Unzen Onsen — photo: 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Unzen onsen: the sulfur hells of Nagasaki, public baths, and how to get there
Unzen is an onsen town on the upper slopes of Mount Unzen, the volcano in the middle of the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki, about 36 km east of Nagasaki Station in a straight line. The town is built around 雲仙地獄 (Unzen Jigoku), the "hells": a field of steam vents and bubbling white pools right next to the inns. Most guides describe the hells and the hotels. This one puts the town in numbers, explains the buses in from Isahaya, Nagasaki and Shimabara, and helps you choose between Unzen and the two places it is most often compared with: Obama on the coast below, and Kurokawa across the sea in Kumamoto.
What the numbers say
- Unzen is classed as a sulfur spring. Our record has no temperature, pH or flow figure for the town, so we do not give one.
- Sulfur is less common in Kyushu than people expect. Of the 171 onsen places in Kyushu in our records, 42 include sulfur water, and most of the well-known ones are in Ōita and Kumamoto. Unzen is the only sulfur spring in Nagasaki in our records.
- Nagasaki has 9 onsen places in our records. Unzen's Wikipedia article is read 464 times in our sample, second in the prefecture to Obama (473), and 153rd of 1,538 nationwide.
- Among Kyushu's sulfur towns, only Beppu, Kurokawa, Harazuru and Amagase are looked up more.
The town has a long history. Its name goes back to the temple 満明寺 (Manmyō-ji), said to have been founded in 701, and the area became one of Japan's first national parks in 1934. The temple and Unzen Onsen Shrine are both about 200 m from the centre.
The hells
Unzen Jigoku is a set of about 30 named vents and pools spread across a bare, steaming hillside in the middle of town. Paths and boardwalks run between them, and walking them is free. You will see white mud, hissing vents and pools of milky, acidic water, and smell the sulfur well before you get there.
- Stay on the paths. The ground off them is hot and can be soft. The fences are there for a reason.
- It is a walk, not a bath. You cannot bathe in the hells themselves. There are foot baths and foot-steaming spots near the paths, and stalls selling eggs cooked in the steam.
- Go in daylight. The area is not lit up much in the evening.
- Take breaks if the smell is strong. Gas is thicker in some spots on still days.
The hells also have a dark history: in the 17th century, Christians who refused to give up their faith were tortured here. A memorial stands in the field.
Bathing in Unzen
Most inns have their own baths fed from the hells, and many take day visitors. The town also has small public bathhouses, including 新湯温泉共同浴場 (Shinyu), 湯の里温泉共同浴場 (Yunosato) and the 小地獄温泉館 (Kojigoku), a wooden bathhouse a short walk from the centre. Hours and closing days change; check locally.
- Take off silver jewellery. Sulfur water tarnishes it.
- Keep the water out of your eyes. Acidic water stings.
- Rinse afterwards if your skin is sensitive. Many people shower off at the end.
Rules on tattoos are set by each bath, not by the town; see going to an onsen with tattoos and private baths. For how a public bath works, see onsen or sentō.
Getting there
Unzen has no train station; the last part is always by bus or car. Our estimate is about two hours from Fukuoka, without a car.
- From Isahaya. Shimatetsu buses run from Isahaya Station, on the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen and the Nagasaki Line, in about 70 minutes. Isahaya is 22 km away in a straight line. The Japan Rail Pass covers the train to Isahaya, not the bus. This is the usual route from Fukuoka.
- From Nagasaki. Express buses run from Nagasaki Station in about 100 minutes. They are less frequent than the Isahaya buses.
- From Nagasaki Airport. About 100 minutes by bus.
- From Shimabara. Buses run from Shimabara Station, 11.5 km east, in about 50 minutes. Ferries cross from Shimabara port to Kumamoto, which makes Unzen an easy link between Nagasaki and Kumamoto.
- By car. About an hour from Isahaya IC on the Nagasaki Expressway.
Buses are not frequent and the last ones leave early in the evening; check the return times before you go up. Times are rough estimates; check the current route before you travel. For other trips from the north of the island, see the 3 best onsen towns near Fukuoka.
Unzen or Obama?
Obama is 5.2 km west of Unzen, on the coast at the foot of the same volcano, and the two are often paired.
- Unzen: up the mountain, sulfur water, the hells, cooler air. Pick it for the steam and the smell of a volcano.
- Obama: by the sea, a chloride spring recorded at 105 °C and about 15,000 litres a minute, with 16 inns on record. It faces west over the bay, so it is the place for sunsets, and it has a long foot bath along the sea wall.
The buses from Isahaya pass through Obama on the way up to Unzen, so one night in each is easy.
Unzen or Kurokawa?
Both are sulfur towns in the hills, and people choosing one place for a Kyushu trip often compare them. They are 90 km apart, with the Ariake Sea between them.
- Kurokawa (1,942): a small, carefully kept village of inns in a valley, recorded at 80 to 98 °C, known for its pass for three outdoor baths. No train; buses from Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Beppu.
- Unzen (464): a resort on an active volcano, with the hells as its centre and fewer foreign visitors. A train most of the way, then a bus.
If you are travelling Nagasaki to Kumamoto, Unzen is on the way; if you are travelling between Fukuoka and Beppu, Kurokawa is. Our Kyushu guide compares the rest of the island.
When to go
The town sits at about 700 m, so it is noticeably cooler than Nagasaki, which made it a summer retreat for foreign residents in the early 20th century. Late April to May brings azaleas on the mountain, autumn brings the leaves, and in cold winters the trees near the summit can be covered in rime ice. Steam from the hells shows best on cold, clear mornings. Our seasons guide compares the year across Japan.
Things not to do
Do not step off the paths in the hells.
Do not miss the last bus down; there is no train to fall back on.
Do not try to walk to the lava dome of Heisei Shinzan; the area around it is closed. Check the volcano alert level before any hike on the mountain.
Do not wear silver jewellery into the bath.
New to this? Start with how an onsen stay actually works and onsen etiquette. For the rest of the region, see onsen in Kyushu, Kurokawa, Beppu and Yufuin. For more on this kind of water, see sulfur onsen in Japan.