is an

onsen In Japan, are hot springs and the bathing facilities and Ryokan (inn), traditional inns around them. There are approximately 25,000 hot spring sources throughout Japan, and approximately 3,000 ''onsen'' establishments use naturally hot water ...

(hot spring resort) in Obama, Unzen,

Nagasaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan, mainly located on the island of Kyūshū, although it also includes a number of islands off Kyūshū's northwest coast - including Tsushima and Iki. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,246,4 ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The hot springs system is located in the foothills of Mount

Unzen Volcano is an active volcanic group of several overlapping stratovolcanoes, near the city of Shimabara, Nagasaki on the island of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island. In 1792, the collapse of one of its several lava domes triggered a 1792 Unzen ...

. In Japanese, the word, "obama" means "little beach" or "little island". Although at least since 2008, the town's tourism office had been greeting visitors with a life-sized statue of the former American president,

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

, and vendors in town sold Barack Obama-themed towels. Both the statue and themed towel has been removed.

Water profile

The hot spring system known for having the hottest and most active springs in Japan, with some of them reaching 80-105 °C and producing over 15,000 tons of hot water daily. The hot spring system consists of 30 individual springs.

Environs

Its location near the seashore allows one to see the sun setting, which makes it a popular place to visit in the evenings. The poet Saito Mokichi wrote about Obama Onsen in his poem , and a monument with the words of the poem was erected near the onsen. The area was formerly part of

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

. The onsen was designated as a National Recreation Onsen in 1962, and was first recorded in a in 713 AD. A fireworks show is held annually in December.

Cuisine

Obama Onsen is famous for its ''Obama

chanpon , also known as ''Chanpon'', is a noodle dish that is a regional cuisine of Nagasaki, Japan. There are different versions in Japan, Korea and China. The dish was inspired by Chinese cuisine. ''Champon'' is made by frying pork, seafood and veg ...

'', 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 is a traditional Japanese dish made with , typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of , such as seafood, vegetables, or meat: raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked. While sushi comes in n ...

, alcoholic beverages, and interpretations of the Obama Chanpon. Shrimp are found in abundance along the beaches near the onsen, and a special soup is made from them. Additionally, Obama Onsen is famous for its ''Yu Senpei,'' a thin round crackers made using flour, eggs, sugar and hot spring water. Due to the high sulfur concentration in the hot spring water in Unzen area other than Obama, The Yu Senpei became a local specialty. It was sold as a specialty around 1884, and is characterized by its subtle sweetness, light , and gentle flavor.

Access

The onsen is accessible by bus from

Isahaya Station is a junction passenger railway station located in Eishō-chō, Isahaya, Nagasaki, Japan. It is owned by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) and the third-sector Shimabara Railway. Lines The station is served by the JR Nagasaki Main Line and ...

on the

Nagasaki Main Line The , or simply known as the Nagasaki Line, is a railway line owned by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) connecting Tosu Station in Saga Prefecture to Nagasaki Station in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. There is a separate branch of this line ...

and

Ōmura Line is a railway line in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It connects Haiki Station in Sasebo, Nagasaki, Sasebo to Isahaya Station in Isahaya, Nagasaki, Isahaya. From 1898 the line was part of the Nagas ...

s run by

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...

, as well as the

Shimabara Railway Line The is a Japanese railway line connecting Isahaya Station, Isahaya and Shimabarakō. The line parallels the coast of Shimabara Peninsula, Nagasaki Prefecture. The third-sector railway company Shimabara Railway owns the line and also operate ...

. The ride is about 60 minutes.

References

Hot springs of Nagasaki Prefecture Landforms of Nagasaki Prefecture 710s establishments Tourist attractions in Nagasaki Prefecture 8th-century establishments in Japan Unzen, Nagasaki {{nagasaki-geo-stub