Unzen Onsen,National Park,Nagasaki,Japan

【Unzen: History and Adventure amid Natural Wonders】
Welcome to Unzen, one of Japan’s first and finest national parks, where a whole host of activities is available to fill your days and nights. Most travelers begin their visit with a stroll around the bubbling, boiling sites of volcanic activity that are warmly referred to by the local people as jigoku, or “hells.” Trailheads that lead to the top of several nearby peaks start in town, or a short drive away, and the routes range from family-friendly strolls and picnic spots to intermediate-level, full-day climbs of rocky summits. Many visitors also choose to soak their cares away by immersing themselves in the “hell”-heated hot spring baths. These can be found in all the local hotels, as well as several quaint public spas, and the mineral-laden hot water is believed to have health benefits and relaxing properties.
Unzen is a location of natural beauty year-round. It is part of the Unzen Volcanic Area UNESCO Global Geopark, centered around a volcano that has been active for half a million years. In the spring, a wide variety of azalea blossoms blanket the mountain slopes in pink, and the Japanese dogwood trees turn the slopes white in early summer. The natural forest means spectacular bursts of color in the fall, and in the winter, the rare phenomenon of rime ice forms on the forest trees, glittering diamond-like in the sunlight.
Unzen has long been a favored destination for visitors since the priest Gyoki established the Manmyoji Temple in 701.
It gained international renown in theMeiji period (1868–1912), when visitors from other parts of Japan and Asia would use the town of Unzen Onsen and its surroundings as a cool highland getaway from the oppressive summer heat.
Today, Unzen continues to appeal to international travelers and Japanese looking for mountain adventures, historical appeal and a very unique, mysterious landscape.

【Climbing Mount Fugen: Unzen’s Highest Accessible Summit】
Climbers who want to make a full day of climbing Mt. Fugen, a moderate to advanced-level hike, should begin in the town of Unzen Onsen. Shorter routes, however, begin at the Nita Pass Unzen Ropeway station (1,080 meters) or at the upper ropeway station on Mt. Myoken (1,300 meters). The highest point on the peninsula, the lava dome from the 1990 eruption, is still off-limits to climbers, but the routes to Mt. Kunimi and Mt. Fugen are open and offer a wide
range of terrain. The trail passes across narrow ridges, through mossy valleys, up and down rugged rocky steps, and past cave openings and the boulder-strewn dome. In some places it could be called “Ghibli World,” for its resemblance to the landscape that appears in the beloved animations of Miyazaki Hayao.
【Broad vistas and volcanic formations】
The weather is very fickle at altitude and the peaks are often swept with banks of fog, hampering visibility, but when clear, the views along the way are spectacular. One highlight is the up-close look at the formidable dome. Keep an eye out also for the stone ruins of buildings that were once connected with lava caves and used for storing silkworm eggs during the Meiji period (1868–1912). Equally fascinating are the many strange volcanic formations and rocks, including “breadcrust bombs”—stones with a cracked surface that were tossed out in the recent eruption. The summit of Mt Fugen, at 1,359 meters, has a number of photogenic rocky outcrops. On a clear day, climbers can experience a panoramic view that extends as far as Mt Aso, sometimes even as far as Mt. Sakurajima, some 140 kilometers away in Kagoshima!
The route that leads from the top of the ropeway to Mt. Fugen and back to the bottom of the ropeway takes between three and four hours.