With the ammount of debate and pie fights here over healh care and the "who is the true progressive" diaries here lately I thought it would be a nice time to write a light hearted and completely unpolitical diary for the New Year (we are only 4 hours from 2010 here!).
I have been spending the holidays in my wifes hometown of Beppu which is in the southern half of Kyushu Island. One of the most famous hot spots (pun very much intended) in Beppu are the Eight Hells of Beppu.
I hope you will follow me below the fold for a journey into hell.
Heaven, as depicted by Dante, John Milton and William Blake seems neither beautiful nor interesting at all to me.
However, I find visions of Hell conjured by these artists to be tremendously interesting. The cruelty of beings is so vividly expressed in them that I almost feel that I would prefer to go to hell rather than heaven. In this day and age, however the heavens and hells described by these great poets and writers no longer evoke the yearning or fear amongst the many people.
However, if you visit Beppu you will be confronted by a vision of eight great hells appearing before you. And these are certainly terrifying hells. Hot water gushes forth from the ground, roaring and rumbling fiercly, as numerous enormous crocodiles jostle violently with each other. Though you cannot see demons, it is clear that one false step, one slip, will bring you to a rapid destruction. When I consider that these hells must be hotter than the reported cauldrons of hell, all my longing for hell fades swiftly away.
Human beings need to experience hell in this life at least once, to empty themselves of their superfluous accumulations, to reflect on their past conduct, and to contemplate the path ahead. For this purpose, I highly recommend a visit to Beppu, to witness the many aspects of hell. Only those who have been through hell and lived to recount the experience, are worthy to be called real human beings.
1957 by Kon Toukou, a writer and Buddist priest
The first hell we witnessed was Umi-Jigoku or Ocean Hell. While it is gorgeous and seems to be calling you to jump in for a swim with its clear waters with a temperature of over 93 degrees C (199 degrees F) it would boil you to death in a mear moment..
Next up was the Oniishibozu-Jigoku or the Oniishi Shaven Head Hell. It is actually quite famous when around 400 years ago a volcano erupted directly under a Buddist temple killing around 80 praying monks. This is what is left and they say that the round bubbles which look like the shaven head of a Buddist monk are the ghosts of the monks who died so many years ago...
A short walk from the Oniishibozu Jigoku is the Yama Jigoku or Moutain Hell. Taking its name from the mountain of mud formed over the years, this hell is also a miniature Zoo which children of all ages can enjoy...
The imposing "demon" below (yes that is me standing with him) is a "Oni" or Japanese Demon. They are the guardians of Hell in Japanese culture. In this case they are guarding the Ramado Jigoku or Cauldron Hell.
Here is one of the many cauldrons...
The next hell we visited is called the Oniyama Jigoku or Demon Mountain Hell... which is home to some interesting denizens
These guys call this hell home...
As we make our way towards the end of the tour some of the most beautiful and imposing hells are ahead. First is the Shiraike-Jigoku or White Pond Hell. Throughout the year it changes color from pure clear, dark blue and milky white.
The next hell and in my opinion the most beautiful of them all is the Chinoike Jigoku or Blood Hell. It is also Japans oldest natural Jigoku and one of the oldest in the world. It is referenced in the famous text the Bungo Topography which is over 1400 years old.
The final hell on our trip is the Tasumaki Jigoku or the Geyser Hell. With one of the shortest intervals between spouts in the world at 25 miinutes before each eruption. This geyser is incredibly hot at over 120 degrees C (248 degrees F).
At this time I would also like to thank our guide Narumi-san who was an incredible guide and even sang traditional Enka songs during the guide as is the traidition. I mentioned I would be posting this on a blog and she will hopefully see it.
Here is a final picture of my wife Chieko, our young son James and me as we began our journey into the Hells of Beppu. I hope all of you have the chance to experience this incredible journey someday.
