Take the Female-Only Bus and Go on a Relaxing Trip! Stay at Unzen Kanko Hotel!

Review of Unzen Kanko Hotel | Obamacho Unzen 320
hot-spring
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Kazumi
Kazumi 
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| 4 min read

“Hime-bus” is a new type of female-only rental bus in Kyushu. It’s designed to appeal to women in many ways – with its pink color, comfortable seats with massaging function and the big UV-cut windows. To ride on this bus means to forget your daily worries and embark on a high-class trip. In this article I would like to introduce a day trip to Nagasaki prefecture’s Unzen city and the Unzen Kanko Hotel, a registered national tangible cultural property.

Unzen Kanko Hotel impressed with its classical and solemn presence

take the female-only bus and go on a relaxing trip! stay at unzen kanko hotel! | unzen kanko hotel impressed with its classical and solemn presence

Unzen Kanko Hotel is located southwest of Mt Unzendake, at 700 meters above sea level. In 1934 this area was the first in Japan to become a national park and quickly developed as a summer escapade for many of Nagasaki’s foreign residents. The name “Unzen” comes from “onsen” (hot springs), since there are many hot springs in the mountain. There’s even a great Onsen Shrine in the town.


Unzen Kanko Hotel was opened in 1935 and its classical Western-style wooden building has been registered as a tangible cultural property. When you see it for the first time you’ll wonder if this is really in Japan. The building still retains the solemn feeling of its time and doesn’t change no matter how many years have passed. Now, let’s enter inside!

(Please check the link below for more details about Unzen Kanko Hotel)

A hotel in which you can spend all day without the need to go out

take the female-only bus and go on a relaxing trip! stay at unzen kanko hotel! | a hotel in which you can spend all day without the need to go out

The hotel has a solemn classical presence not only from outside, but also inside. Everything is well-maintained to the smallest details such as the wooden pillars and the handrails. The gloss of the nice amber color around you creates the illusion that you’re still in the old times. The hotel hasn’t aged at all throughout the years and has a refined elegant atmosphere like a matured wine.


As a special part of the tour we got to see the room where Emperor Showa used to stay. It has a bathtub with curved legs which nowadays isn’t so rare, but back then it was something very luxurious!

There are many places to spend your time in this hotel – a café and a bar, a spa, a billiards room, and a hot spring. I recommend the library. It has about 1500 books and the cosy atmosphere is ideal for spending a relaxing time. The furniture matches the style of the old times. Take a quiet and luxurious rest in this pleasant library.

The hot spring water is rich in minerals and the bathroom has interesting art decorations

take the female-only bus and go on a relaxing trip! stay at unzen kanko hotel! | the hot spring water is rich in minerals and the bathroom has interesting art decorations

Let me introduce the hot spring! You will be quite impressed the minute you enter the bathroom. It’s by no means a wide one, but impresses with its arch-shaped windows and dome ceiling, as well as with the art decoration which is in style with the rest of the hotel. There is an indoor pool and an open-air bath. The water is acidic, contains sulfur, aluminum sulfate and plenty of minerals. The pH index is rather low at 2.0 and your skin gets stimulated at the touch with the water. This hot spring is said to be very good for treating skin diseases. 


The amenities are all brand goods – the soap is Bulgari, while the shampoo is Margaret Josefin. These amenities are eco-friendly and do not use much oil. In fact, everything in this tour is considered from the women’s point of view and made to appeal to the female visitors. 



This hot spring sadly cannot be used during a day trip. However, if you buy lunch you can enter the bathroom for 1000 JPY (tax excluded), so why not make use of this great opportunity? In the café you can eat some amazing sweets which I’ll introduce next.

Lunch: 12 pm to 2 pm Café: 10 am to 5 pm

The gorgonzola cheese cake has a nice rich taste

take the female-only bus and go on a relaxing trip! stay at unzen kanko hotel! | the gorgonzola cheese cake has a nice rich taste

As its name suggests, the gorgonzola cheese cake uses the famous Italian blue cheese. Not too sweet, but rich in taste and even slightly savory, this cheese cake goes very well with wine. In the past you could only eat it at this hotel, but now they’ve started a delivery too. You can buy the cheese cake as souvenir gift from this café. Be sure to try its rich taste if you come here. One piece costs 550 JPY, while the whole cake is 4500 JPY (tax excluded).

The female-only Hime-bus is like a dream come true!

the female-only hime-bus is like a dream come true!

As I explained earlier, this tour is provided by the new female-only rental bus Hime-bus. The female owner of this travel company developed the tours around Kyushu to satisfy the passionate needs of travelling women. Hime-bus has rows of 3 seats, and a total of 24 seats. All seats have a reclining and massaging function and there’s plenty of space for your legs. The big windows are UV-cut, so there’s no need to worry about getting sunburnt. The windows are not divided which allows for great panorama views. Coffee and tea are served inside, and all seats have a plug in which you can charge your smartphone or camera. The day trip to Unzen includes a special lunch and other appealing services. With this tour you can see and go to places that are usually not easily accessible. 


Hime-bus makes you feel like a true princess. Many of the offered tours are day trips, so you can casually embark on a high-class trip. (Please check the link below for more information about Hime-bus)

Enjoy the nature and the four seasons by walking around or taking the ropeway

Unzen Kanko Hotel is so great that you can easily spend one whole day inside without going out, but if you have time, be sure to visit the Unzen Hells (volcanic vents and hot springs). Smell the sulfur and eat hot spring eggs! You can also take the ropeway which connects Mita Pass and Mt Myokendake and enjoy the wonderful view. In winter you can see the natural wonder of silver frost on the trees. However, take warm clothes even in early spring because it can be cold up in the mountains.

Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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