, is the constant sharp changes in altitude, which makes the head ache a little and lays the ears.

Blood Pond (Japan)

Blood Pond(Chinoike Jigoku) is one of the most famous springs of Bellu, which is located in Japan. In Japan, near the city beppu(Beppu), there are several similar places, which the Japanese themselves call hell. So, let's figure out why hell?

Blood Pond in Beppu- This is the result of the vital activity of a geyser located in an underwater cave. Geysers throw out more than 50,000 cubic meters of water per day. The cave periodically fills with water, and the magma lying nearby heats the liquid and brings it to a boiling point. When the water boils, there is a sharp release of it into the lake. At this moment, the surface of the reservoir seems to boil! Emissions occur quite often, with an interval of about 40 minutes.

With a blood pool many legends are associated, and in Japanese, its name means "Hell". One of these legends says that sinners were boiled in its waters. And this, perhaps, is true, because at a temperature of 90 degrees you can easily weld.

green leaves on the shore Red Pond and the rising steam from the boiling red waters is a truly incredible sight that makes many thousands of tourists make a pilgrimage. Beppu has become a popular tourist destination since it was founded in 1924. The steam here comes out through every available crack, as if the city is on a giant frying pan and is fried on a big fire. Every year this place is visited by about 12 million tourists from all over the world.