Unzen, Japan's first designated National Park, used to be a retreat for foreign diplomats, missionaries and travellers escaping the summer heat of China in the Meiji Era. This half-day tour aims to recreate the original scenery they found at their arrival: a lush lakeside forest walk at Shirakumo Pond, heart of the National Park, a tea party on hill with a beautiful view on the mountains and a visit to the Unzen Kanko Hotel — a colonial-era landmark built in 1935, still open to this day.

Guests can also engage in timeless pastimes such as  billiards, a golf course walk, and other leisure activities once enjoyed by the hotel's original international guests: all can be arranged to suit the group's interests and pace. This is not just a visit: guests don't just learn history, but they feel part of it.

01 — Shirakumo Pond Nature Walk

A guided walk along the mossy lakeside trail of Shirakumo Pond, setat the heart of the National Park. Ancient trees, the quiet surface of a volcanic lake, and the still cool of a hillside morning. A guide in English will make sure the guests will keep Unzen in a special place in their heart, not only as a landscape. Guests will trail the same path the original visitors would walk, unchanged since more than a century ago.

02 — Hilltop Tea Party

A contemplative pause on the hillside— a cup of tea, a view across the landscape of Unzen, and the relaxing ritual of Japanese tea culture: the mountain itself turnt to your personal garden. Under the gentle lead of a Japanese tea instructor, this experience will  be a quiet counterpart to the walk: a quantum of solace, framed by open sky and the faint scent of sulfur drifting from Unzen Hell.

03 — Unzen Kanko Hotel & Timeless Pastimes

A visit to the Unzen Kanko Hotel — a handsome colonial-era wooden structure built in 1935 and still welcoming guests today. Guests will walk through the  historic hall and engage in timeless pastimes: billiards, a golf course walk, and other leisure activities once enjoyed by the hotel's original international clientele. Activities are arranged to suit the group's preferences (check in advance availability).