Japan’s oldest national park filled with greenery
Japan’s oldest national park is located at 680m above sea level. Mt. Unzen is the collective name for 8 peaks which include Mt. Fugen and Mt. Kusenbu, and is a treasure trove of wild birds and highland flora which has long been popular as a resort area. The water of the hot springs contains highly acidic sulfates and the village is divided into 3 areas: Koyu, Shinyu and Kojigoku with ryokan lined up in a townscape imbued with the steam from Unzen Jigoku.
The spectacle of very hot gas spewing out at Unzen Jigoku
At the Unzen Visitor Center, you can get the latest information on the wild birds and plant life throughout the four seasons. The No. 1 highlight of the area, Unzen Jigoku is covered in white earth known as solfatoric clay and from every point, high temperature springs and gas intensely spew forth, leaving a strong sulfur smell in the air. The Old Hachiman Jigoku gushes a 60-degree Celsius hot spring from a crack in the rocks, and the plaza’s stone paving acts like natural floor heating. Seishichi Jigoku is said to be the area which first erupted on the day that Christian martyr Seishichi was executed, while Oito Jigoku has the legend in which a woman by the name of Oito in 1870 murdered her medicine-selling husband and was then executed as the spring erupted. On the way from those two hells, there is a viewpoint from where you can get a panoramic view of Unzen Jigoku. The high-temperature-gas venting Daikyokan Jigoku is the most geothermally active area, and at the Mud Volcano, there is the spectacular scene of clay-like muddy water created from the forcing up and out of earth by gas and water. All in all, there are about 30 of these hells where you can enjoy things such as the famous onsen boiled eggs, and at the foot bath area, you can rest your feet after a long walk.
A 360-degree grand panoramic trip at 1300m
Accessible by car, the Nita Pass Ropeway will provide an enjoyable 3-minute trip through the sky up to the 1333m Mt. Myoken where you can get a view of Mother Nature during the four seasons such as the spring azalea, the summer greenery, the fall colors and the winter frost.