Unzen Kyushu Hotel

Long before Unzen National Park was established in 1934, people from all over Japan had been visiting Mount Unzen and Unzen Jigoku for its beauty and healing hot springs. Japan's continued industrialization and improvements in travel during the Taisho Era inspired a cruise chef to found his own hotel. He picked quite an audacious spot, choosing to build right next to Unzen Jigoku, and in 1917, he finally opened the Unzen Kyushu Hotel. Over the decades, the family and hotel would prosper, with the fourth-generation owner Aki and his wife Yukiko, continuing the legacy of their forebears.

Unzen Kyushu Hotel is an establishment that blends tradition and practicality when it comes to its design and aesthetics. The property itself comprises multiple buildings, including the honkan (main building), a separate wing for the restaurant, and the detached Hanare villas. The hotel also made sure that the rooms, restaurant, and facilities like the hot springs have scenic vistas, particularly views of Unzen Jigoku. To complement the forest and mountain scenery, the hotel also features a landscaped garden with seasonal blooms such as azaleas.

When it comes to the accommodations and interior spaces, the hotel chose an aesthetic that blends Western functionality while still preserving the beauty of Japanese traditions. Since the hotel was built in 1917, its construction involved traditional carpentry, woodworking, and wood joinery. Japanese artistry also adorns the interiors; the lobby, in particular, has classic wooden latticework embellishments, as well as a centerpiece display fabric made by dyeing and weaving master Suzuta Teruji.

Unzen Kyushu Hotel's signature restaurant is 1917, named after the year the hotel first opened. The main project of the hotel's renovation in 2000, the restaurant wing is said to be a faithful recreation of the original building's halls and spaces.

Delight in the diverse and rich flavors of Nagasaki and the Shimabara Peninsula. Ingredients are sourced from local farms, with seafood caught fresh from Tachibana Bay. The founder of the hotel was a master chef who served on a cruise ferry that traveled from Japan to Shanghai, and many of the recipes used by 1917 come straight from his repertoire. Guests should look forward to a feast of Western and Japanese dishes, where they can savor delicate sashimi alongside lean yet juicy Nagasaki beef. The restaurant also has a wine list curated to match the dishes and ingredients served for that season.

For breakfast, diners have the option of starting their day with a delectable Western or Japanese rice set meal.

Since Unzen Kyushu Hotel is situated in the middle of Mount Unzen, guests staying at the hotel will be able to visit various locations and cities easily. The hotel and Unzen Jigoku are within the Unzen-Amakusa National Park, which spans the Shimabara Peninsula and the nearby Amakusa Islands. Both the forested slopes and rocky islands are filled with wildlife encounters, including Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins and blue-and-white flycatchers. Approach the front desk if you'd like to arrange for an outdoor tour or ferry to the islands.

You may also visit the city of Minamishimabara, which is a center of Christianity in Japan. Aside from churches, it also has the Arima Christian Heritage Museum, which has exhibits about the arrival and spread of Christianity and also the Shimabara Rebellion. Another important museum worth checking out is the Mt. Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall which commemorates the destructive power of Mount Unzen and its recent disasters during the 1990s.