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Hokkaido’s Hell Valley

HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Hokkaido’s Hell Valley

Dare to visit Noboribetsu Jigokutani, a steaming landscape of bubbling hot spring fumaroles

City of Noboribetsu

Also known as Hell Valley, Hokkaido’s Noboribetsu Jigokutani bubbles and steams with hot spring water, smoking like the imagined kingdom of demons.

Noboribetsu Jigokutani is a volcanic caldera formed by the eruptions of Mt. Hiyori, the largest hot spring water source for Noboribetsu Onsen spas. A surreal landscape of rusty orange and white rocky terrain, its bubbling pools, geysers and fumaroles let off clouds of steam that drift like heavy smoke.

Named after Buddhist depictions of hell, it is stark but fascinating. Wooden walking platforms allow safe passage across the barren ground, but be prepared for the aptly sulfurous odor that pervades. Visit in the evening and a Demon’s Fire Trail is lit up to guide you through the valley for a different otherworldly trip through hell.