Beppu is the third largest Geo-Thermal Hot Springs City in Japan and as we approach the port there are spouts of steam everywhere. It is located on the southern island of Kyushu and the written references to the hot springs go back to the 8th century. We haven't booked a tour today, we are going to wing it and see how we go. It seems evident by the line at the free shuttle stop that many others are doing the same. We get to the Beppu Station where all modes of transport are on offer. The line up at the Foreign Tourist help desk is also rather long so after a bit of looking around we decide to follow someone else who clearly had lined up at the information desk and was armed with all we needed. After confirming that they were wanting to get to the same place that we were, we boarded the correct bus and off we go. Our aim was to get to the Kannawa Hot Springs or Hells of Beppu region. An area which as it turns out is heavily geared towards tourists to see the different hot springs. These springs are too hot to use for therapeutic reasons so are just for display. Once we establish ( and there is much debate up and down the bus) about which stop to get off at we pay the driver ( because you pay when you get off) and head up the hill. We pay our money ¥400 each to enter the first of the 'hells' Kamado Jigoku which means Cooking Pot as the mud forms upside down kettles.The springs range from bubbling hot pools of orange mud to bright blue clear steaming water. The steam coming from the pipes around the park is said to be good for your skin but all it really seems to do is make my hair go very flat! Our time in Beppu is very short as we need to be back on board at 3pm so we decide not to go to the other 7 Jigoku. Instead we want to get to the Kintetsu Beppu Ropeway. It's an aerial tramway that climbs 800m to Mt Tsurumi summit. The first challenge is to get there without having go all the way back to the main Beppu station. It seems the easiest way ( and I use that term loosely) is to get a taxi. Well after showing the taxi driver the map and where we want to go he says 'ahhhhhh Lopeway' so we confidently know we are on the same page. ¥2000 later we are at the Ropeway station and after the staff making sure we understand that we are not going to see much because it's so cloudy, we pay our money and go anyway. Did I mention it has been laining and laining arr day but is very hot and sticky. On the way to the top, and we are the only tourists going up , I saw a large stag below the cable car. At the top visibility as we were told was zero but we were hopeful that it might improve. Mt Tsurumi is the Sacred Mountain of the Gods and there is a walk around the top to see the statues depicting the 7 Gods. We get to 4 and then head back to the terminus as the clouds have cleared a little and we get the opportunity to enjoy the view. Going back down the mountain we have the cable car to ourselves. Back on the ground we intend to catch the local bus back to the station. Oh no as we leave the building, across the road us get taxi that bought us up here. He had waited for us. Lucky for us the bus dame and we got on. It was a ¥800 bus trip as opposed to maybe a ¥4000 taxi ride. Felt bad for him but..... We grab a coffee before heading back to the ship. We talk to other passengers about what they've done and many took advantage of the hot springs and bathed in them. Others were buried up to their necks in the hot black sand on the beach, another therapeutic experience. There are ladies at the port dressed in kimonos and people lined up to have photos with them. As we board we are given yellow flags to wave as we leave. The people on the shore do the same. It's very special to see how passionate the people are. Tonight we cruise to Kagoshima, on the southern tip of Kyushu.