Experience the ancient art of “hell-steaming” at Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa (地獄蒸し工房 鉄輪), one of Beppu’s most iconic culinary landmarks. Located in the heart of the historic Kannawa Onsen district, this interactive cooking facility allows visitors to harness the Earth’s natural geothermal energy to steam fresh, local ingredients using centuries-old techniques. Whether you are a foodie seeking a unique farm-to-table experience or a traveler looking to immerse yourself in Japanese hot spring culture, a visit to this communal steam kitchen offers a healthy, flavorful, and unforgettable taste of Oita Prefecture. Plus, Jigoku Mushi Kobo Kannawa is vegan and vegetarian-friendly!
The method of steaming ingredients with steam rising from underground is locally called Jigoku Mushi (hell steam). Because the hot spring from which the steam is coming is so hot, it feels like the heat of a fiery hell bubbling through the steam.
Although the name of the cuisine sounds scary, the steam not only brings out the true flavors of the food, but also adds a natural, mineral-like taste that complements the ingredients nicely!
How to Enjoy What Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa Offers
- The Jigoku Mushi Cuisine
- The Jigoku Mushi Experience at Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa
- The Vegetarian Options at Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa
- Bring Your Own Ingredients to Cook at Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa
- What to Do While Waiting to Be Seated at Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa
- How to Get to Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa
- Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa’s Business Hours
The Jigoku Mushi Cuisine
When we arrived at the JR Beppu Station, white steam was coming out from small cracks between the surface and the underground. As you might have noticed in the photo, with the chill of autumn, steam was pouring from all the gutters.
At Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa, you will probably choose to sit outdoors during warmer months for fresh air. These are also the best seats to view visitors steaming their food!
To use underground steam instead of where fire usually goes in a typical cooking stove, the stove itself is connected to the underground so that the hot steam can rise. And to steam the food, instead of the usual stovetop where you put your pot or frying pan, there is a round hole where you can put steaming baskets loaded with ingredients.
The locals called this cooking setting Jigokugama (hell pots). And this is what people from around Japan and even from around the world come to experience!
The Jigoku Mushi Experience at Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa
The process of the steaming experience goes like this:
☛ Check with the staff at the entrance for the waiting time. If there is a queue, you will be given a number plate.
☛ Choose the ingredients you want to steam, and purchase the ingredient exchange tickets at the vending machine near the entrance. Note, you will need to buy ingredient exchange tickets and a ticket to use the steam pot.
☛ When your number is called, pass the tickets you got from the vending machine to the staff so they can prepare the ingredients you will steam.
☛ The staff will guide you to your table and pass the ingredients you purchased. They will also give you a timer. Depending on what you ordered, you might need to open the steamer multiple times, as each ingredient type has a different steaming time.
☛ When you are ready, head to the steaming room with your ingredients!
☛ Staff will guide you in opening and adding the ingredients to the pot. They will set the timer for you so you know when to come back for the cooked food (this is what the timer is for!).
☛ While the steam cooks your ingredients, head to the sauce corner to get the sauce you want to dip them in. You can get the sauces as you like. Two sauces cost 100 yen. The sauces are all labeled in different languages, so you won’t be left guessing (´▽｀*)
☛ When your timer beeps, head back to the steam pot room for your cooked food (≧▽≦)
☛ After your meal, since the restaurant is self-service, you need to clear your own table, throw out your trash, and wash your dishes.
The Vegetarian Options at Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa
Currently, for us vegetarians, there are quite a few options that you can choose from.
☆彡Mixed vegetables
☆彡A variety of mushrooms
☆彡Tofu and mushrooms
☆彡Corn
☆彡White rice in bamboo leaves
All the vegetables and mushrooms will become very juicy and tasty after steaming in the Jigokugama!
You can check out Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa’s menu and cost HERE.
Tips:
☆彡 Make sure you pick up an instruction sheet like the one in the photo. The instruction sheet comes in various languages. It gives you a brief idea of what to do during your experience and the cooking time for each ingredient type.
☆彡You will want to get the big steam pot if you have a lot of ingredients to cook.
Bring Your Own Ingredients to Cook at Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa
You can also bring your own ingredients! But there are a few rules that you need to comply with if you choose to do so. The rules are meant to keep the steam cooktop clean. You can find out more about the rules that you will need to follow HERE.
Also, please note, on top of the steam pot usage fee (the same fee that you will be paying if you purchase ingredients from the restaurant), you will need to pay a B.Y.O. ingredients fee, usually between 600 yen to 800 yen depending on the amount of food you bring in for steaming.
What to Do While You Wait to Be Seated at Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa
As the restaurant is quite popular, don’t be surprised if you wait over an hour. But unlike other restaurants, you can do more than eat here at Jigoku Mushi Kobo Kannawa (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ. And most importantly, the facilities below are free to utilize!!!
Drinking Fountain at Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa
Firstly, in front of the restaurant’s entrance, you will see this drinking fountain with a ghost face. The water coming out of its mouth is drinkable hot spring water. Since the water is approximately 98 degrees, you can even make a bowl of instant noodles with it (´▽｀*).
There were water cups and a scoop for visitors to use when we visited the restaurant. We found the water that tastes like konbu (seaweed) quite delicious.
While hot spring water, rich in nutritious minerals, is said to be good for our bodies, drinking too much isn’t a great idea. So remember only to fill up a third of the paper cup.
During our wait time, we went out to explore a bit and take some photos, so it flew by.
Foot Sauna at Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa
Next to the restaurant is this foot spa & foot-steaming area. A foot spa with hot spring water is common in Japan, but have you heard of foot steaming?
Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa uses underground steam to cook food – just like locals have since the Edo period (1603 – 1868). However, the steam had myriad other uses. They created these seats with holes in front of them for people to have a foot sauna!
So basically, you sit on the seat, put your legs into the two holes, then cover them with the wooden cover, as shown in the photo on the right-hand side.
The cover prevents too much steam from escaping. But if it gets too hot, removing the cover is a good idea (‘ω’)ノ.
How to Get to Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa
There are quite a few bus routes that you can take from JR Beppu Station that will stop at the closest bus stop to Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa, Kannawa (鉄輪). We recommend the buses departing from the station’s west exit as they are the fastest and cheapest.
- For the timetable for bus services departing from JR Beppu Station (別府駅), please refer to the HERE.
- If you don’t read Japanese, use one of Japan Transport Apps and search.
- Bus routes no. 2, 5, 7, and 41. These services depart from Beppu Station west exit.
- Bus routes no. 15, 16, 16A, 20, 24, and 25. These services depart from Beppu Station east exit.
Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa’s Business Hours
- Jigoku Mushi Kōbō Kannawa is open from 10 am to 7 pm
- The last order is taken at 6 pm.
- The restaurant is not open on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. But if that Wednesday is a public holiday in Japan, the restaurant will close on the next business day.
Discover What the Hell Looks Like When You Visit Beppu!
Whether you believe hell exists or not, wouldn’t it be fascinating to see what it might look like while you are alive?
Plan ahead of your visit to the hell with our article A Tour To The Hell Of Beppu – The Scariest Onsen Town In Japan to know where else to visit before or after you enjoy the delicious food at Jigokumushi Kōbō Kannawa!
Visiting Beppu by Taking the Sightseeing Train – Yufuin no Mori
While there are a couple of ways to get you to Beppu, if you have time, take the gorgeous sightseeing train – Yufuin no Mori!
Unlike a typical JR train, Yufuin no Mori was designed to enhance your travel experience to Beppu and Yufuin with various services and facilities that make your train ride more pleasant.
For more information, please refer to our article on Yufuin no Mori.
