What Is Unzen Jigoku, and What Is the Nita Pass Ropeway Like Through the Four Seasons?

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to know what to see at Unzen, Japan's first national park, on the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki Prefecture. It follows the English pages of the Unzen Tourist Association and of Japan's National Parks site. We read them on 2026-10-04. Opening hours and the state of the paths change, so check with the association before you go.

What Unzen is

The association explains that Unzen means eight mountains, called the three peaks and five mountains of Unzendake: Fugendake, Myokendake, Kunimidake, Kinugasa, Takaiwa, Nodake, Yadake and Kusenbudake. In 1927 Unzen came first in the mountain category of the New Eight Views of Japan, and in 1934 it was designated Japan's first national park. The hot spring town stands at about 700 metres and has three sections: Furuyu, Shinyu and Kojigoku.

Unzen Jigoku

The area between Koyu and Shinyu, covered in white soil from the sulfurous steam, is the Unzen Jigoku. In Buddhist teaching jigoku means hell, and the association says the strong smell of sulfur and the billowing steam really do suggest it. There are around 30 jigoku, with names such as Daikyokan, Oito and Seishichi. Each has steam rising from fumaroles.

The association explains the source. It says the energy is thought to come from a magma reservoir under Tachibana Bay. Hot gases rise through cracks in the rock and turn groundwater into very hot water. The spring is an acidic sulfur spring, with water as hot as 98 degrees. The gas from the vents can reach 120 degrees. White to pale yellow crystals called yunohana form on the ground around the vents.

The association also notes that Unzen Jigoku was the stage for Christian martyrdom during the Edo period. It has a separate page on visiting the locations connected with the novel Silence, including the Martyrdom Site, a Christian road of martyrdom and the Unzen Catholic Church. Please treat these places with respect.

The association lists the Jigoku as open 24 hours, although the area is not lit at night.

Nita Pass Ropeway

From the Nita Pass car park, a ropeway climbs to the Myokendake station, at 1,333 metres. The association gives a height difference of about 174 metres over about 500 metres, taking about 3 minutes in cars with large windows. The operating hours it lists are 8:31 to 17:23 from April to October and 8:31 to 17:11 from November to March. The ropeway may not run in poor weather.

Through the four seasons

• Spring: Miyama Kirishima azaleas, also called Unzen azaleas, bloom around the Jigoku area in late April, and at Nita Pass in mid to late May.
• Summer: at 700 metres the town is cool. The association gives an average August temperature of 21.7 degrees, the same as Sapporo, and says Unzen has been a summer retreat since the Meiji era.
• Autumn: colour starts at the top of the mountain from late October to early November. The Fugendake autumn leaves forest is designated a national natural treasure, with over 120 species.
• Winter: frost on the trees, called hana-bouro, appears only in the right weather. The first frost can come as early as mid-November, and in recent years as late as early December. Proper footwear is needed when snow falls.

Other things to do

• Shirakumo Pond: a 20-minute walk from the town, with a campsite and a 30-minute hike up Mount Kinugasa.
• Unzen Golf Course: opened in 1913 and described as Japan's oldest public course.
• Foot bath square: near the Jigoku, but closed for long-term maintenance when we read the page.
• Day baths: communal bathhouses at Shinyu, Furuyu and Kojigoku, and a list of inns that accept day visitors.

Hiking rules

The association asks hikers not to take plants, insects, soil or stones, not to camp, not to light open fires and to take all rubbish home. It warns that the routes are rugged and the weather changes quickly. The Unzen Mountain Information Center advises on routes. The national parks site adds that Mount Heisei-Shinzan is off-limits because of unstable lava blocks, but you can view its steam from the summit of Mount Fugen (1,359 metres).

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Ropeway fares and closing days.
• Whether the foot bath has reopened.
• Bath fees at the communal bathhouses.

Related guides

• How do you get to Unzen Onsen from Nagasaki Airport, Nagasaki Station and Fukuoka?
• What is the Unzen Volcanic Area Geopark, and how do you see its eruption sites?

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. What is Unzen? (Unzen Tourist Association) — (the mountains, national park)
2. Unzen Jigoku (Unzen Tourist Association) — (steam, spring, hours)
3. Nita Pass ropeway (Unzen Tourist Association) — (ropeway, seasons)
4. Four seasons of Unzen (Unzen Tourist Association) — (azaleas, autumn leaves, frost)
5. Visiting the Locations from the Silence (Unzen Tourist Association) — (martyrdom sites)
6. Shirakumo pond (Unzen Tourist Association) — (pond, campsite)
7. Unzen Golf Course (Unzen Tourist Association) — (golf course)
8. Foot bath square (Unzen Tourist Association) — (closure notice)
9. Day trip bathing facilities list (Unzen Tourist Association) — (communal baths)
10. Unzen hiking guide (Unzen Tourist Association) — (hiking rules)
11. Explore Unzen-Amakusa National Park (National Parks of Japan) — (Mount Fugen, Heisei-Shinzan)