Unzen Onsen Kyushu

Unzen Onsen is a celebrated volcanic hot spring resort in the Unzen-Amakusa National Park of Nagasaki Prefecture, situated among the active geothermal features of the Unzen volcanic complex — where fumaroles, boiling mud pools, and the famous Jigoku (Hells) vents produce a constantly steaming and geologically active landscape directly adjacent to the thermal bathing village. The bicarbonate-rich acidic spring waters, coloured milky white by their high sulphur content, have been used therapeutically for over 1,300 years, and Unzen holds the historical distinction of being the location of Japan's first designated national park (1934). The Unzen volcanic field's tragic Christian martyrdom history — hundreds of Japanese Christians were tortured in the volcanic hot springs in the early 17th century during the Tokugawa shogunate's persecution of Christianity — adds a poignant historical dimension to the geothermal landscape. The historic Unzen Kanko Hotel (1935), the spa town's characteristic 19th and early 20th-century resort architecture, and the spectacular hiking trails around the Heisei Shinzan lava dome created by the 1990-1995 eruption make Unzen one of Japan's most geologically dramatic and historically layered hot spring destinations.