[Unzen onsen] Enjoy a luxurious trip at high-class ryokan and hotels. 6 recommended lodgings for couples

Unzen onsen is located on the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki. It is located in Unzen-Amakusa National Park, Japan's first national park, and is a place where you can feel the richness of nature. The hot onsen town, which started as a summer resort in the Meiji era, is divided into three areas, Furuyu, Shinyu, and Kojigoku, and has an attractive hot onsen atmosphere. Strolling around with your loved one in a yukata will really lift your spirits ♡ The highlight of the tour is Unzen Jigoku, where white steam rises from the ground. Why not enjoy the Unzen Jigoku Foot Steaming, where you can experience the geothermal heat with your feet at the Unzen Jigoku Teahouse rest area, or tuck into a freshly made, onsen egg at the Unzen Jigoku Kobo?

If you're going on an anniversary or reward trip as a couple, you'll want to stay somewhere incredibly nice. Enjoy a luxurious stay in a detached building on a vast piece of land, or soak in a bath with a spectacular view at a quiet lakeside hotel. Stay at a luxury ryokan or hotel with an extraordinary feel and create unforgettable memories with your loved one. In this article, we'll introduce you to some luxury inns in Unzen onsen that you'll want to stay at with your loved one.

Located about a 5-minute walk from Hakuun-no-ike Pond, where you can enjoy the natural scenery by the lake, Tabitei Hanzuiryo is a luxurious ryokan with only 14 guest rooms on a vast site of about 20,000 tsubo (19,000 m2). Once you pass through the stately Nagayamon gate, you will enter a tranquil world surrounded by trees that change with the seasons. Immerse yourself in the extraordinary scenery and feel the start of a special journey. Relax in a sukiya-style room with a Japanese garden and spend some time relaxing with beautiful food and onsen.

The guest rooms are decorated throughout with traditional techniques by Kyoto's palace carpenters. In particular, the single-story detached building is a special room that is only available to two groups per day. In addition to a living room and open-air bath, it is equipped with a sauna and a wet bar, making it feel like you are living in a prestigious mansion. You can spend a tranquil and private time in either room, whether that be a room with a suikinkutsu or tea room, or a room with tatami mats and crane lacquerware. It is the perfect place for an adult trip, where you can chat in a tranquil space overlooking a beautiful Japanese garden.

source:Contribution of Mr. Mitsugo

Once you've checked in and put your luggage in your room, be sure to take a stroll around the spacious grounds before enjoying onsen and dinner. You'll find a picturesque landscape far removed from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. As you walk through the moss-covered Japanese garden and stone pavement, the sounds of insects and leaves rustling in the wind will soothe your soul. If you get tired of walking, take a break at Senshinan in the gazebo with some Japanese sweets and matcha tea. You'll be able to spend a peaceful moment here.

The onsen springs of Unzen Onsen are historic and were first established as a therapeutic bath about 1,300 years ago. You can enjoy the waters to your heart's content in two baths. The spring quality is a simple acidic spring with a strong pH of 2.6. It is said to have beauty benefits and will leave your skin glowing. "East Bath" has separate indoor baths for men and women, an open-air bath, a sauna and a cold bath, so you can enjoy onsen while watching the seasonal scenery. "West Bath" has the same facilities as East Bath, but can be reserved for private use at certain times. You can rent out the spacious bath exclusively for yourself and relax in a spacious bath together.

source:Contribution of cafe mocha man

For dinner, you can enjoy authentic kaiseki cuisine, with the menu changing on the first of every month, in a Japanese-style room while admiring the garden. The main dishes are fresh, seasonal local ingredients such as Nagasaki Wagyu beef and Nagasaki puffer fish. The dishes are brought out one by one with careful attention paid to the selection of dishes, presentation, and temperature, in line with the pace of meal, so you can enjoy a menu that pleases both your eyes and your tongue, leaving you in a happy mood. If you would like to meal in, please contact the inn in advance.

