Unzen Onsen: Steaming Hells, the Ropeway to Myokendake and Nita Pass in Nagasaki

This guide covers the Unzen hells, the ropeway, Nita Pass, the town sights and the practical details for reaching Unzen Onsen from Nagasaki.

Unzen Onsen is divided into the Furuyu, Shinyu and Kojigoku zones. Unzen was designated as Japan's first national park. This guide follows the Nita Pass Loop Road and the ropeway, then the hells, the town sights and the routes in from Nagasaki.

Quick Facts

Item	Detail
Digital round-trip ticket from the front of Nagasaki Station to Unzen	3,420 yen
Express bus from Nagasaki Station to the Unzen Visitor Center	About 1 hour 45 minutes
Unzen Ropeway round-trip fare for adults	1,500 yen
Unzen Ropeway ride	About 3 minutes one way, with service every 12 minutes

Nita Pass Loop Road: Crowded Times and Opening Hours

On weekends and holidays in season, the Nita Pass Loop Road is heavily congested, so early morning, evening or weekdays are recommended. The road is closed at night, and vehicles can enter from the morning. The Nita Pass parking lot is large, but it gets very crowded during long holidays and the autumn foliage season. The usual viewing season for autumn foliage at Myokendake is early to mid November.

Hikers are advised to use the Ikenohara Park parking lot instead of the Nita Pass Loop Road during the season to ease congestion. Miyama-kirishima grows in clusters at high elevations in Unzen.

Item	Detail
Nita Pass Loop Road passage hours from April to October	8:00 to 18:00
Nita Pass Loop Road passage hours from November to March	8:00 to 17:00
Time vehicles can enter the Nita Pass Loop Road in the morning	From 8:00
Environmental conservation cooperation fee at the Nita Pass Loop Road gate	100 yen
Nita Pass parking lot capacity	200 or more vehicles
Usual autumn foliage viewing season at Myokendake	Early to mid November
Elevation where Miyama-kirishima grows in clusters in Unzen	About 700 m or more

Unzen Ropeway

One ride on the Unzen Ropeway is short, with service at regular intervals. The Unzen Ropeway sells round-trip and one-way fares for adults and children.

Item	Detail
Unzen Ropeway round-trip fare	1,500 yen for adults and 750 yen for children
Unzen Ropeway one-way fare	830 yen for adults and 420 yen for children
Unzen Ropeway hours from April to October	8:51 to 17:03 for the last ascent, and 17:23 for the last descent
Unzen Ropeway hours from November to March	8:51 to 16:51 for the last ascent, and 17:11 for the last descent
Unzen Ropeway ride time	About 3 minutes one way, with service every 12 minutes

The Unzen Hells

The Unzen hells can be walked along a boardwalk. The Unzen Jigoku area consists of a cluster of hells.

The Issaikyo waterfall lies on the nature trail linking Kojigoku and Fudanohara. The Sanko pine between the Issaikyo waterfall and Kojigoku has needles that split differently from those of ordinary pines.

Item	Detail
Walk along the boardwalk through the Unzen hells	About 60 minutes
Number of hells in the Unzen Jigoku area	About 30
Sanko pine needles between the Issaikyo waterfall and Kojigoku	Split into 3, unlike ordinary pines with 2
Unzen Jigoku Chaya hours	10:00 to 16:00

Onsen Shrine and Manmyoji Temple

A large persimmon tree stands beside the shrine building of Onsen Shrine. The married-couple persimmon trees stand close together, leaning on each other.

Manmyoji temple enshrines a gold-leaf Buddha statue called the Unzen Daibutsu. The monk Gyoki founded Manmyoji under the name Onsen-san.

Item	Detail
Height of the Unzen Daibutsu	5 m

Unzen Visitor Center and Kojigoku Onsen-kan

The Unzen Visitor Center is closed every Thursday, and the closure moves to the following day when Thursday is a public holiday. The Unzen Kojigoku Onsen-kan is closed every Wednesday.

Item	Detail
Unzen Visitor Center hours	9:00 to 17:00
Baggage storage at the Unzen Visitor Center	300 yen per person per day
Unzen Kojigoku Onsen-kan hours	9:30 to 19:00
Adult admission to the Unzen Kojigoku Onsen-kan	500 yen
Admission to the Unzen Kojigoku Onsen-kan for elementary school students and younger	250 yen

Visitors who prefer to join a tour can browse tours around Unzen Onsen.

Getting to Unzen Onsen from Nagasaki

The routes to Unzen Onsen run from Nagasaki, Isahaya and Shimabara.

1. Buy the digital round-trip ticket from the front of Nagasaki Station, which costs 3,420 yen to Unzen.
2. Take the express bus from Nagasaki Station to the Unzen Visitor Center, which takes about 1 hour 45 minutes.
3. Pay with Nimoca or another nationwide transport IC card, which can be used on this bus.

Item	Detail
Drive from Nagasaki Station to Unzen Onsen	About 1 hour 20 minutes
Drive from Isahaya IC to Unzen Onsen	About 50 minutes
Drive from Shimabara Station to Unzen Onsen	About 40 minutes
Shimatetsu bus from Shimabara Station to Unzen Onsen	About 50 minutes