Unzen Onsen is located roughly in the center of the Shimabara Peninsula, Nagasaki Prefecture, surrounded by Mt. Unzendake and other one-thousanders. The hot water springs out up to the ground of 700 meters in altitude. The hot spring town is part of the Unzen Amakusa National Park, which was given a national park designation in 1934 for the first time in Japan.
Unzen Onsen is well known for a special hot spring called “Unzen Jigoku (Unzen Hell).” The hot water and white steam springing out vigorously from the cracks of rugged rocks and the smell of sulfur filling up the air all around remind visitors of what the hell may be like. There are about 30 Unzen Hell hot springs, each of which has its unique name. There are pathways in the area and visitors can enjoy the tour safely in about 30 minutes.
You will surely be able to enjoy a real feeling to coming to a hot spring town once you smell hydrogen sulfide coming from sulfur spring and see milky-white spring water. The seasonal changes seen in the mountain hillside with rhododendron kiusianum in spring, fresh greenery in summer, autumn leaves and hoarfrost in winter are also very fascinating. Mobilize all your sense to feel and fully enjoy this hot spring town.

• Ureshino Onsen Tourism Association

Great dishes, tea, and sweets! Ureshino Gourmet has it all!

Of all Ureshino gourmet, the first thing that comes to everybody’s mind should be their specialty “Onsen Yudofu”! Simmer tofu in hot spring water, the broth magically turns opaque white like soybean milk, making the tofu meltingly soft. The secret is, the hot spring water of Ureshino has miraculous balance of minerals/chemicals that breaks the protein of tofu to the melting state. The perfect marriage of hot spring water, mild to your stomach, and highly nutritious tofu, it is a health food with the texture and flavor that you will be addicted to. Come and enjoy the magic!
Ureshino is also known as the superb tea production area. Rich in nutrients that helps your health, the profound flavor of our tea is demanded nationwide. You will find many tea merchants in town. As most of them offer you to taste your selection of tea, you will have fun finding your favorite. Many cake shops use the specialty Ureshino Tea for their sweets and other original products you can only buy at Ureshino.
At Tourist Association, you can get “Ureshino Lunch & Cafe Map”, the perfect guide of the town with information like recommended menu in restaurants/cafe/bars and town map. Make sure to grab one before going out for gourmet hunting! Available in English, Chinese (simplified/traditional), and Korean.

Kyushu Olle Ureshino Course for Walking Lovers!

“Kyushu Olle” – the walking trail to invite participants to enjoy the magnificent nature, hot springs, history and culture of Kyushu in all their five senses while trekking. There are numerous courses all over Kyushu where you can trek following ribbons and signs with a map on your hand, and we have the “Kyushu Olle Ureshino Course” here in our town.
Ureshino Course is 12.5km (7.8 miles) in total length, and the expected completion time is 4-5 hours. Starting from Hizen Yoshidayaki Pottery House, the course takes you to the stroll in the pottery town, and to the spacious tea plantation in beautiful green. Then, the “Forest of 22nd Century Asia”, a huge forest decorated in tender green in summer and red and golden leaves in fall, will welcome you for forest bathing. You will be healed by the rich fragrance of lively woods and calming songs of birds. Leaving the forest behind, you will be walking along the gentle stream of Ureshino River to the Onsen Town. After completing the course, release your fatigue at “Siebold Foot Bath” right by the finish line.

• Kyushu OLLE

Explore the Town More Comfortably

Strolling around the town is nice, but you can enjoy cycling with the cool breeze over your body when the climate is good. Tourist Association offers the bicycle rental service for you. 500 yen per bike, you can use them from 9:00 to 17:00. Go a little further to explore the beautiful sights in Ureshino a little more.
Moreover, free Wi-Fi is available at multiple places in town so that you can quickly share great scenery and foods with your family and friends from your smartphone. Siebold Bath/Foot Bath, Ureshino Onsen Hondori Shopping Street, Onsen Park and many more. So use anytime. When you come to the access point, all you have to do is to select “bihada Wi-Fi” on your smartphone and enter the required information in the portal page (Japanese/Chinese/Korean/English)! Tell to the world the charm of Ureshino you experience!

Thank you for your heartfelt support to the Kumamoto earthquake of this year. The entire Kyushu region join together to make steady progress to the recovery. Fortunately, Ureshino was not affected much, so rest assured and enjoy. When the cold weather arrives, relaxing time in hot spring is really nice.

• TripAdvisor