Local Guide
Have fun even when it rains! 5 sightseeing spots to fully enjoy the Unzen and Shimabara areas of Nagasaki Prefecture

Surrounded by Mt. Unzen, the Ariake Sea, and Tachibana Bay, the Unzen area is blessed with a rich natural environment. In addition to outdoor Activity that allow you to become one with nature, there are also plenty of indoor spots that are fun to enjoy even when it rains. There is a wide variety of Experience, from Experience to Japanese candle making, and even Japan's first volcano Experience Property. We have picked out five recommended spots with "Experience" as the keyword.

I enjoy the time I spend immersed in my creations. Making one-of-a-kind pieces

You can make small bowls, coffee cups, tea bowls, etc. at the potter's wheel Experience (3,300 yen each). You will be carefully supported so even beginners can feel at ease.
You can make small bowls, coffee cups, tea bowls, etc. at the potter's wheel Experience (3,300 yen each). You will be carefully supported so even beginners can feel at ease.

Unzen ware is said to have started in 1926 (Taisho 15) when tea master Shigeta Hyakkansai visited Unzen and opened a kiln to make tea bowls. At the Unzen Ware Kiln in Unzen hot spring Town, you can Experience throwing on a potter's wheel under a lecture from the fourth-generation head of the family.

The electric potter's wheel requires delicate work to stretch the clay evenly and mold it into a shape, but the staff will help you with the difficult steps, so even children can do it with ease. The time you spend touching the clay and immersed in your creation will be a great memory. After detailed finishing, drying, and firing, the finished product will be delivered to you in 3 to 4 months.

At the gallery, you can experience the beauty of Unzen ware in three different ways.

A gallery separate from the workshop where you can Experience out the pottery. There is also a tea room in the back left of the photo where pottery is on display.
A gallery separate from the workshop where you can Experience out the pottery. There is also a tea room in the back left of the photo where pottery is on display.

We also recommend stopping by the gallery next to the workshop, which currently displays the works of three different artists, the fourth-generation owner and his parents, the third-generation owner and his wife.
The representative piece of Unzen ware is the "Yutenmeku" (oil droplet tenmoku), which uses volcanic ash from Mount Unzen as a glaze to create a unique texture with countless speckles. You will be captivated by the color of the glaze, which contains iron, and the unique patterns. Other items on display include tea ceremony utensils such as vases and water jars, as well as modern tableware that you will want to use every day. Just looking at these tableware that will brighten up your daily life will make your heart flutter.

Comments Local Guide
At Hoshino Resorts KAI Unzen the dinner appetizers served on Unzen Ware Pottery's "Boat-shaped Mukazuke" tableware are beautifully presented, making the food stand out even more.
Unzen ware pottery
  • URLhttps://utanooto2015.wixsite.com/unzen
  • 住所304 Unzen, Obama-cho, Unzen City, Nagasaki Prefecture MAP
  • アクセスAbout 5 minutes walk from Hoshino Resorts KAI Unzen
  • 営業時間9:00〜17:00
  • 定休日Irregular holidays
  • 入場料Wheel-throwing Experience 3,300 yen + shipping fee for the finished product (takes about 1 hour) *Recommended ages: 5 and up. Children must be accompanied by a guardian.
  • TEL080-6970-3532
  • 駐車場free
  • メモReservations for Experience can be made in advance by phone or via the website (same-day reservations are also possible).

Experience making your own glass with your own design

"Making a photo frame" 2,300 yen per person. The result is as beautiful as real stained glass.
"Making a photo frame" 2,300 yen per person. The result is as beautiful as real stained glass.

Kyushu's leading glass art museum has a collection of about 300 pieces, including blown glass from the Edo period, 19th century Bohemian glass, oil lamps, etc. Not only the pieces themselves, but the space that matches the theme of the exhibition is also gorgeous.

A popular experience among visitors is the "glass-making Experience" that can only be found at a glass art museum. There are five Experience menus, including making your own original glass, stained-glass style photo frames, accessories such as earrings, glass beads, and kaleidoscopes, and the required time for each menu ranges from about 30 minutes to two hours. You can easily Experience according to your schedule.

Valuable glass products are also sold at the museum shop.

The museum shop boasts a wide selection of products. Many of the glass products are one-of-a-kind.
The museum shop boasts a wide selection of products. Many of the glass products are one-of-a-kind.

