Kannawa Mushi-yu
- Location
- Beppu, Oita, Japan
- Water type
- silica
- Temperature
- 42 °C
- pH
- 7.1
Water profile
Relaxing — deep, immediate muscle release.
Rich in trace elements — gentle on the skin.
Soft water — natural, classic buoyancy.
Kannawa Mushi-yu is a traditional steam bath facility in the Kannawa district of Beppu city, Oita Prefecture, representing one of Japan's most ancient and distinctive thermal experiences where bathers lie on beds of aromatic herbs and are enveloped by the natural steam rising directly from the siliceous geothermal springs below — a practice documented in historical records for over 300 years in this thermally extraordinary district. The Kannawa zone is the heart of Beppu's famous Hell Tour (Jigoku Meguri), where spectacular boiling pools of various colors and compositions can be observed, with the Mushi-yu steam bath offering a deeply immersive thermal experience within this remarkable geothermal landscape. The herbal steam bath tradition of Kannawa Mushi-yu represents a living piece of Japanese thermal heritage, practiced in much the same form as it was by Edo-period bathers centuries ago.