Shimabara Hanto Travel Video Guide

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East of Nagasaki, the Shimabara Hanto bulges out into the Ariake Sea, tethered to mainland Kyushu by a neck of land just 5km wide. The peninsula owes its existence to the past volcanic fury of Unzen-dake which still grumbles away, pumping out sulphurous steam, and occasionally spewing lava down its eastern flanks. Buddhist monks first came to the mountain in the eighth century, followed more than a millennium later by Europeans from nearby Nagasaki attracted by the cool, upland summers and mild winters. Even today, Unzen , a small onsen resort surrounded by pine trees and billowing clouds of steam, draws holidaymakers to its hot springs, malodorous "hells" and scenic hiking trails. One of the most popular outings is to the lava dome of Fugen-dake , which roared back into life in 1990 after two centuries of inactivity, and now smoulders menacingly above Shimabara .

The old castle town was protected from the worst of the eruption by an older lava block, but still suffered considerable damage to its southern suburbs, which are slowly being rebuilt. Previously, Shimabara was famous largely for its association with a Christian-led rebellion in the seventeenth century when 37,000 peasants and their families were massacred. Both towns can be covered on a long day's journey between Nagasaki and Kumamoto, but if time allows Unzen makes a relaxing overnight stop.

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