#Shimabara

Japan has over 100 active volcanoes. Habitable land is pretty scarce, the island nation is about the size of Germany, but loads of steep mountains stop widespread settlement. So people also settled right next to volcanoes.

At best, this makes for spectacular photos. For Shimabara, on the other hand, its closeness to the Unzen volcano proved fatal in the 1990s. After lots of small eruptions, the volcano blew, and pyroclastic flows buried houses in the town under a thick layer of ash. Luckily, all residents could be evacuated in time. Still, 43 scientists, reporters and a taxi driver lost their lives in the disaster.

Today, a Disaster Museum serves as a reminder of the tragedy. Nearby, you can check out a few former houses that look like they’ve sunk into the ground right up to their roofs. They show just what kind of natural forces are behind a volcanic eruption.

You can get to the park of the buried houses (土石流被災家屋保存公園) from Shimabara station by taking the bus to the Mizunashihonjin Fukae (みずなし本陣ふかえ) stop. Alternatively, you can grab a taxi from the Shimabarakō train stop. Access to the houses is free.

Actually, our trip yesterday was supposed to take us to the seaside resort of Beppu and to Kumamoto, but the region got hit by a massive earthquake a few weeks ago, which badly damaged Kumamoto Castle and the infrastructure too.

As a backup, we went to Shimabara-jō Castle today instead. We were welcomed there by folklore dancers and checked out the museum inside the castle.

After that, we headed into the town of Shimabara. Between 1990 and 1995, the nearby Unzen volcano erupted. Pyroclastic flows ended up pouring over the town and burying the houses under a thick layer of ash. The locals managed to evacuate in time, but it was too late for 43 scientists and reporters, as well as for the houses. Today, the Unzen Disaster Museum is here, where you can see a few former houses that look like they’ve sunk into the ground right up to the roof.

We took the cable car up to a viewing platform afterwards, where you can still see Mount Unzen steaming away. They sell eggs here too, though unlike at Ōwakudani, they’re just steam-cooked, so they’ve got white shells instead of black ones.