Japan in the Spring - Beppu

I had initially thought there is not much to see in Beppu other than hot springs but was pleasantly surprised to learn that it has a park which is home to some 1500 Japanese wild macaques, a species I have never seen before. TheTakasakiyama Monkey Park is a 15 minute taxi ride from the port so we were able to get there ahead of the feeding time.  It was fun to watch but it was more interesting to watch the monkey dynamics before food comes into the picture -  monkeys at play and the perpetual fur picking that seems to obsess monkeys. As you can see from the photos, the monkey fur looks very clean.

Macaque Monkeys at play

Young one enjoying a quiet moment

A nursing mother & baby

Family portrait

Obsessive fur picking

I found this old guy interesting with his wrinkles - so human-like

            

Our next stop was the "Hells" of Beppu in Kanawa.  The staff at the monkey park were very helpful in interpreting our request to call a taxi and also making sure the taxi driver understands where we had wanted to go.  We made it there just before the long lineups for tickets started. There are seven Hells but we went to only five of them as the other two involves a bit of a hike.  Five was more than enough to satisfy our curiousity and after a while, they all look the same.  

A beautiful pond at the main entrance complete with cherry blossoms

Umi Jigoku: Ocean Hell - a picturesque hell with a green pond and blue pond complete with Tori gate

Tori gates leading to the Hot spring Shrine

Onishibozu Jigoku has these mud bubbles - interesting although not pretty

Cute rock art at the spring

Kamado Jigoku has a blue pond with some beatuiful trees above it and a blood red pond

Demon Mountain Hell has ponds of crocodiles.  Apparently crocodiles have been raised in these 98degree springs for a hundred years

hiraike Jigoku White Pond Hell is surrounded by a lovely garden 

This statue commeorates the monk founder of that "hell"

We were lucky to spot a taxi that had just delivered its load of passengers to the Hells tour so it was a short ride back to the ship.  It was a full day of touring at minimal expense.  We would not have seen as much with an expensive shore excursion from the ship.

Beppu drummers went all out to send the ship off

Next post:  Kyoto