Gushing steam is the evidence of rich onsen water

The photo looks as if a disaster is taking place but in fact this is an ordinary sight in Kan-nawa, Beppu City, Oita Pref. Bellows of steam are everywhere due to onsen water welling up in Beppu. 

ordinary sight!

The water is so hot that it has to be cooled down using this simple device.

I wish I could bathe in onsen every day. In Beppu, it is easy: residents can visit public bathhouses in their neighborhood or they can have the onsen hot water drawn into their house by paying for the onsen water plan. Lots of visitors from Asia, not much from the west at this moment. If you are an onsen lover, however, I bet you would like to visit Beppu some day. In Kan-nawa, there are several facilities where you can steam your food. The food could be from local stores or what you brought along. By participating in the tour called Kan-nawa Marche, you can enjoy walking in the neighborhood and then a meal at a steaming station. It's a good deal to fully appreciate Beppu onsen.

Go to Oita Prefectural Museum of history and then to Fukiji temple

The history museum has remarkable replicas of historical assets in the Kunisaki Peninsula, Oita Pref. The photo below was taken in the lobby of the museum and photography is allowed there. 

In the lobby of the museum, a replica of the carved Cosmic Buddha is exhibited

In one of the exhibit rooms, the interior of the main hall of Fukiji temple is reproduced beautifully. It's so awesome that visitors would feel the reproduced statue of Amitabha Buddha should be the object of worship. 

Here the original colorful appearance of the hall and gold-leafed statue can be viewed. You can even walk around the central inner zone where the Buddha sits and see how the back of the statue looks like. Here is the link to the museum web site. 

After this, you should go to Fukiji temple and see the real hall and the statue. They were originally built in the eighth century. They've survived to this day but became antique over centuries. 

Head priest just closed the side doors. The front doors are always closed.

You will have a time travel with your imagination by visiting these two places one after another.

Tensha-en garden in winter

The famed wisteria looks very dry in winter but still interesting. Water and light always do magic. There's another sky in the water.