8 days Hidden Christian sites tour for Hong Kong customer

 

Type of the tour : Hidden Cristian sites Tailor-made tour

Country of customer : Hong Kong

Number of participant : 6 person  

Schedule : April 18 through 26, 2019

Transportation : chartered Jumbo taxi

Tour guide & conductor : Licensed English speaking guide

Where to visit

  Nagasaki, Sotome, Goto Island, Shimabara, Unzen, Amakusa, Hirado, Fukuoka

 

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Tour result

Day 1, April 18

12:00 Arrive at Fukuoka(3 person)→13:00 leave Fukuoka airport

14:30 Pick 3 person at JR Imari station

16:00 meet with English speaking Guide at JR Nagasaki Station

Visit site of Martyrdom of 26 Saints of Japan

 

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Day 2, April 19

9:00 leave the hotel

Exploring Nagasaki

  Ground Zero and Ruins of Urakami Cathedral

Lunch at China Town →　Oura Cathedral

17:30 arrive at the Hotel

Stay at Nagasaki : Hotel New Nagasaki

 

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Day 3, April 20

9:00 leave the hotel

Exploring Sotome area 

Sotome Historical Museum, Shitsu Church, Former Shitsu Aid Centre, Ono Church

Endo Shusaku Literary Museum

Stay at Nagasaki :Hotel New Nagasaki

 

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Day 4, April 21

6:50 leave the Hotel, transfer to Nagasaki port by taxis

7:40 Nagasaki to Goto Island by the jetfoil, 9:05 arrive at Fukue

 Goto Island sites

16:39 Fukue to Nagasaki by the jetfoil, 18:20 arrive at Nagasaki

18:30 arrive at the Hotel

Stay at Nagasaki : Hotel New Nagasaki  

 

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Day 5, April 22

9:00 leave the Hotel

Shimabara Castle, Hara Castle Ruins, Arima Christian Museum

Unzen Jigoku

17:30 arrive at the Hotel

Stay at Unzen : Unzen Sky Hotel, Dinner at Hotel

 

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Day 6, April 23

9:00 leave the Hotel

Amakusa island

Oe Cathedral, Sakitsu district

17:30 arrive at the Hotel

Stay at Amakusa : Matsushima Kanko hotel Misaki-tei, Dinner at Hotel

 

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Day 7, April 24

9:00 leave the Hotel

Visit Amakusa Shiro Memorial Hall in Amakusa

Transfer to Hirado

Hirado Tabira Cathedral

17:30 arrive at the Hotel

Stay at Hirado :　Hirado Kaijyo Hotel, Dinner at Hotel

 

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Day 8, April 25

Exploring Hirado ;  Hirado Xavier Memorial Church,

Matsura Historical Museum, Kasuga Village, Ikitsuki Island

15:00 transfer to Fukuoka

Stay at Hotel in Fukuoka  : Canal City Fukuoka Washington Hotel

 

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Day 9, April 26

Own tour in Fukuoka

20:20 Back to Hong Kong

 

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What our Customer have to say

Hope you have a restful holiday upon the emerging new era “令和”.

“What a friend we have in Jesus” –

This is the name of the hymn we hummed together at the Amakusa Cathedral. I vividly remember

how comforting and tranquil it was at that very moment. Our spirits crossed path. May Jesus Christ

be your best friend who guides you, walks with you, and gives you His abundance grace every

moment of your life.

During the week, you led us to walk through the history where we saw great sorrows and

perseverance of brothers and sisters who lived in the dark hours of Christianity. We shall pray hard

that the love of God flourishes and continues to bestow the old and the young of this very special

country. Your testimony of World War II was striking and pounding on our hearts. It was an

unexpectedly surprise that we could visit the very spot where you eye witnessed the scene of the

atomic bombing. To us, this was an encounter beyond compare.

We could not find words to express our thanks and gratitude to your professionalism, kindness

and patience in the past 7-day trip. All these will stay in our hearts for years to come. Your passion

to work, vast knowledge about Nagasaki and your ways to embrace life have shown us what to be

meant by staying young. Your sincerity and caring for us during the trip made us feel like at home.

Hope you would continue to practice the “arm circulating exercise” that you learned in the trip and

have milk in every meal, stay young and healthy!

