Jigoku-mushi (‘hell steaming’) is a traditional Beppu cooking method that harnesses the region’s abundant geothermal steam to cook food, and trying it in Kannawa is one of the town’s great food experiences. For centuries locals have placed seafood, vegetables, meat, eggs and more into steaming baskets set over natural hot-spring vents, letting the hot, mineral-rich steam cook the ingredients quickly and evenly. The result is remarkably clean, healthy cooking that steams away excess fat while the trace minerals in the steam gently season the food and bring out its natural flavour. At jigoku-mushi kōbō (steam kitchen) workshops in Kannawa, visitors can buy fresh ingredients and steam them themselves in the communal vents, then feast on the results — prawns, crabs, corn, sweet potatoes, eggs and more, plump and full of flavour. Fun, hands-on and delicious, it’s a must-do in Beppu.

🗓️ At a Glance
Location Kannawa, Beppu, Oita
Hours ~9:00–20:00 (varies)
Admission Ingredient/steam fees vary
Time needed A meal
Best time Year-round

What to Try

  • Steaming your own food in natural hot-spring steam.
  • Prawns, crabs, corn, sweet potatoes and eggs.
  • Clean, healthy, fat-reduced steamed cooking.
  • Hands-on steam-kitchen workshops in Kannawa.

Combine Your Visit

Getting There

  • By bus: from Beppu Station to Kannawa.
  • On foot: steam kitchens in the Kannawa area.

Tips

Try a hands-on steam-kitchen workshop where you buy and steam your own ingredients, which is the fun way to do it, and don’t miss the classic hell-steamed eggs, prawns and vegetables. Note the steam is very hot so follow the safety instructions, come hungry, and combine it with a stroll through steamy Kannawa and the nearby Hells.