Located about a 10-minute walk from the tourist spot Unzen Jigoku, Unzen Kanko Hotel has a classical atmosphere. It was founded in 1935 as a resort facility for foreigners to enjoy a summer getaway, and is now designated as a national registered tangible cultural property. Upon entering the stately Swiss chalet-style building, you'll find a large staircase, thick beams, and a space with historic handrails and pillars, making you feel as if you've traveled back in time to when the hotel was founded. With a luxurious space that blends East and West, it's the perfect place to stay for a reward trip with your partner.

The "Special Room" in the photo is a guest room that was loved by many VIPs, including Emperor and Empress Showa. Sit on the elegant floral sofa in the stately living room and toast with him with champagne! Why not reminisce about history together? There is also a stylish claw-foot bathtub in the bathroom. If you place a book on the bathtub tray and read, you can feel like you are the protagonist of a foreign drama. Enjoy a special time away from your daily life in a room that conveys tradition to the present.

The hotel is filled with nostalgic and intriguing facilities, so you might find yourself exploring the building. The "library" is a full-fledged reading space with over 1,500 books. The pillars and beams are finished with the traditional "hammered" technique, giving the space a rich wooden feel. You can freely read photo books, literary anthologies, and books donated by hotel guests, so you'll probably find yourself lost in a good read in the calming atmosphere.

The meal venue is a dining room with an area of over 200 tatami mats, where dance parties were once held. The open feeling of a ceiling over 4m high and the polished natural wood floor will further enhance the dining mood. Dinner is an Unzen French course where the chef will show off his skills. The dishes, which make use of seasonal ingredients from Unzen and Shimabara, such as "Tachibana Bay Marinated Yellowtail" and "Roasted Nagasaki Wagyu Beef Loin", are stylishly presented, and you may feel it's a shame to eat them.

The bathing facilities are just as stylish as the entrance and rooms! The "Sulfur Spring Bath" has an impressive dome-shaped ceiling and is decorated with Art Deco tiles and stained glass, giving the bath a retro Western-style atmosphere. The water is replaced every day, so you can enjoy onsen drawn from Koito Jigoku in comfort. The changing room is fully equipped with hairdryers, skin care products, and other amenities. After the bath, you can sit in a healing chair in the relaxation space and spend some relaxing time.

The resort hotel "Mt. Resort Unzen Kyushu Hotel" is located next to Unzen Jigoku, the central spot of Unzen onsen, making it an excellent location for sightseeing. From the lounge, you can see a spectacular view of white smoke gushing out, a sight that is typical of Unzen, and will make your special day even more exciting for the two of you. The hotel has a total of 25 guest rooms divided into four buildings on a site of 9,158 square meters. The spacious, high-quality space is perfect for adults, and you can enjoy an extraordinary hotel stay.

If you want to spend a special day in a private room, we recommend the annex, which is limited to four groups per day. There are two types, so choosing the room that suits you is one of the joys of traveling. Both are spacious rooms of over 90 m2, with high-quality spaces made with carefully selected building materials. They come with two luxurious baths, one semi-open-air and one open-air. The beds are premium class, made by Sealy, a purveyor to first-class hotels. They will gently wrap you up and soothe your body and mind after a long day of sightseeing in Unzen Jigoku.

The hotel does not have a large public bath, but all guest rooms have bathrooms with semi-open-onsen baths. You can use them whenever you like as much as you like without having to worry about the time or other guests. The annex in the photo also has an open-air bath in addition to the semi-open-air bath, so you can enjoy the luxury of using them depending on the weather and your mood. Enjoy a relaxing bath time while enjoying the aroma of the aromatherapy amenities provided by AROMATHERAPY ASSOCIATES, a long-established brand founded in the UK.

