Unzen Onsen
雲仙温泉
A hot-spring destination where the bath itself is the sightseeing.
What this place is
Unzen Onsen is a geothermally heated volcanic hot spring field in the Unzen Mountains in Nagasaki prefecture in Japan. It was known of for many years, and in the 1910s was developed into a hot spring community because of its many springs. In 1934 the area was designated as the first national park in Japan. The hot springs are surrounded by an area known as the Hells (jigoku). These barren fields of hot springs contain many steam vents, bubbling mud pits and fumaroles. After the Shimabara Rebellion the Hells were used to execute Christian rebels. Today, paved trails lead visitors through the Hells. In an older, now dormant hot springs field, paths lead to the Manmyoji Temple and to the Unzen Disaster Museum, that commemorates the eruptions that occurred in the 1990s in which 12,000 people were evacuated and over 40 people perished.
Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Why it is worth the trip
- Mineral-rich water that locals have soaked in for generations — each source has its own temperature, colour and smell.
- A bathing town you can wander in a yukata, with steam drifting between wooden inns and public baths.
- Open-air rotenburo tubs framed by mountains, river valleys or the sea, which change completely with the season.
What you can do here
- Take a day-use bath (higaeri onsen) even without staying overnight — most inns open their baths in the afternoon.
- Try the free foot baths (ashiyu) dotted around town for a quick warm-up between stops.
- Buy a bath-hopping pass and compare two or three different sources in one afternoon.
- Eat the local onsen specialities — steam-cooked eggs, puddings and vegetables sold near the sources.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons — click any image for the photographer and licence.
Getting there by public transport
Good to know before you go
- Wash and rinse at the shower stations before entering the tub; the bath water is shared.
- Some traditional baths still restrict tattoos — look for tattoo-friendly inns or private family baths (kashikiri).
- Bring a small towel; larger bath towels are usually rented or sold at the counter.
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