Wonderful nature created from the Unzen volcano
Mt. Unzen is located in the center of the Shimabara Peninsula, with the entire region being designated as Japan’s first global geopark. For approximately 4.3 million years up to 1995, remnants of the volcanic activity could be viewed where geographical strata deposited in the water and fossils appeared. These formations and their history still remain today and can be seen in the ground and the cliffs. Within the peninsula, there are numerous onsen and accommodations including Obama Onsen, Unzen Onsen and Shimabara Onsen.
Tour history and natural formations carved out by the volcano
In the city of Shimabara, there are many historical tourist sites starting with Shimabara Castle and then heading into the samurai residences that still exist in the castle town along with the Koi-ga-Oyogu-Machi (Town of Swimming Carp) among the old-fashioned canals. Other highlights include the Shimabara Spring Village created from volcanic activity, and Gamadasu Dome at the Mt. Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall where you can learn about the aftermath of the volcanic disaster. In the city of Unzen, there is the geothermal zone known as the Unzen Jigoku (Hell) which consists of 30 sites including O-Ito Jigoku which is notable for its still-active gas spumes and the wafting smell of sulfur, and Daikyokan Jigoku along with the Nita Pass Ropeway which travels 1300m above sea level. In Minami-Shimabara City, there is Arie Kura, a district with numerous historical and industrial heritage sites which flourished since ancient times as a head village, and the popular activity of dolphin watching where you can view bottlenose dolphins in their habitat all throughout the year; the dolphins number at about 300. Along the southern coast, you can observe volcanic formations such as the oldest volcanic rocks (4.3 million years old) of the peninsula at Hayasaki Beach, the island of Mejima which was created 1.5 million years ago from an undersea volcano, Kunisaki Peninsula where mudflow deposits from 1.5 million years ago can be seen and Tatsuishi Beach where the strata of the Mt. Unzen volcano from 500,000 years ago can be observed.