Wishing you and your family the best of all, great health and happiness, and a new spirit at the

turning of a new era.

Last but not the least, a big thank you!

 

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 Contact us 

Nakae no Shima / Hidden Christian site

 

Nakae no Shima is a UNESCO World Heritage site of Hidden Chriatian Sites

in the Nagasaki Region.

 

Located two kilometers off the coast of Hirado Island, Nakae no Shima is a small, uninhabited island

where religious leaders were executed during the persecution of Christians. The island is considered

sacred, and water collected there is used for baptism.

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Featured tours

 

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Hirado Castle

 

Stands on a hill guarding Hirado Port and the Hirado Strait, which used to be part of an important

trade route between Japan and the Asian mainland. The original fortress was built in 1599 by the

local Matsura Lord; however, he destroyed the structure after fighting the Tokugawa on the losing

side of the Battle of Sekigahara as a gesture of loyalty to the victor. The Matsura Clan continued

ruling Hirado for the next two and a half centuries.

 

A new castle, also known as Kameoka Castle was built on the site a hundred years later in 1718 as

part of the coastal defenses erected during Japan’s self imposed seclusion in the Edo Period.

This structure stood for over 150 years, but eventually fell into disrepair and was dismantled during

the Meiji Period.

 

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 General information  

 

Address	1458 Iwaanouemachi, Hirado-city, Nagasaki-prefecture
Access	1 hours and 50 minutes by a vehicle from Nagasaki-city 50 minutes by a vehicle from Sasebo-city 2 hour and 15 minutes by a vehicle from Fukuoka-city
Open hours	8:30 to 17:30
Admission fee	510 JPY
Days closed	December 30 and 31

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Featured tours

 

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Tabira Church

 

The church was designed by Tetsukawa Yosuke, a famous architect of various churches in

Nagasaki-prefecture, and built between December 1915 and October 1917. It is one of the

latest brick churches in the prefecture of Nagasaki. Tetsukawa Yosuke has called this one of

his best works.

The history of the Tabira district began with the work of two foreign missionaries. In 1886,

the French missionary Emile Raguet, in charge of Kuroshima Church at the time, purchased

one hectare (2.5 acres) of wilderness at his own expense and urged three families in need to

settle there. The same year, Marc-Marie de Rotz of Shitsu Church bought one hectare and

sent four families to cultivate the pristine land. Gradually the number of the settlers increased a

nd reached 80 families by the early Taisho era (1910s).

In 1914, the Japanese priest Nakata Tokichi arrived in the parish. To replace the humble prayer

house, he made tremendous efforts to raise funds for a formal church. Tetsukawa Yosuke designed

the brick building, and the parishioners cooperated in the construction project, gathering a large

number of seashells and burning them into lime powder. The site of the processing ground still

remains in front of the church. Construction was finally completed under Tetsukawa’s supervision

in 1918. The brick church was the architect’s last in a long series of ecclesiastical works.

The beautiful building facing Hirado Strait offers artists and photographers a motif typical of the Tabira

district. The church has been designated an important cultural asset by the Japanese government.

 

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 General information  

 

Address	19 Kotedamen, Tabiracho, Hirado-city, Nagasaki-prefecture
Access	1 hours and 50 minutes by a vehicle from Nagasaki-city 50 minutes by a vehicle from Sasebo-city 2 hour and 15 minutes by a vehicle from Fukuoka-city
Open hours	9:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00
Admission fee	No fee is required
Days closed	No closing day

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Featured tours

 

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Hirado travel guide

 

Hirado off the North West coast of Nagasaki-prefecture is a beautiful and historic location full of

interesting museums, Christian churches, white sandy beaches and an imposing castle.

Portuguese ships first landed in Hirado’s superb natural harbor in 1549 and St. Francis Xavier is

known to have visited in 1550. In the 1580s, the Portuguese established a trading station, followed

soon by the Dutch and the British. The island had been an important port for trade with Korea and

China since earlier times, with the rights to foreign trade held by the local Matsuura clan.

William Adams was instrumental in establishing the British trading post and he is buried on the island.

The British stayed only ten years before leaving after bitter feuding with the Dutch, who were moved

to Dejima in Nagasaki by the Japanese authorities in 1641.

