Beppu Onsen Festival

Beppu doesn't do subtlety when it comes to hot springs, and this festival proves it. Centered around Beppu Station every April 1st (officially "Onsen Appreciation Day," which is a real thing here), the town throws a parade complete with a portable shrine carrying the local onsen deity — and then things get wet. Genuinely wet.

The Yubukkake Matsuri sees actual onsen water sprayed from hoses over the parade route, and half the fun is watching (or joining) the water-gun chaos that follows.

If you're around after dark, don't miss the Ogiyama Fire Festival — the entire mountainside above town gets set alight as a thank-you to the onsen gods, and the whole hillside glowing orange against the night sky is genuinely one of the more dramatic sights you'll catch in Kyushu.