We did some research and learned that hell steamed cuisine at Jigoku Mushi in Beppu was quite popular. Since the entire town had so many steam vents and onsen, it only made sense to harness some of that energy for cooking. There were many restaurants that offered this service, but we found that the consensus restaurant was Jigoku Mushi.

We did our research ahead of time and found that parking around the restaurant would be difficult. There was some public parking at the local park, which was right behind the restaurant. There was also a small side lot, that was just down the street and across from a 7-Eleven convenience store. On our way there we passed the park parking lot and it was packed. We decided to go for the small side lot down the street. There were three spots available, so we were grateful to secure one of them. It was a short two minute walk to the restaurant.

The building was set just off the street. It had a nice open courtyard with a couple of tables and chairs. The side building on the left housed the steam cookers and it was neat to see the excess steam escaping through the roof. One thing that caught us off guard was that they do not sell drinks inside the restaurant. If we wanted a beverage, there were a number of vending machines outside. They also had this spring, to try the local onsen water.

We read the signs outside and it said to go inside to the reception counter and pick up a numbered tag. The numbered tag denoted our place in line. It was pretty busy when we got there, so we had sometime to wait and figure out what we wanted. The inside was a mix of tables with stools. There was also a second floor with larger tables. We headed back outside to wait for our number to be called.

Jigoku Mushi Menu

The menu was posted outside on this large display board. We appreciated how they had large color pictures, a list of the contents, and a brief English description. We were particularly interested in the seafood, so we decided to order a #7, #8, and a #32. A little while later, our number was called and we were asked to place our order through a vending machine. The numbers on the display board, matched the vending machine, so we were able to order with confidence. We took our tickets back to the reception counter. We forgot to get the additional ticket for the steaming fee, so we paid for it at the counter. The staff assembled our food in metal strainer bowls and bamboo steaming plates.

Hell Steamed Cuisine Cooking Experience

We took our tray outside and were directed to our designated steamer. We were given some temperature protected gloves to put on. Afterwards, we lifted the wooden cover off of the steamer and put it to the side. The cover was surprisingly solid and heavy. We then pulled a metal basket out of the steamer. All the ingredients were loaded on the basket before we set it back into the steamer. We were given a timer and told to come back when it was finished.

While we waited we looked for a table and settled for one right by the steamers. It was pretty busy and tables were a bit hard to come by. The timer went off a short time later and we headed back to the steamers. We pulled our food out and took it back to our table. The steamed fish was delicious. It had a nice flakey texture and was still moist. The mussels were a bit overcooked and had dried out a bit. The shrimp, scallops, and the rice cakes were our favorites. We would definitely recommend trying some of the sauces they offered. The food had only been steamed, meaning they had retained their natural flavors and were a bit plain. We finished up our meal and brought our dishes outside to a self service clean up counter.

Final Thoughts

We enjoyed our hell steamed cuisine at Jigoku Mushi in Beppu. It was a nice experience and we’re glad we got to try it. With that said, the prices were pretty steep for what we got. We were looking at ¥2500 plus per person. This was to be expected as it was the most popular place in Beppu to experience steam cooking. We also appreciated how you could participate in the steam cooking experience without a prior reservation. Next time, we will definitely try some of their sauces and some of their more unique dishes.

More to Come…

Here is the link to their website.