Beppu Benten Pond

A fresh spring pond located on the grounds of Beppu Itsukushima-jinja Shrine in Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. This mystical pond sparkles cobalt blue in the sunlight, and it is one of the top sightseeing destinations in the Akiyoshi-dai Plateau area. The waters of the pond, welling up from the limestone of the karst plateau, are rich in calcium, and are a cold 14°C. Selected as one of Japan’s 100 most famous waters, locals also use its waters for cooking, washing vegetables, and other daily lives. There is a water station near the pond for people to draw fresh spring water. Legend has it that the spring burst forth after the elder of a town facing a water shortage prayed here to the goddess Benzaiten as instructed in a dream, and each year on the first Sunday in September, a Benten Festival is held and a dance called the Beppu Nenbutsu Odori is offered to the goddess.