Visit Japan Web Unzen Onsen
Visit Japan Web invites you to explore Unzen Onsen, located near the peak of Mount Unzen. It is a hot spring resort town with a rich history. Originally developed as a temple town, it thrived in the Meiji Period as one of Japan’s first tourist resorts popular among foreigners. Today, hints of Western influence can still be observed in the area.
The town’s unique location makes it an ideal base for exploring Mount Unzen. Surrounded by hot spring fields, with barren rocky landscapes and billowing steam vents, the area offers milky, acidic, and sulfurous water bubbling straight from the ground. These hells, once used for executing rebels after the failed Shimabara Rebellion, now serve the more pleasant purpose of warming holiday makers in the ryokan baths around town.
A network of paved pathways encircles the geothermal areas, leading to various steam vents, hot spring pools, mud holes, and observation points. Additionally, there are establishments offering souvenir photos and onsen tamago. The area is particularly picturesque from late October to mid November due to the vibrant autumn colors adorning the surrounding hills.
On the opposite side of the road lies an older, inactive hot spring area with trails leading to the Manmyoji Temple, a Buddhist temple that historically held prominence in the town but is now relatively modest. At the far end of the inactive hot spring area is the Unzen Visitor Center, featuring exhibits on the catastrophic eruption of Mount Unzen, its impact on daily life, local flora and fauna found on the mountain, and an intriguing display on hot springs detailing their formation and different types.
