Who new hot springs could be so cinematic?

Granted, saying something is “the best tourism video ever,” might not mean much. With very limited budgets and subject matter, the bar is rather low. For example, here’s a video for Tateyama and Minamiboso Cities in Chiba Prefecture.

I mean, it certainly looks like a lovely place to visit, but the video’s a bit of a slog to get through. In all fairness though, that video was done in 2008 and technology has skyrocketed since then resulting in much slicker presentations, such as this one for Iwaki City in Fukushima.

Again a nice place and the video was really fun, but I didn’t feel like I learned much about the area aside from its fish which like to eat sliced bread.

This is why the city of Beppu on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, rich in natural hot springs, has really gone above and  beyond by coming out with a promotional video that’s both highly informative and difficult to take your eyes off.

In fact, the video is so epic they created a separate trailer for it just to draw you in.

The only thing missing was the narrator opening with: “In a world…” Still, it was enough to pique my and the other 22,000 viewers’ interest to watch the whole seven minutes and twenty seconds of Beppu: The Onsen Journey.

The whole thing has an visually pleasing Discovery Channel vibe to it but also doesn’t let up with the facts, taking us back over four billion years into the region’s history.

At one point the viewer even tags along with a drop of rain throughout its 50-year journey to become a part of the mineral-rich hot spring waters of Beppu.

It’s clear that with tourism everywhere having been brought to a standstill from COVID-19, Beppu is wasting no time and sparing no effort to get people back as soon as possible, and viewers were largely blown away by just how hard they are trying to do so.

“I live in Beppu and had no idea how they could afford to do this lol.”
“This is surely a masterpiece! I couldn’t take my eyes off it for a second.”
“Cool. It’s like National Geographic.”
“Exceptionally articulated with great cinematography. A masterpiece.”
“Amazing city and amazing storytelling!!”
“Beautifully portrayed.”

As the first comment alluded, Beppu is hardly a major urban area and lacks the financial resources of cites such as Tokyo or Osaka, making this an even more impressive feat.

On the other hand, given Beppu’s previous tourism campaigns such as opening an entire hot spring themed amusement park based on a viral video, we can’t be too surprised that they went to such lengths.

We also shouldn’t be surprised if their next video is just a guy shouting at the camera: “WHAT MORE DO WE HAVE TO FREAKING DO TO GET YOU HERE!!!”

Source: YouTube/Onsen High Standard! Hell Paradise Beppu, Japaaan
Images: YouTube/Onsen High Standard! Hell Paradise Beppu
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!