If you're staying at a hotel on a special occasion, it's a great feeling to have special meal as well. If you're staying in a detached building, you can enjoy upgraded standard dishes in a private private dining at the exclusive meal venue "grillé." Dinner is a European-style menu mainly consisting of Western dishes with a touch of Japanese and modern tastes, in honor of the fact that the hotel's founder was a Western-style cook on a ship. The perfectly cooked meat and seasonal vegetables will leave both of you very satisfied.

After a delicious meal, why not enjoy some alcohol at The Mellow Ridge, a cafe on the second floor, or The Roof Top Lounge, a lounge exclusively for guests on the rooftop. Drinks are inclusive for guests, so you can enjoy without hesitation. It's also nice to have a romantic chat with your boyfriend while feeling the pleasant night breeze on the terrace of the cafe. If you want to take it easy, we recommend reading a book from the mini library in the private lounge or relaxing in a massage chair. Enjoy your time in a way that suits you two.

Located on the banks of the tourist spot Oshidori Pond, Azumaen is a luxury inn where you can enjoy a spectacular view from onsen and kaiseki cuisine. One step into the lobby and you'll enter a glittering, Japanese world. From the windows, you can see the lake and Japanese garden with Unzen in the background, and you'll be captivated by a world reminiscent of a Japanese painting. All guest rooms have a view of the beautiful, mirror-like lake surface.

When you check in, you will be treated to a welcome drink in the lobby. Take a break and enjoy the spectacular view with a seasonal drink such as matcha or shiitake tea. Yame tea and the original Japanese sweet "Yumekasumi" are also available in the rooms, so you can enjoy a sweet treat whenever you like.

There are 27 guest rooms in total, with a variety of grades, including Japanese-style rooms and Japanese-Western style rooms. The VIP room East Room pictured is the room where the Crown Prince stayed in 2009. The room is a luxurious space of 144 tatami mats, with a 17 tatami mat Japanese-style room, an 11 tatami mat Japanese-style room, an 8 tatami mat Western-style room, a tea room, and a cypress open-air bath. The room also has a stylish courtyard garden that seems to be connected to the sky, making it a great place to celebrate an anniversary. You can enjoy a special stay just by staying in the room, gazing at the spectacular view from the window with your partner and taking in the atmosphere in the courtyard garden.

The inn's proud large public bath has three types of baths: an indoor bath, a cypress bath, and an open-air bath. You can enjoy the free-flowing water from their own hot spring, which contains metasilicic acid, which is said to be good for beautiful skin. The large indoor bath has the Unzen mountain range stretching out before you, and it feels as if it is connected to the lake surface! The temperatures of the three baths are all different, so you can soak in the baths and enjoy a relaxing feeling.

For dinner, enjoy kaiseki cuisine made with fresh seafood caught in the Ariake Sea and seasonal vegetables from Unzen and Shimabara. The food, which incorporates not only Japanese but also innovative Western flavors, is served on Arita ware. First, enjoy the food with your eyes, then savor the taste. Kyushu-specific sake is also available, so why not try some with your meal?

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Located within a 10-minute walk from popular spots such as Unzen Jigoku and Unzen Bidro Museum, Unzen Fukudaya is a "folk art modern inn" with a nostalgic yet stylish atmosphere. It has been awarded three stars in the Michelin Guide and is also certified as a five-star inn by the Tourism Economics Newspaper Company. Why not enjoy a relaxing and rewarding trip by savoring delicious food and soaking in the free-flowing hot spring water in a luxurious space created by the warmth of wood and soft lighting?

The guest rooms are located in the "Main Building" and the "New Building Yamasho - Annex -", which has a terrace and an open-air bath with natural hot spring water. We recommend the "Fuku" luxury room in the new building. It is a spacious room of about 63 m2 + terrace of about 14 m2. There is a coffee maker and the refrigerator has free drinks, so you can relax as you like. In addition to the open-air bath, there is also an indoor bath. After enjoying the starry sky with your partner in the open-air bath, it is nice to sit on the sofa on the terrace and cool down with the night breeze.

