In Japan Hell Is Due North

Valley of Hell/Isle’s Sulphurous/Belching/Bubbling Jigoku-Dani

The northernmost island of Japan,Hokkaido, is known for few things like beer in Sapporo, skiing in Niseko, ubiquitous uni or sea urchin and beef. Valley of Hell or the isle’s sulphurous, belching and bubbling Jigoku-Dani is not known to many, which is a 24 acre geothermal crater formed from the eruption of Mount Kuttara around 20,000 years back. Situated within Hokkaido’s Shikotsu-Toya National Park, where stirring lava pits together with simmering black sulphur calderas tend to lie in wait beneath a thick blanket of snow, it could sound like a vision of hell to some.

However, Jigoku-Dani, around 112 km south of Sapporo seems to also be an idea of heaven to others. It has a dozens of onsen or natural hot water baths which could vary from simple steamy streams where travellers could dip their cold toes to modern hot basalt baths where one could mediate over snow fall on bonsai trees.

Whenever snow monkey tend to bathe at the famous Jigoku-Dani on Japan’s main island of Honshu, Hokkaido’s Jigoku-Dani has an altogether another flavour. Jigoku-Dani’s baths unlike Japan’s traditionally serene onsen that tends to look calm scenes of cherry blossoms or scarlet maples has rugged ancient backdrops of bubbling geysers as well as steamy caves. These are prized especially for their variety.

Nine Forms of Thermal Water

There are nine various forms of thermal water found in Jigoku-Dani’s onsen town of Norboribetsu which comprises of acidic iron, alkaline, salt, radium and melanterite springs. Some of these have been suggested that it heals various medical conditions which include neuralgia, bronchitis and eczema, by balneologist. At Norboribetsu is an 18m tall red roadside demon or yukijin guarding over the approach road having an angry look and is fanged and horned with a pointed spiked club at oncoming drivers.

Considered to be a welcome demon, the locals are of the belief that it protects the hot springs, warding off evil spirits and pray for the good fortune of human beings. In the month of June, men tend to dress as demons with a display of fireworks, dancing to the bass heavy Japanese taiko or drums as a part of the Norboribetsu’s Demon Fireworks festival. There are nine various demon statues that are scattered all over the town, some of which are newly constructed for the benefit of tourist attractions.

Plethora of Hot Spring – Healing Centre For Wounded Soldiers

However, the yukijin at the town’s Enma Do Shinto Shrine that is found in an altar on a set of tree shrouded steps could be traced to the Edo period – 1603-1868. As per the belief of Shinto, Enma, the King of Hell, standing at the entrance of hell to decide which of the six paths a dead person will take. While some tend to go straight to hell or are reborn in the world of war, other are reincarnated as animals or tend to go straight to heaven.

The plethora of hot springs of Noboribetsu were earlier used as healing centre for the wounded soldiers in the Russo-Japanese War – 1904-05 resulting in the town’s architecture retaining a dark Brutalist feeling with several cold concrete hospital towers that had been transformed into onsen resorts. The onsens were well maintained and seemed to be a quiet area to soak prior to dinner.