Typical local foods in Beppu are “Toriten” and “Reimen”. The former is a kind of fried chicken and the latter is a cold noodle with many kinds of toppings. Some restaurants are specialized in those menus. They are relatively inexpensive like 500 yen to 1,000 yen. It is good to combine them with rice and miso soup. Besides them, dangojiru, 100 yen-a-piece kaiten-zushi (see other page of this blog), Korean style grill, udon noodle and ramen noodle are popular among foreign tourists.
Recently, Jigoku-mushi in Kannnawa area has quickly gained it's popularity. This is a kind of do-it-yourself type cooking using natural hot spring steam. There are a couple of private Jigoku-mushi facilities in Kannawa and also many ryokans have their own in-house Jigoku-mushi steamers. The most popular one is Jigoku-mushi Kobo Kannawa run by the city of Beppu. 
As hot spring steam in Kannawa contains plenty of minerals and natural salt, you can eat the cooked food without any seasoning. If you dare to use some seasonings, soy sauce, salt and ponzu (citrus juice added soy sauce) are available for free at Kobo. Sea food such as prawn, crab and shell are good for Jigoku-mushi. If you mix them with some vegetables like cabbage, potato, pumpkin or chicken with bones, it will be a perfect healthy cuisine.
In Kobo, English and Korean speaking staff will help you cook. So, just visit there and try this unique way of cooking. You will surely like it. And also, you have a chance to drink natural hot spring water and enjoy foot bath with free of charge. If you want to search any travel information, free internet is available at the site. (KI/KK)