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This is an onsen where you can enjoy hot spring water straight from the source, so take your time to soak in the water. There are two indoor baths, two open-air baths, and four private baths in the "Main Building" and "New Building," so you can visit all eight baths. The water is a milky sulfur spring with a pH of 2.4, which feels smooth and comfortable on the skin, and relaxes the mind. We recommend bathing in the morning as well as at night! It will wake you up refreshed, and you'll be able to start the morning of your reward trip feeling refreshed.

*The photo is for illustrative purposes only.

After warming up in onsen, why not try maintaining your mind and body at the "Relaxation Salon IYASHI"? Treat yourself to a treat after all the hard work you've always done and enjoy a reward to the fullest. There are a wide variety of treatments on the menu, including "body massage" using hot stones and aromatic oils, and "facial esthetics" that are said to have a lifting effect. Relax and reset with your favorite treatment.

You can choose from 3 types of dinner. At the private dining "Nabe Danjo" where you can enjoy private dining, you can enjoy a multi-course meal using ingredients typical of the Shimabara Peninsula. You can also enjoy seasonal hot pot dishes such as "Nagasaki Wagyu A5 rank sukishabu" and the secret "Koichoru nabe", and ♡ you can enjoy teppanyaki kaiseki at the teppanyaki "Sakurabashi" and freshly fried local vegetables and seafood at the tempura specialty store "Kofuku". You can't help but admire the handiwork of the staff cooking over the counter.

"Yuyado Unzen Shinyu Hotel" is located about a 5-minute walk from the tourist spot, Unzen Jigoku. Right in front of the hotel is a foot bath plaza where you can enjoy onsen while wearing your clothes, and you can enjoy the tranquil atmosphere of the onsen town. This is the only long-established ryokan in Unzen that was founded in 1907 and has four of its own hot springs, and you can enjoy each of the hot springs in its own baths, each with its own unique atmosphere. In addition, the inn uses as many local ingredients as possible within a 15-mile radius. The fresh ingredients from the Shimabara Peninsula, known as the "stomach of Kyushu," are perfect for cooking on special occasions!

There are 66 rooms in total, with 7 types, each with a different atmosphere and design. For a special stay, we recommend the "Tsukitei" room, which is limited to 4 groups per day and has an open-air bath with free-flowing water from the 4th hot spring. It is set back more than the other rooms, so it feels very private. The open-air bath is made of either Shigaraki ware or cypress, and you won't know which one you'll get until the day of your stay. While soaking in onsen, enjoy a relaxing moment in the silence as you gaze upon the Japanese garden, which has remained unchanged for over 100 years since the hotel was founded.

The inn's four private hot springs have different concentrations and colors, so be sure to check them out as you bathe. The photo shows the women's large bath, Kasho-no-Yu, where you can enjoy free-flowing water from the third hot spring. Renovated in 2019, you can enjoy the waters in the spacious cypress indoor bath and the open-air garden bath. The water is highly concentrated and turns emerald green when exposed to natural sunlight! The sparkling, jewel-like onsen will make for wonderful memories of your special trip.

Dinner is an original multi-course meal that is particular about the selection of ingredients. You can relax in a semi-private room or private room without worrying about the surroundings. There are three types to choose from, so it's fun to worry about which one to get with him when you make a reservation. We recommend the special kaiseki "Yasen Kaiseki". Why don't you order bespoke dishes such as "lobster" and "cake & champagne" in excitement just by looking at ♩ the menu, such as "Nagasaki porcelain grilled beef" and "abalone dishes" where you can choose the cooking method, and take a commemorative photo with him with a big smile along with the sumptuous meal?

We also recommend enjoying some alcohol with dinner. There is a wide variety of sake and shochu available. Have a nice time with your partner while getting tipsy.

Unzen onsen has many luxury inns that are perfect for staying with your loved one, including rooms with high-quality open-air baths and luxurious suites. Be sure to choose the perfect inn for the two of you and enjoy a memorable and important trip!