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To hell and back: Travel through the steamy hot springs of Unzen
Kyushu Tourism Organization
Formerly a prominent temple town, Unzen became a tourist resort spot popular among foreigners in the Meiji period (1868–1912). This gem of the Shimabara Peninsula is located near Mount Unzen in Nagasaki prefecture.
Unzen is never silent and never still. Walking the winding wooden and stone paths of its hot spring fields, your ears will be filled with the hissing of steam billowing from the ground and the bubbling of the hot water gushing from the sulfur pools. These are called the Unzen Hells. You can follow a twisting path through a field of some 30 hellish bubbling pools formed by heat and the acidic waters, dotted amongst steaming fields of white clay. At the end of the path is a free hot spring foot bath and a shop selling refreshments and souvenirs.
How to get there
From Hakata Station, take the West Kyushu Shinkansen to Isahaya Station（1 hour 10 minutes), then take the bus to the Unzen Onsen stop (1 hour 30 minutes).
Unzen, Obama-cho, Unzen-shi, Nagasaki-ken
