Unzen Nita Pass Autumn Leaves 2026 Confirmed

雲仙・仁田峠の紅葉 — Unzen, Nagasaki (Kyushu)

Nita Pass, at over 1,000 meters on the flank of the Unzen volcano group, produces some of the earliest and most dramatic foliage in Kyushu — late October to about November 10, when the slopes of Mount Fugen ignite in a mosaic so celebrated it's protected as a National Natural Monument. The Unzen Ropeway lifts you from the pass toward Myoken-dake in three minutes, floating over the color with views across the Ariake Sea to Kumamoto on clear days.

Background

Unzen became part of Japan's first group of national parks in 1934, its slopes long famed as a summer resort for foreign residents of East Asia. Mount Fugen's 1990-1995 eruption reshaped the massif, creating the Heisei Shinzan lava dome that now looms behind the autumn ridgelines.

Getting there

Take a bus from Nagasaki Station or JR Isahaya Station to Unzen Onsen (about 100 and 80 minutes respectively), then a shared taxi or seasonal shuttle up to Nita Pass. Drivers should note the one-way Nita Pass loop road backs up badly at peak; shuttle buses typically run from early November (from November 1 in 2025).

Tips

• During peak color the loop road can gridlock by mid-morning — use the shuttle from Unzen Onsen or drive up before 8:30am.
• The pass itself is free to visit (the loop road collects a small voluntary fee); the ropeway ride to the upper station is the paid extra worth taking.
• From the ropeway's upper viewpoint, morning light on Fugen-dake's east face gives the strongest color contrast; afternoons often bring haze off the sea.
• Base yourself in Unzen Onsen and walk the steaming, sulfurous Unzen Jigoku "hells" at dusk — mountain foliage by day, volcanic steam and hot springs by night.