The museum shop on the first floor sells a wide range of products, mainly glass products from Japan and abroad. Some of the items on offer include rare Bohemian glass and vintage European glass such as "Baccarat", and if you're lucky, you might even find a bargain. There are many beautiful pieces that you'll want to take home as a memento of your trip.

In addition to visiting the museum, you can also Experience glass-making and look for souvenirs. The time you spend interacting with art using all five senses is sure to be etched into the memories of your trip to Unzen.

Comments Local Guide
The triangular-roofed Western-style building catches your eye. From the end of the Meiji period to the beginning of the Showa period, when Unzen was popular as a summer resort for foreigners, the locals changed the roofs of the entire town to a Western style and replaced the shoji screens with glass doors to welcome them.
Unzen Bidro Museum
  • URLhttps://unzenvidro.weebly.com
  • 住所320 Unzen, Obama-cho, Unzen City, Nagasaki Prefecture MAP
  • アクセスAbout 7 minutes on foot from Hoshino Resorts KAI Unzen
  • 営業時間9:30-17:00 (may vary depending on the season)
  • 定休日Wednesdays, New Year's holidays
  • 入場料Adults 700 yen, Junior and senior high school students 500 yen, Elementary school students 300 yen, Toddlers free
    Glass making Experience starts from 1,700 yen (varies depending on the menu)
  • TEL0957-73-3133
  • 駐車場free
  • メモGlass-making Experience can be booked on the day you visit. However, reservations are given priority (by phone).

A nostalgic candy store with a surprising variety of items

The store is packed with products up to the ceiling. The wide variety of products makes you want to buy everything.
The store is packed with products up to the ceiling. The wide variety of products makes you want to buy everything.

The store is filled with a wide range of retro sweets and toys. There are about 2,000 different kinds, from classic items to rare items, lined up in a small space, making you feel like you're on a treasure hunt. Many people will be taken back to their childhood by the nostalgia.

The first floor is a candy store, and the second floor is a museum of non-sale toys (closed as of April 2024). When it first opened in the early Showa period, it was just a regular souvenir shop, but changed to its current form around 1990. It has now become a famous spot in Unzen hot spring town.

A nostalgic candy store Experience for adults and a fresh one for children

There are many items that you will want to pick up.
There are many items that you will want to pick up.

Besides dagashi, there are many other products called dagayaku (cheese toys), such as lottery tickets, menko (stickers), and tin toys. Many of the dagayaku are no longer in production, so there is a possibility that rare items are lurking. There are also character cards from the 1950s, and even if you are not from that time, you will be captivated by the retro and kitschy designs.

The sweets and toys bring back memories for adults and seem fresh to children. It's a fascinating spot that families can visit with their families and enjoy from different perspectives.

Comments Local Guide
Once you enter the store, you'll instantly feel like you're back in your childhood. The great thing about dagashi is that when you eat them again as an adult, you experience a whole new kind of excitement.
Unzen Toy Museum
  • URLhttps://www.shimakanren.com/about/spot/detail.php?id=1370
  • 住所310 Unzen, Obama-cho, Unzen City, Nagasaki Prefecture MAP
  • アクセスAbout 2 minutes walk from Hoshino Resorts KAI Unzen
  • 営業時間10:00〜17:00
    *Open mainly on Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, long weekends, and during the autumn foliage season.
  • 定休日Irregular holidays
  • TEL0957-73-3441（営業日のみ通話可能）
  • 駐車場free

A fun, Experience-on museum for learning about volcanoes

"Heisei Eruption Diorama Mapping"
"Heisei Eruption Diorama Mapping"

"Gamadasu" means "try your best" in the Shimabara dialect. This is the first volcano Experience museum in Japan, which opened in 2002 to convey the lessons learned from the 1990 eruption of Mount Unzen-Fugen to future generations.

The permanent exhibits use the latest technology, such as mapping and drone footage, to allow visitors to Experience volcanic disasters in an easy-to-understand and powerful way through the "Heisei Eruption Diorama Mapping" and "Great Eruption Theater." Visitors can learn about why disasters occur, the reality of volcanic disasters and the threat they pose, the state of recovery, and the blessings that volcanoes bring. In these days of all kinds of natural disasters, the whole family can learn about how to prepare for emergencies.

Don't miss the "Children's Geopark," an indoor playground where you can learn while playing.

