In Beppu, besides many
public hot spring bathing facilities, there are private hot spring baths. Some
have their own hot spring wells in their estates, and others have hot spring
water conducted by companies that have hot spring wells. A company called
Nihon Chinetsu Kogyo (Japan Geothermal Industries), the largest hot spring
water distribution company in Beppu, has 18 wells and has hot spring water
pipes laid over many areas in this city.
The above is a photo of one of their wells.
On the road under which such pipes are
laid, there are red lids like the one on the photo (right). They are hot spring water pipe bulb lids.
If you buy hot
spring water from this company, which is 9,000 yen per month, you just have to
open a tap, just like city water, to have a hot spring bath at home.
