Kannawaen (Traditional Ryokan)
by the TopOfHotel team
Kannawaen is a 1929 Showa-era ryokan a five-minute walk from Umi Jigoku, with a 700-year-old mineral steam bath you won't find at the big resort hotels.
Kannawaen is a 1929 Showa-era ryokan a five-minute walk from Umi Jigoku, with a 700-year-old mineral steam bath you won't find at the big resort hotels.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
The "Tsubaki" room runs about 25 sqm at roughly $330 a night with kaiseki dinner and breakfast included. It's a traditional tatami room — woven mat floor, a low kotatsu table, a real tansu chest, and good blue-and-white futon laid out after dinner by staff. The bathroom holds a private sodium-chloride onsen from Kannawa's springs, a stone tub roughly 2 by 1.5 metres that fits two. The water runs clear and faintly salty at around 42 degrees, and several guests note their skin felt noticeably smoother after three soaks across an evening, night, and morning.
Food and amenities
The headline feature is the mushiyu steam bath — a Hinoki wood room about 3 by 3 metres, floored in tatami, with mineral steam rising from underground through stone pipes. Guests describe pulling on a yukata, sitting 15 minutes, and walking out flushed and weightless, like a serious detox. It's free for guests, open 06:00 to 23:00, split by gender. Dinner is a 9-course kaiseki served in your room — Beppu Bay sashimi (hirame and tai), Bungo-gyu beef grilled at the table, toriten, and a Yufuin yuzu jelly to close — around ¥8,000 a head, included in the rate.
Location and getting there
Kannawaen sits in the Kannawa Onsen district, where steam drifts up from drain vents every 10 metres or so and the narrow lanes feel half steam-punk. It's 5 km from JR Beppu Station — about 22 minutes on bus #5, or a 12-minute taxi for roughly $11. The location's real payoff is the 7 Hells: it's a 5-minute walk to Umi Jigoku (cobalt blue), 8 minutes to Oniishibozu (bubbling mud), and a short stroll more to Kamado, Shiraike, and Oniyama. Buy the Jigoku Pass for ¥2,200 (about $15) and do all seven in a day.
Things to know before booking
The catch is the building's age — it dates to 1929 and has been restored, not rebuilt, so expect old-ryokan creaks and thinner walls rather than the polish of KAI Beppu. Not every room has a private bath: roughly 7 of the 19 don't, so check the room type before you book. And with no train to Kannawa, you're committed to the ¥350 bus or an ¥11 taxi for every run into central Beppu.
Our take
Kannawaen is the strongest traditional ryokan in the Kannawa district — a 1929 building, the old mushiyu steam bath, in-room onsen in most rooms, kaiseki dinner, and a 5-minute walk to Umi Jigoku. At a 8.8/10 score and rates from about $240, it earns its spot for couples who want something genuinely authentic and plan to walk the 7 Hells the next morning — it's the best base in town for touring Beppu's Hells.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- Sits in Kannawa, smack in the middle of the 7 Hells of Beppu (Jigoku) — Umi, Oniishibozu, Kamado and several others are all on foot from the front door.
- The mushiyu steam bath is the real draw: a Hinoki-lined room where natural mineral steam rises from underground, a bathing style Kannawa has used since the Kamakura period (700-plus years). Free for guests, open 06:00 to 23:00.
- About 12 of the 19 rooms have a private sodium-chloride onsen bath fed from Kannawa's springs — soak any time without booking a slot at the public bath.
- Built in 1929 and still holding its Showa-era character, down to the tatami corridors, tansu chests, and a small Japanese garden on the grounds.
- The kaiseki dinner leans local — Beppu Bay sashimi, Bungo-gyu beef grilled at the table, and toriten (Oita-style chicken tempura), served course by course in your room.
- It's 5 km from JR Beppu Station with no train, so you're on the ¥350 bus or an ¥11 taxi for every trip into town.
- The building dates to 1929 and has been patched up rather than rebuilt — expect old-ryokan quirks and thinner soundproofing, not the polish of KAI Beppu or Suginoi.
- Not every room has its own bath — roughly 7 of the 19 don't — so check the room type carefully before you book if a private soak matters to you.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Beppu
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Insider Tips
- Book a room that explicitly lists an in-room onsen — not all do. Filter for "in-room onsen" on Trip.com to be sure.
- Use the mushiyu steam bath in a yukata and sit for about 15 minutes — long enough to break a full sweat without overdoing it.
- Buy the 7 Hells Jigoku Pass for ¥2,200 (about $15) rather than paying ¥450 per Hell; from the front door you can walk all seven in a day.