A bouldering Experience at the "Children's Geopark." There is also a space for babies and toddlers, available for ages 6 months and older.
A bouldering Experience at the "Children's Geopark." There is also a space for babies and toddlers, available for ages 6 months and older.

The indoor playground, "Children's Geopark," is an Experience zone where children can enjoy, feel, and learn about the power of the earth and the charms of the Unzen volcano with their whole body. There is also "Geo Mountain," which offers a 360-degree view from the top of Heisei-Shinzan, and bouldering that resembles the strata of Heisei-Shinzan and the Unzen volcano, which will excite children.

There is also a "Wonder Lab" where you can learn about volcanoes, science, and disaster prevention through experimental workshops. There are a variety of programs that can only be Experience here, such as "pyroclastic flow experiments" and "lava dome experiments." Adults can participate as well, as well as accompany their children.

Comments Local Guide
On weekends, craft workshops that adults can also participate in are held, so you can spend the whole day here. In the surrounding area, damaged buildings are preserved and exhibited as the "Debris Flow Damaged Houses Preservation Park." By visiting both, you can learn even more about the tragedy of the eruption damage.
Mount Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall (Gamadas Dome)
  • URLhttps://www.udmh.or.jp
  • 住所1-1 Heisei-cho, Shimabara City, Nagasaki Prefecture MAP
  • アクセスAbout 30 minutes by car from Hoshino Resorts KAI Unzen
  • 営業時間9:00-18:00 (entry until 17:00)
    *Children's Geopark 9:30-17:00
  • 定休日Open everyday (may be closed for maintenance)
  • 入場料Permanent exhibition: Adults 1,050 yen, middle and high school students 740 yen, elementary school students 530 yen
    (Children's Geopark costs an additional 350 yen per person, and Wonder Lab costs 500 yen per person)
  • TEL0957-65-5555
  • 駐車場free

100% natural Japanese candles made using traditional methods

A scene from the "Japanese Candle Making Experience." The wick is set up, heated and liquefied wood wax is poured in, and the candle is removed from the mold and completed.
A scene from the "Japanese Candle Making Experience." The wick is set up, heated and liquefied wood wax is poured in, and the candle is removed from the mold and completed.

This Japanese candle workshop was founded in 1930. Japanese candles are made with wax based on vegetable oils such as Japan wax (wood wax/oil from the wax tree) and a wick made of Japanese paper. The hollow structure of the candles allows the flame to flicker beautifully, and they can burn for a long time.

The raw material, haze, is a tree with deep ties to this area, having even supported the finances of the Shimabara Domain during the Edo period. The variety used at Honda Mokuro Kogyo was discovered in Shimabara in 1790 (Kansei 2) and later named "Showa Fukuhaze." No chemicals are used, and the manufacturing method using a ball-pressing press has been continued since the Edo period.

Create your own unique design with a Japanese candle painting Experience

Make your own Japanese candle using sample designs as a reference
Make your own Japanese candle using sample designs as a reference

The "Japanese Candle Making Experience" is also popular, where you can learn about Japanese candles, which are now rare. Experience takes about an hour, including an explanation of the process of making Japanese candles, the characteristics of wood wax, the history of Shimabara and Haze, and a tour of an oil mill. There is also a "painting Experience" where you can paint your own picture on the finished Japanese candle with acrylic paints. It takes about 30 minutes, including drying, so it is a casual Experience that even small children can enjoy.
The workshop also sells Japanese candles in a variety of designs and shapes painted by artisans, making them a great souvenir from Unzen.

Comments Local Guide
The flickering of a Japanese candle's flame has a rhythm called "1/F fluctuation" that people find soothing, just like a gentle breeze. It would be nice to spend the night by the gentle light of a Japanese candle, without relying on electric lights.
Honda Wood Wax Factory
  • URLhttps://shop.honda-mokurou.net
  • 住所545 Daisan Higashihei, Ariake-cho, Shimabara City, Nagasaki Prefecture MAP
  • アクセスAbout 33 minutes by car from Hoshino Resorts KAI Unzen
  • 営業時間9:00〜18:00
  • 定休日Monday
  • 入場料The Japanese candle Experience and painting Experience cost 1,500 yen each, and if you want to Experience both, the cost is 2,300 yen each.
  • TEL0957-68-0015
  • 駐車場free
  • メモReservations for the Japanese candle Experience and painting Experience can be made on the website or by phone.

MAP

Nearby Hoshino Resorts Property
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