is an onsen

Onsen

An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...

, or hot spring resort, established in 713

713

Year 713 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 713 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* Byzantine Emperor Philippicus is...

 and located in Obama, Unzen

Unzen, Nagasaki

is a city in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, located on the northern tip of Shimabara Peninsula, facing Ariake Bay in the east and Mount Unzen to the south. Unzen city was formed on October 11, 2005 by a merger of the towns of Aino, Azuma, Chidiwa, Kunimi, Minamikushiyama, Mizuho and Obama, all from...

, Nagasaki Prefecture

Nagasaki Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. The capital is the city of Nagasaki.- History :Nagasaki Prefecture was created by merging of the western half of the former province of Hizen with the island provinces of Tsushima and Iki...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It is known for having the hottest and most active springs in Japan, with some of them reaching 80-100°C and producing over 15,000 tons of hot water daily. The area was formerly part of Hizen Province

Hizen Province

was an old province of Japan in the area of Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen and Chikugo. The province was included in Saikaidō...

. Its location near the sea shore allows one to see the sun setting, which makes it a popular location to visit in the evenings. The poet Saito Mokichi

Saito Mokichi

was a Japanese poet of the Taishō period, a member of Araragi school, and a psychiatrist.The psychiatrist Shigeta Saitō is his first son, the novelist Morio Kita is his second son and the essayist Yuka Saitō is his granddaughter....

 wrote about Obama Onsen in his poem , and a monument with the words of the poem was erected near the onsen.

Obama Onsen is famous for its Obama Chanpon

Champon

, also known as Chanpon, is a noodle dish that is a regional cuisine of Nagasaki, Japan. Due to the inspiration from Chinese cuisine, it is also a form of Japanese Chinese cuisine. Champon is made by frying pork, seafood and vegetables with lard; a soup made with chicken and pig bones is added. A...

a dish made of noodles, seafood, and vegetables. The onsen has about 20 stores and restaurants nearby, serving everything from Western style food to sushi

Sushi

is a Japanese food consisting of cooked vinegared rice combined with other ingredients . Neta and forms of sushi presentation vary, but the ingredient which all sushi have in common is shari...

, alcoholic beverages, and various interpretations of the Obama Chanpon. Shrimp are found in abundance along the beaches near the onsen, and a special soup is made from them. The onsen was designated as a National Recreation Onsen in 1962, and was first recorded in a in 713.

The onsen is accessible by bus from Isahaya Station

Isahaya Station

is a railway station in Eishō-chō, Isahaya, Nagasaki, Japan. It is owned by Kyushu Railway Company , and is served by three lines, the Nagasaki Main Line, Ōmura Line, and the Shimabara Railway Line...

 on the Nagasaki Main Line and Ōmura Line

Omura Line

is a railway line in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Part of the JR Kyushu, it runs from Haiki Station in Sasebo to Isahaya Station in Isahaya.-Track data:*Company: Kyushu Railway Company*Distance: 47.6km*Gauge: 1067mm*Stations: 13*Tracks: Single...

s run by JR Kyushu

Kyushu Railway Company

The , also referred to as , is one of the constituent companies of Japan Railways Group . It operates intercity rail services in Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait between Fukuoka and Busan, South Korea.When Japan Railways was divided in...

, as well as the Shimabara Railway Line. The ride is about 60 minutes. A fireworks show is held annually in December at the onsen.