 

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Where to explore

 

Hirado Castle

Stands on a hill guarding Hirado Port and the Hirado Strait, which used to be part of an important

trade route between Japan and the Asian mainland. The original fortress was built in 1599 by the

local Matsura Lord; however, he destroyed the structure after fighting the Tokugawa on the losing

side of the Battle of Sekigahara as a gesture of loyalty to the victor. The Matsura Clan continued

ruling Hirado for the next two and a half centuries.

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Dutch Trading Post

Set up in Hirado in 1609 as the base of operations of the Dutch East India Company in Japan.

The building seen today is a warehouse which was originally constructed here in 1639 as part of the

trading post, but torn down just three years later after the Dutch had been relocated to Dejima Island

in the port of Nagasaki.

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Nakae no Shima  / UNESCO World Heritage

Located two kilometers off the coast of Hirado Island, Nakae no Shima is a small, uninhabited island

where religious leaders were executed during the persecution of Christians. The island is considered

sacred, and water collected there is used for baptism.

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Kasuga Village / UNESCO World Heritage

This idyllic, remote village was refuge to a small community of Hidden Christians who practiced here

for centuries, far from the prying eyes of the government. After the ban on Christianity was lifted, the

local villagers decided to continue practicing their own unique brand of the religion rather than rejoin

the Catholic Church. As a result, churches were not erected in the village, and the religion remains

outwardly invisible.

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St Francis Xavier Memorial Church

This church is a catholic church in Hirado, Nagasaki. Hirado is a place where Francis Xavier visited

3 times in Japan to spread Christianity, and even during the Kinkyo Ordinance of the Edo Period

that prohibited religions, Christianity was very widespread. For that reason when the ordinance was

lifted this church was constructed, and the image of Francis Xavier was put on the side.

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Tabira Church

The church was designed by Tetsukawa Yosuke, a famous architect of various churches in

Nagasaki-prefecture, and built between December 1915 and October 1917. It is one of the latest

brick churches in the prefecture of Nagasaki. Tetsukawa Yosuke has called this one of his best works.

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Matsura Historical Museum

The museum stores and displays the historical collection of the Matsura family who ruled over the

northern area of Nagasaki prefecture since the 13^th century. The museum is housed in the former

private residence of the Matsura family, the grand Tsurugamine Mansion, built in 1893. Hirado has a long history of overseas exchange due to its geographical location.

 

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  General information  

 

Address	City hall : 1508-3 Iwanoue-cyo, Hirado-city, Nagasaki-prefecture
Access	1 hours and 50 minutes by a vehicle from Nagasaki-city 50 minutes by a vehicle from Sasebo-city 2 hour and 15 minutes by a vehicle from Fukuoka-city
Population	30,100   Population density 128

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Featured tours

 

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Kasuga Village / Hidden Christian Site

 

Kasuga Village and Mount Yasugatake is registered on the World Heritage as Hidden Christian

Sites in the Nagasaki Region.

This idyllic, remote village was refuge to a small community of Hidden Christians who practiced here

for centuries, far from the prying eyes of the government. After the ban on Christianity was lifted, the

local villagers decided to continue practicing their own unique brand of the religion rather than rejoin

the Catholic Church. As a result, churches were not erected in the village, and the religion remains

outwardly invisible.

 

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 General information  

 

Address	Kasuga Village Kararina : 166-1, Kasuga-cyo, Hirado-city, Nagasaki-prefecture
Access	1 hours and 50 minutes by a vehicle from Nagasaki-city 50 minutes by a vehicle from Sasebo-city 2 hour and 15 minutes by a vehicle from Fukuoka-city
Open hours	8:30 to 17:30
Admission fee	No fee is required
Days closed	Dec. 31 to Jan. 3

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Featured tours

 

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Dutch Trading Post

 

Set up in Hirado in 1609 as the base of operations of the Dutch East India Company in Japan.

The building seen today is a warehouse which was originally constructed here in 1639 as part

of the trading post, but torn down just three years later after the Dutch had been relocated to

Dejima Island in the port of Nagasaki.

