Amakusa

A land of Hidden Christian heritage, with the church in Sakitsu fishing village, wild dolphin watching and sunsets on the west coast—ideal for a slow island-hopping road trip.

The Amakusa Islands lie in the southwest of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu and consist of about 120 islands, including Kamishima, Shimoshima, Oyano and Goshoura. They are divided among Amakusa City, Kami-Amakusa City and Reihoku Town, facing mainland Kyushu across the Yatsushiro Sea to the east and the East China Sea to the west. In the 16th century, Nanban (Southern European) culture and Catholicism arrived here; after the Shimabara–Amakusa Rebellion led by Amakusa Shiro in 1637, the islands became a home for Hidden Christians, and Sakitsu Village was inscribed in 2018 as part of the “Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region”. The islands divide into three areas: Kami-Amakusa (reached via the Amakusa Five Bridges, with views over the Amakusa Matsushima islets from Mount Sengan and Mount Takabuto, and the Amakusa Shiro Museum); central Hondo and northern Shimoshima (the Amakusa Christian Museum, Gion Bridge and Mount Jumanzan, boat trips from Futae and Tsujishima to see wild dolphins, and Tomioka Castle ruins in the northwest); and southwestern Shimoshima (Oe Church, the Rosario Museum, the “Sunset Coast” at Myokenura and Jusanbutsu Park, Sakitsu fishing village, the Ushibuka Haiya Bridge, and lodging at Shimoda Onsen). Dolphins can be seen year-round, spring and autumn are the most pleasant, July–August is swimming season, and the west coast is windy in winter. Getting there: it’s about a 1.5–2 hour drive from Kumamoto City to Hondo via the Amakusa Five Bridges, and the “Amakusa Kaisoku” express bus also runs; small planes link Amakusa Airport with Kumamoto and Fukuoka; and ferries run from Mogi Port in Nagasaki to Tomioka in Reihoku. Public transport on the islands is infrequent, so driving is strongly recommended; allow 2–3 days. Local food includes Amakusa Daio chicken, sea urchin, spiny lobster and kuruma prawns, and the seafood bowls in Hondo and Ushibuka are well worth trying. The churches are active places of worship: please keep quiet, do not enter the altar area, and do not take photos inside.

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