# Unzen Onsen

> A historic hot spring resort in the Unzen volcanic mountains, famous for its dramatic jigoku (hells) where steam and boiling water erupt from the barren volcanic earth. It was the first area in Japan designated as a national park.

- Prefecture: Nagasaki
- Type: Onsen
- Address: Unzen, Nagasaki, Japan
- Official site: https://unzenonsen.unzen.org/e_ver/

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.

## FAQ

### How do I get to Unzen Onsen?

From Nagasaki or Isahaya, take a bus to Unzen; the trip takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. It is set high in Unzen-Amakusa National Park.

### What are the Unzen Jigoku (hells)?

They are steaming, sulphurous geothermal vents you can walk among on boardwalks. The smell of sulphur is strong and the steam dramatic, especially in cool weather.

### When is the best time to visit Unzen?

It is rewarding year-round, with cool highland summers, vivid autumn foliage, and occasional frost flowers (juhyo) on the trees in winter.

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Source: Unzen Onsen — Japan Voyage