Nagasaki · Unzen Onsen
Unzen Yunosato communal bath (Dankyū-buro)
雲仙温泉 湯の里温泉共同浴場（だんきゅう風呂）
Because drilling is banned inside the national park, every bath in Unzen runs on naturally rising water. This little communal bath on the edge of the spa town, known locally as 'Dankyū-buro', has just one deep oval pool into which the acidic hydrogen-sulphide spring flows fresh; depending on the season and the day it may be milky white or nearly clear. It is hot, 43–44°C, with a faint sulphur scent. Adults ¥200, children ¥100; open 09:00–22:00, closed Tuesdays. No dryers or amenities — soap is sold — but there are lockers, and parking for four cars. After touring the Unzen Hells, a rare chance to taste the local bath for ¥200, a world apart from the big tourist bathhouses.
- Price (adult)
- ¥200
- Hours
- 09:00–22:00
- Closed
- Tue
- Access
- About 5 min on foot from the 'Unzen Oyama-no-Jōhōkan-mae' or 'Unzen' bus stop (about 80 min by bus from JR Isahaya Station); about 60 min by car from Isahaya IC
- Water type
- Acidic spring
- Tattoos
- Ask ahead
- Admission
- Adults ¥200 / children ¥100 — Unzen’s cheapest bath. No amenities (no soap, shampoo or dryer); lockers available. Cash
- Baths
- Unzen’s oldest communal bath. “Dankyu” is dialect for pickling shallots — the tub was once a shallot-pickling barrel. One small oval tub per gender, quite deep. Renovated around 2019
- Water
- Acidic hydrogen-sulfide (simple sulfur) spring, hot. Milky or clear depending on season and weather. Inside a national park no drilling is allowed — all Unzen water rises naturally
- Parking
- Only 3–4 spaces on a narrow lane (hard to turn a large car). 3 min on foot from Unzen Jigoku and the shrine — walking is easier
- Phone
- 080-5286-2576
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
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Why go
- Naturally rising acidic sulphur spring
- Milky one day, clear the next
- ¥200; 9 am to 10 pm
¥200 in Unzen’s oldest bathhouse, born from a pickling barrel
Unzen Onsen sits 700 m up on the Shimabara peninsula inside a national park, with a steaming fumarole field called “Jigoku” (hell) in the middle of town. Most inns are upmarket, but in the quiet residential lane behind the street survive communal baths you can enter for ¥200. Yunosato bathhouse, “Dankyu-buro”, is the oldest, named after the shallot-pickling barrel that once served as its tub. One small oval tub per gender, deep enough to cover your shoulders, filled hot with acidic sulfur water — no soap, no dryer, just a towel-and-soap bath. After walking the Jigoku, there is no better place to soak while the sulfur still clings to you.
Tips & cautions
- Closed Tuesdays. No amenities — bring towel, soap and shampoo (sold in town).
- Very hot; a little cold water is OK, but be considerate of locals. The tub is deep — watch children.
- It is residents’ daily bath: busy in the evening, keep voices down.
- Parking is 3–4 cars on a narrow lane — use the public car park and walk.
- Shin-yu bathhouse (¥200, closed Wed) is also within walking distance for a “two-bath ¥400” evening.
- Acidic sulfur water: remove jewellery, protect your eyes.
Getting there
~3 min on foot from the “Unzen” bus stop and Unzen Onsen Shrine (Obama-cho Unzen 303-1). ~1 h 40 min by bus from Nagasaki Station, ~1 h 20 min from Isahaya. 5 min from the Unzen Jigoku entrance.
Before you go
- No official tattoo policy is published — ask at reception.
- As a communal bath there is no soap or shampoo — bring your own or buy at the shop.
- Strongly acidic water — rinse off afterwards, avoid long soaks, and remove silver jewellery.
- The water runs hot (43–45°C). Don't add cold water; take short repeated dips instead.
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
Features
Mood & scenery
Price
Who with
Only here
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 Operating status and rates cross-checked against the official site and onsen guides (full source notes in Japanese on the JA page)
Prices and hours change. Check official sources before visiting.
More in this area
Unzen Kojigoku Onsen-kan
A historic cure-bath in the hills a short way from Unzen's main street, said to have hosted Siebold and Yoshida Shōin. An octagonal wooden bathhouse with milky sulfur water cooled from a 90°C source. No open-air bath, but Unzen's finest water.
Unzen Yokayu
A day-bath with a simple lodging near the entrance to Unzen Jigoku. Every tub is free-flowing milky sulfur water — indoor, open-air and four private outdoor baths. ¥500, 9 am to 9 pm; an easy stop before or after touring the 'hells'.
Obama Onsen Wakihama Public Bath (Otasshan-yu)
A communal bath in Obama Onsen on Tachibana Bay, whose ~100°C springs release more heat than any in Japan. The single-storey wooden building from 1937 feels like a museum of Showa-era life and is a designated prefectural townscape asset. Pay at the old-style counter, then choose between the hot and very hot tubs of free-flowing chloride water. Open from 6 am; part of the Kyushu 88 Onsen trail. About an hour from Nagasaki city, on the way back from Unzen.
