Kannawa is the most atmospheric of Beppu's onsen spa towns, a district in the northern part of the city where steam rises from pipes and vents in the ground, the air smells faintly of sulphur, and nearly every building is either a bathhouse or a ryokan. The jigoku (hells) are concentrated here, and the narrow streets between them are lined with vendors selling hell-steamed eggs and hot-spring puddings cooked in geothermal steam boxes.
Wandering Kannawa on foot is worthwhile even without entering any of the paid attractions. The street-level geothermal activity — steam drifting from pavement cracks, the constant smell, the stacked ryokan balconies — creates an atmosphere unlike anywhere else in Japan. Several public foot baths (ashi-yu) are free to use. Kannawa is accessible from Beppu Station by bus in about 20 minutes.