Enjoy a Luxurious Buffet and Natural Hot Springs on the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki: Unzen Mikado Hotel

From the moment you arrive at the hotel, an extraordinary world unfolds.
Guests are welcomed by a gigantic gate known as the “Mikado Gate.”
With pillars made from 800-year-old prized wood, it has an overwhelming presence that immediately draws your eyes.
It is also a symbolic spot of the hotel where many guests stop to take commemorative photos.
Fine wood is also used abundantly in the lobby, creating a space filled with the scent and warmth of wood.
This one-of-a-kind architectural design leaves everyone who visits feeling deeply moved and relaxed.

The biggest highlight of the hotel is its lavish dinner buffet.
High-quality ingredients line up in abundance, including Japanese wagyu beef, meaty snow crab, fresh sashimi, and seasonal ingredients harvested locally.
The luxury of enjoying whatever you like to your heart’s content is truly one of the joys of travel.
It is also a delight that the all-you-can-drink offering includes draft beer, distilled spirits, sake, and fruit liqueurs.
Satisfaction with the meal is extremely high, and it is known as a highly regarded buffet even within Japan.
In fact, it won first place for two consecutive years in the Jalan Award 2024 Kyushu area 101 to 300 rooms category, “Best Lodging Award You Were Glad You Stayed: Dinner.”
It also boasts a long list of awards, including the “Rakuten Travel 2024 Bronze Award.”
This dinner fully delivers on the expectation of “Since it is a special trip, I want to enjoy a truly luxurious meal.”

The hot springs that soothe travel fatigue are also a major attraction unique to Unzen Mikado Hotel.
The natural hot springs sourced from the hotel’s own spring are provided as free-flowing hot spring water, with an alkaline simple hot spring quality.
The water feels gentle on the skin, and because it leaves your skin feeling smooth after bathing, it is affectionately known as a “beauty bath.”
From the open-air bath “Tenku no Yu” in the main building, you can take in sweeping views of the Ariake Sea, and the sunrise view in particular is exceptional.
When the sky and sea are dyed in the colors of dawn, the beauty is so captivating that you may find yourself lingering in the bath.
A rock bath carved out of natural stone is also one of the popular options.
In a rustic atmosphere that blends into nature, you can enjoy an extraordinary bathing experience.
Soaking in hot springs under a starry sky will slowly ease the tension in both your mind and body.

Guest rooms come in a wide range of types, including Japanese-style rooms, Western-style rooms, and Japanese-style rooms with open-air baths, so you can choose based on your travel style and group size.
Among them, especially recommended are Japanese-style rooms with open-air baths located in detached annexes.
This private space, where you can enjoy hot springs as much as you like at any time without worrying about others, is a luxury unique to this inn.
Outside the window, the Ariake Sea and the rich nature of Shimabara stretch out before you, and even time spent doing nothing can feel pleasant.
Overall, the guest rooms are spaciously designed, making it less likely for families to feel cramped.
A space that balances relaxation and comfort will further enhance satisfaction with your stay.

The spaces that make extensive use of fine wood look completely different during the day and at night.
At night, the grain illuminated by lighting beautifully stands out, and the hotel interior is wrapped in a quiet, fantastical atmosphere.
While offering the comfort of a modern resort, the space lets you feel the warmth of wood everywhere, and every scene is picture-perfect.
With many spots that make you want to take photos, the stay itself will remain as a memorable part of your trip.

One highlight of Unzen sightseeing is Unzen Jigoku, where the scent of sulfur and white steam fill the air.
It is located about a 20-minute drive from Unzen Mikado Hotel.
As you walk along a promenade that takes about 30 minutes to complete, you can visit more than 30 hells along the way.
Each one has its own name, such as Dai-kyokan Jigoku (Great Screaming Hell), Oito Jigoku, and Seishichi Jigoku, with stories and legends behind them.
At Dai-kyokan Jigoku, where the most intense steam rises, an observation point is set up, allowing you to see the rising steam up close.
Near Oito Jigoku, there is Unzen Jigoku Chaya (teahouse), which also serves as a rest spot, with a foot steam bath area where you can feel geothermal heat and steam by placing your feet inside, and Unzen Jigoku Kobo where you can try hot spring eggs (2 eggs for 200 yen) steamed by the geothermal vents.

Ayugaeri no Taki stands quietly in the mountains of Minamishimabara.
The water that cascades from a height of about 14 meters is highly transparent, and it is said to have been named because sweetfish once swam upstream to the basin below the falls.
Upstream from the falls, a broad slab of bedrock spreads out, and in summer many families visit to play in the water.
At Taki-no-chaya (a teahouse) near the falls, you can enjoy dishes made with Shimabara hand-stretched somen noodles, a specialty of Minamishimabara, as well as river fish dishes.
It is a place where you can refresh both body and mind while taking in plenty of negative ions.

If you want to enjoy seasonal flowers, visit Ariake no Mori Flower Park.
Located at the foot of Maidake, the park covers an area of about 35,000 square meters.
In spring, rapeseed flowers and cherry blossoms bloom across the landscape, and in autumn, cosmos and salvia fill the park, delighting visitors.
Beyond the carpet of flowers, you can look out over the calm Ariake Sea and even as far as Kumamoto on the opposite shore, and the contrast of flowers, sea, and sky is truly spectacular.
A facility called “Furusato Bussankan” (local products hall) is also attached within the park, so you can enjoy shopping between strolls.