About This Destination
Unzen Onsen sits at 700 meters elevation in the volcanic mountains of the Shimabara Peninsula and was designated as Japan's first national park in 1934. The town's centerpiece is Unzen Jigoku, a stark landscape of roughly 30 steam vents, bubbling mud pools, and fumaroles where temperatures reach 120 degrees Celsius, all accessible via well-maintained walking paths. In the 17th century these hells were infamously used as a site of Christian persecution, and informational plaques along the trails recount this somber history. The hot spring resort developed in the 19th century as a summer retreat for foreign residents of Nagasaki and Shanghai, giving it an unusually cosmopolitan heritage among Japanese onsen towns. Today visitors can enjoy the strongly acidic sulfur springs at numerous hotels and public bathhouses, purchase onsen tamago eggs cooked in the natural hot springs, and hike to the summit of nearby Mount Fugen for panoramic views of the peninsula and Ariake Sea.
Location
Prefecture: Nagasaki
Address: Unzen, Nagasaki, Japan
Nearest Station: Isahaya Station (bus transfer)
Hours and fees checked against the official site on 8 November 2026.
Best time to visit: Year-round; autumn foliage and the steaming 'hells' make the hot spring resort especially scenic in fall
Visitor Information
Payment: Credit cards
Food Options: Local specialties include Unzen onsen tamago (hot spring eggs), guzoni stew, and fresh Shimabara somen noodles. Hotel restaurants serve Nagasaki-influenced cuisine including champon-style dishes.
Access
Nagasaki, Japan
Get DirectionsFrequently Asked Questions
Which hotels and ryokan are in Unzen Onsen?
The inns stand around Unzen Jigoku, so most are a short walk from the steam vents. They include Unzen Kanko Hotel, opened in 1935 when Unzen was a summer retreat for foreigners, Unzen Kyushu Hotel, Unzen Fukudaya, Unzen Miyazaki Ryokan, Yuyado Unzen Shinyu and Unzen Iwaki Ryokan; each has its own page here. For help finding a room, call the Unzen tourism bureau's information centre on 0957-73-3434.
Can I bathe in Unzen without staying, and how long is the Jigoku walk?
Yes. Unzen City lists four public baths in the town: the Shinyu public bath, a plain local one; Yunosato, the oldest in Unzen, which uses its source as it comes out; Kojigoku Onsenkan, opened in the mid-Edo period, with milky sulfur water; and Unzen Yokayu. Each charges a small fee; the city does not publish hours, so ask at the information centre. The walk round Unzen Jigoku on its paved paths takes about 30 minutes.
Where to stay
More places to stay nearby
- Unzen Sky Hotel Hotel · 雲仙スカイホテル · 93m
- TSUDOI Guest House Guesthouse · 106m
- Unzen Toyokan Hotel · 湯快リゾート 雲仙温泉 雲仙東洋館 · 153m
- KAI Unzen Hotel · 界 雲仙 · 195m
- Azumaen Hotel · 雲仙温泉 東園 · 358m
- Ryotei Hanzuiryo Hotel · 旅亭半水盧 · 870m
- Unzen Onsen Seiunso Hotel · 雲仙温泉 青雲荘 · 1.3km
Hotel data: © OpenStreetMap contributors
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