⑪Yoko Museum & Japanese Garden“Keishu-En”
Keishu-en Garden is said to be the largest pure Japanese garden in Kyushu and is the work of the late Kinsaku Nakane, the creator of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, among other famous gardens. The impressive arrangement of waterfalls and tea plantations flowing from dynamic stonework reminiscent of medieval times is in perfect harmony with the beautiful borrowed landscape that symbolizes Takeo City. Visitors can enjoy strolling around the area while taking in the seasonal atmosphere, and it is also known as a spot for viewing the autumn leaves. (About 20 minutes by car from Ureshino Onsen)
▶4075-3 Takeo, Takeo-cho, Takeo-shi, Saga prefecture
⑫Oura Catholic Church
Known not only for its chalk exterior but also for the beauty of the stained glass inside the cathedral, Oura Tenshudo is a Gothic-style church representative of medieval European architecture, and is the oldest surviving Western wooden structure in Japan.
After restoration of the damage caused by the atomic bomb was completed, the church was again designated a National Treasure in 1953. It is also one of the constituent assets of the “Nagasaki and Amakusa Region Heritage Related to Submerged Christians,” which was registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in 2018.
▶5-3 Minamiyamate-cho, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki prefecture
⑬Glover Garden
“Glover Garden” is a reconstruction of six Western-style buildings from the Meiji period scattered throughout the city, with the former Glover Residence, Ringer Residence, and Alt Residence, designated as National Important Cultural Properties, as its core.
Because of Nagasaki’s unique hilly terrain, the park has moving walkways, escalators, and a circular path with wall fountains and cobblestone pavement, making it an exotic tourist attraction that attracts many visitors and attracts more than one million tourists annually.
▶8-1 Minamiyamate-cho, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki prefecture
⑭Gunkanjima Landing & Cruise
Located about 40 minutes by boat from Nagasaki Port, this small undersea coal mine island is a man-made island created by reclamation.
It is called “Gunkanjima” (meaning “warship island”) because of its resemblance to a warship in appearance, with a quay wall enclosing the entire island and high-rise reinforced concrete buildings standing side by side. Fifty years have passed since its closure, but the island continues to attract many visitors.
The Y.Y. Takashima Marine Transportation Cruise is a full 3-hour tour that includes a port call at Takashima, a visit to the Coal Museum, and a lecture using a model of Gunkanjima.。
▶11-22, Motofune-cho, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki prefecture
⑮Gunkanjima Digital Museum
With the latest digital technology, including VR, which allows you to virtually land in areas that are currently off-limits, you can travel back in time to the island’s vibrant life in its heyday!
The “stereoscopic theater,” where the entire room is projected on a five-sided LED display, is an immersive, full-body experience. You can see the lively islanders, the world’s highest population density at the time, the rugged nature, and images and videos of off-limits areas that you can’t see on the landing tour, and experience the world as it actually existed about half a century ago.
<<Maintenance Closure>> The museum will be closed for 4 days from January 7, 2025 (Tuesday) to January 10, 2025 (Friday).
▶5-6 Matsugae-cho, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki prefecture
⑯Shimabara Castle
In addition to the castle tower, a five-story observatory, a local ethnographic museum centered on Christian history, and the Seomang Memorial Museum (displaying the works of Japanese sculpture master Kitamura Seomang), a new tourism reconstruction memorial museum has been built to tell the story of the eruption of Mount Unzen Bohyeon. Shimabara Castle has been a stronghold of the Bunju clan for 250 years under four generations since its construction. The castle tower was revived in Showa 39 as a landmark of Shimabara, and the historical materials related to Christian culture and the Nan of Shimabara are a must-see. The castle is also famous for its plum blossoms, which are at their peak in February.
▶1-1183-1 Jyoshiro, Shimabara-shi, Nagasaki prefecture
⑰Nagasaki Ropeway
From the top of 333-meter-high Mt. Inasa, you can enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of the entire city, and on a clear day, you can even see Unzen, Amakusa, and the Goto Islands in the distance. At night, the view is highly acclaimed as a 10 million dollar nightscape, and it is also famous as a night view spot recognized as one of the world’s new top three nightscapes. The gondola, which was renewed in 2011, was designed by an Italian Ferrari designer. Please enjoy the air walk on the all-clear gondola. The ride from Fuchi Jinja Station to Inasadake Station takes approximately 5 minutes and runs every 15-20 minutes.
▶8-1 Fuchi-machi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture
⑱Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture
The Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture is a museum that handles materials related to the “history of overseas exchange in Nagasaki in the early modern period. Visitors can enjoy learning about history not only by “seeing” but also by “feeling” through exhibits such as a hands-on corner where visitors can become “connoisseurs” who appraise imported goods and understand Nagasaki’s trade during the Edo period through their five senses. Also, part of the “Nagasaki Magistrate’s Office Tateyama Office,” which was located in the same area during the Edo period, has been faithfully reconstructed based on historical materials.
▶1-1-1 Tateyama, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki
⑲Beppu Jigoku Tour
Oita is known as “Japan’s number one hot spring prefecture,” with many unique hot springs, and visitors can enjoy some of the most unusual hot springs in the country in terms of ingredients, colors, types, bathing methods, and locations. This unique “Beppu Jigoku Meguri” tour allows visitors to view seven of the city’s nearly 100-degree hot spring sources. Each source has a different color depending on its ingredients, such as red, blue, and white. Be sure to experience the mysteries of the earth created by nature, such as fumaroles and hot spring mud, sights that can only be seen here.
▶559-1 Kannawa, Beppu City, Oita Prefecture
⑳Kijima Kogen Park
There are many attractions for children and adults alike, such as the wooden coaster “Jupiter,” the Giant Ferris Wheel, and the “Kids Driving School!
In addition to the amusement park, the resort also has a hotel where you can refresh yourself in a hot spring and a full-scale golf course where you can enjoy the magnificent highland scenery. The park can be enjoyed throughout the four seasons, with cherry blossoms in full bloom in spring, a water playground in summer, and one of the largest outdoor ice skating rinks in Kyushu in winter!
▶123 Kijima Kogen, Beppu City, Oita Prefecture
▶Facilities/activities available with the Enjoy Kyushu Pass 2 (Part 3)