Whether young or old, male or female, the Japanese love to bathe in hot springs. The city of Beppu, overlooking Beppu Bay in Oita Prefecture, is Japan's largest spa resort. Beppu has 2,849 springs and nine types of water, which is the world record. More than 4 million visitors come to stay a year. Considering the amount of spa water that gushes from the earth, hot springs are a major part of the lives of the people of Beppu, who can use inexpensive public bathing facilities in place of private bath.
Local residents use hot water for their daily use.
Furthermore, hot water is used for the processing food, the heating buildings, the cultivation of plants, the breeding of fish and the production of the geothermal power. Unauthorized reproduction of the photos in this page is prohibited.