The warehouse was reconstructed in 2011. It was built as close to the original design as possible

and exhibits the facility’s original Dutch architecture of interlocking stone blocks supported by large,

exposed wooden beams. The structure is capped by a Japanese-style tile roof, just like the original.

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 General information  

 

Address	2477 Okubo, Hirado-city, Nagasaki-prefecture
Access	5 minutes walk from Hirado bus terminal
Open hours	8:30 to 17:30
Admission fee	JPY 300
Days closed	the third Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of June

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Featured tours

 

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Nagasaki-prefecture travel guide

 

Nagasaki-prefecture is located north-west side of Kyushu and borders Saga-prefecture

on the east, and is otherwise surrounded by Seas.

It also includes a large number of islands such as Tsushima and Iki. Most of the prefecture is

near the coast and there are a number of ports such as Nagasaki-city and a United States Navy

base at Sasebo-city. The capital of Nagasaki-prefecture is Nagasaki-city.

 

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 Location of Nagasaki-prefecture

　　 

 

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Where to exprore

Nagasaki-city

One of Must visit destination in Kyushu.  The city have many oversea countries cultures and the significant

Japanese histories like no other areas.  In addition to above features, the geographical conditions are

creating fascinating tourism and now many tourists are visiting here.

Historical features  The following had exprienced in Nagasaki.

 Natioanl isolation in Japan, Hidden Christian, Japan’s Industry modernization and Atomic bomb

 

 

Shimabara

Region spread in the foot of gentle mount Unzen and facing to calm sea Shimabara is consist of two

cities on Shimabara peninsula, Shimabara-city west side of peninsula and Minami-Shmabara-city

south-west side of peninsula. The region offers various enjoyable things such as Nature, Onsen, Castle

town of Shimabara-city, UNESCO World Heritage of Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region

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Unzen

Unzen is a gentle Onsen resort situated in the Unzen National Park. Located in the centre of Shimabara

peninsua, at the southwest part of Mount Unzen with an altitude of 700m.

It is started receiving foreign tourists around the year 1900 when Kaempfer and Siebold introduced the city

to Europe and China. The area was the first area to be designated as a National Park in Japan. 

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Obama Onsen

Onsen Resort facing to Tachibana bay. Located at western foot of Mount Unzen, and consist of Shimabara

peninsula Onsen Resort along with Unzen Onsen Resort and Shimabara Onsen Resort.  About 30 Hotels

and Japanese style accommodation are standing along the Tachibana bay and there are 3 public baths

where visitor can use.

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Sasebo

The 2nd largest city in Nagasaki-prefecture next to Nagasaki-city. The city includes a part of Saikai

National Park. Located in the southern part of the city is the Dutch-styled theme park Huis Ten Bosch.

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Huis Ten Bosch

Huis Ten Bosch is a theme park in Sasebo, which recreates the Netherlands by displaying life-sized copies

of old Dutch buildings. The name Huis Ten Bosch translates into English as “House in the Woods/bush”.

It is named after Huis ten Bosch in The Hague, one of the three official residences of the Dutch Royal Family.

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Hirado

Hirado off the North West coast of Nagasaki-prefecture is a beautiful and historic location full of

interesting museums, Christian churches, white sandy beaches and an imposing castle.

Portuguese ships first landed in Hirado’s superb natural harbor in 1549 and St. Francis Xavier is

known to have visited in 1550. In the 1580s, the Portuguese established a trading station, followed

soon by the Dutch and the British. The island had been an important port for trade with Korea and

China since earlier times, with the rights to foreign trade held by the local Matsuura clan.

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Featured tours  

Nagasaki-prefecture

・ Nagasaki one-day tour

・ Nagasaki / UNESCO Hidden Christian sites one-day tour

・ Nagasaki / UNESCO Hidden Christian sites 3 days tour

・ Nagasaki / UNESCO Industrial Revolution one-day tour       

・ Shimabara & Unzen 2 days tour

・ Sasebo & Huis Ten Bosch one-day tour

Kyushu Round tours

・ 11 days Kyushu tour

・ 8 days Northern & Central Kyushu tour

・ 8 days Southern Kyushu tour

・ 6 days North-West Kyushu tour

・ 7 days Central Kyushu tour

・ 6 days North-Eest Kyushu tour

 

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