Unzen Kanko Hotel, a resort hotel styled like a Swiss chalet located inside Unzen National Park in Nagasaki Prefecture, has been welcoming guests from Japan and abroad for more than eight decades.

Unzen has long been a much-loved summer resort among foreign guests. During the Taisho Period, the region was developed into a tourist resort specifically for foreign travelers. With the opening of the first public golf course in Japan and the inauguration of the Shanghai Ferry connecting Nagasaki and Shanghai, Unzen quickly became a popular tourist destination. One year after Unzen became the first national park in Japan, the Unzen Kanko Hotel opened in 1935 as the first hotel in Japan to use the word kanko (tourism) in its name and dedicate itself to tourism. The hotel building was later registered as a tangible cultural property of Japan.

General Manager Satoko Funahashi said the hotel aims to offer its guests luxurious time and warm hospitality, while adding a page to their books of memories. "Welcome back to Unzen!" is how staff greet visitors, explained Funahashi, stressing that it's "welcome back," rather than "welcome," as they want guests to feel that the hotel is their second home.

Guests can find peace and tranquility in rooms with the warm, simple atmosphere of a mountain lodge that feature chic William Morris wallpaper. Natural surroundings embrace the hotel and reflect the changing seasons, with the mountains bathed in pale pink rhododendrons and Miyama-Kirishima azaleas in spring and fiery leaves in autumn being among the most-popular tourist attractions.

Abundant local ingredients are used in traditional French cuisine served in the hotel's spacious restaurant. The hotel also features a Japanese restaurant, bar, shop, lounge, library and billiards room.

Prices start from ¥37,800 with dinner and breakfast (tax and service charge included).