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The city of Beppu, in Oita Prefecture on Japan’s southwest island of Kyushu, is pretty much all about hot springs (or onsen, as they’re called in Japanese). Not only does the town boast dozens of onsen inns, it’s gone so far as to create an entire onsen amusement park.
Of course, Beppu isn’t the only hot spring resort in Japan. For travelers on the main island of Honshu, especially those coming from the Tokyo area, Gunma Prefecture’s Kusatsu has been a popular getaway location for generations, with relaxing baths and gorgeous mountain surroundings. So when an ad appeared in the Nishi Nippon Shimbun, Kyushu’s biggest regional newspaper, boldly saying “Right now, instead of Beppu, let’s go to Kusatsu,” most people would initially assume it was an advertisement paid for by the Kusatsu tourism board.
▼ White text: “Right now, instead of Beppu, let’s go to Kusatsu.”
And yes, the photograph in the ad does indeed show Kusatsu’s traditional method for preparing bathwater. Underneath the photo, though, things start to get strange.
The text circled in yellow reads “You’re our rival, so you need to stay strong.” But wait, if Kusatsu is the “rival” here, then who paid for the ad?
The city of Beppu.
Yes, Beppu and Kusatsu are competitors, seeing as how they both want to attract visitors to their hot springs. Well, usually they both want to attract visitors. Right now, though, Beppu is more concerned about how Kusatsu is coping with the aftermath of the recent volcanic eruption of Mount Kusatsu-Shirane, which occurred on January 23 and resulted in the death of a Japanese Self-Defense Forces member who used his own body as a shield to protect his subordinates from harm.
The town of Kusatsu suffered no damage in the eruption, and its hot springs are operating as normal. However, Beppu realizes that many people might be feeling skittish about traveling to Kusatsu, and wants to help spread the word that Kusatsu’s baths and inns are standing by and ready to receive visitors.
This isn’t the only counter-intuitive advertisement to show up in Japan recently, but this kind showing of fraternal hot spring support is definitely the most heartwarming.
Related: Kusatsu official website, Beppu official website
Sources: Twitter/@ulovekusatsu, Twitter/@hotel_ichii
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4 Comments
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Aly Rustom
I don't want to sound like a negative nancy, but I went to Kusatsu once and I will NEVER go there again. Sure the onsen was great but the town was crowded and you couldn't find a place to sit and eat without a reservation. The staff everywhere was EXTREMELY rude and irritable. I do not recommend Kusatsu to anyone.
Very near to Kusatsu, however, in the town of Nakanojo is another onsen town called Shima onsen. It is built into the mountain, and the view there is absolutely breathtaking. It's not as famous as Kusatsu, which means that it is cheaper and the locals are very friendly and just wonderful.
Here's the thing though. You need a car to get there. So if you don't drive, you need to find someone that does. But it is well worth the visit I guarantee.
Nan Ferra
Aly RustomToday 09:19 am JST
I don't want to sound like a negative nancy, but I went to Kusatsu once and I will NEVER go there again.
Have to agree with this.....other than for the touristy hot spring cultural "show" shown in the photos. There are many better hot springs even nearby as you mention.
Aly Rustom
Here is a link to a great onsen in Kawagoe city in saitama. Cheap and amazing.
http://www.kuranoyu.net/kawagoe/
quercetum
I went to Kusatsu a decade ago and thought it was so crowded and touristy. Can’t imagine what it’d be like with the loud tourists from the MK.