Unzen

Unzen is a volcanic hot-spring town tucked into the mountains of the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki Prefecture. Its steaming Unzen Jigoku — “Unzen Hells” — are a dramatic landscape of bubbling sulfur vents and hissing fumaroles that hint at the powerful geothermal forces below.

As one of Japan's first national parks, Unzen has attracted visitors since the Meiji era, when Western diplomats used it as a summer retreat. The surrounding Unzen-Amakusa National Park offers lush hiking through azalea-covered slopes, ancient forests, and panoramic views of Ariake Sea. The mineral-rich onsen waters are renowned for soothing skin and easing fatigue.