Mount Unzen 雲仙岳
Unzen, Japan
Mount Unzen is a stratovolcano and the highest point in the area, reaching an elevation of 1,486 m. It is a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and is one of the 30 most looked-up sights in Japan on English Wikipedia.
Planning a visit
The site is 922 km from Tokyo. Travelers can reach the area via Amakusa Airport, which is 34 km away, or Nagasaki Airport, which is 40 km away. The weather varies throughout the year. The warmest months are July and August, with daily highs of 25 °C and 26 °C, but these months also see heavy rainfall, with July recording 733 mm and June recording 722 mm. The coldest period is in January and February, when daily lows reach -1 °C and 0 °C. Rainfall is also notable in the spring, with March and April seeing about 290 mm and 318 mm. December is the month with the lowest rainfall at 110 mm.
Mount Unzen can be combined with visits to several nearby locations. Hara Castle is roughly 15 km away, and Kumamoto Castle is roughly 38 km away. Other sites located approximately 40 km from the mountain include Dejima, Oura Church, and the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in the city of Nagasaki.
Weather by month
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 26 °C. The wettest is July, with about 733 mm of rain.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high, °C | 4 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 7 |
| Average low, °C | -1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 1 |
| Rainfall, mm | 122 | 170 | 290 | 318 | 386 | 722 | 733 | 362 | 387 | 178 | 157 | 110 |
| Rainy days | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
Temperatures and rainfall: 1981–2010 averages for this spot (4 km grid), from CHELSA. Rainy days: 2015–2024, NASA POWER.
