November itinerary in Japan Day 2 (Nagasaki Day 2)
(Tuesday, November 16th)
Table of contents
1. Kameoka Shrine
I went to Hirado City in the early morning of the second day of my trip to Nagasaki and Fukuoka. The bus I got on is as follows.
Depart Kyomachi at 7:43, Q9 to Hirado Pier via Hiradoguchi Pier, arrive at Yukoukan High School Entrance at 9:08, fare Yen 1,450
It takes about an hour and a half to travel from Sasebo City to Hirado City. As I posted on the first day of the trip, it takes a long time to travel from Nagasaki City to Sasebo City. Although it is the same Nagasaki prefecture, it is very difficult to move within Nagasaki prefecture.
Get off at the bus stop at the entrance of Yukoukan High School, and there is Kameoka Shrine on the way to Hirado Castle. Kameoka Shrine is a shrine dedicated to the feudal lord of Matsuura, and is enshrined at the site of the main enclosure of Hirado Castle. When I visited, there was no one and the quiet precincts were a charming shrine.
The main hall and worship hall are national tangible cultural properties.
2. Hirado Castle
I left Kameoka Shrine and headed for Hirado Castle. Hirado Castle was the residence of Mr. Matsuura of the Hirado Domain. It has been selected as one of the 100 Castles of Japan.
The current Hirado Castle is made of reinforced concrete, which was restored in 1962, so it is not designated as a cultural property. However, it was just reopened after a large-scale renovation in April this year, and the exterior and interior are very beautiful.
The biggest attraction of Hirado Castle is probably the view from the castle tower. You can see the intricate coastline, Hirado Dutch Trading Post, Hirado Ohashi and so on.
The current Hirado Dutch Trading Post has been restored. Although it was a short period of 33 years, Hirado was allowed to trade by the Edo Shogunate until it was relocated to Dejima, Nagasaki in 1641. Before the Edo period, Portuguese merchant ships first arrived in 1550, and in the same year, Jesuit Francis Xavier also visited Hirado. As a good natural port, Hirado prospered as a trading hub for about 90 years.
Admission: Adults Yen 520, high school students Yen 310, elementary and junior high school students Yen 200
In addition, you can stay in the Hirado Castle Kaiju Yagura only for one group per day. However, the maximum price per night is Yen 600,000 (consumption tax, service charge, meal charge, experience menu not included), which is extremely high. If you are interested in staying at the castle, please try it.
3. Tabira Catholic Church
I left Hirado Castle and took a bus from Hirado City Hall to Tabira Tenshodo. The buses I used are as follows.
Depart Hirado City Hall at 10:11, A9 to Sasebo Station via Hiradoguchi, arrive at Koteda at 10:25, fare Yen 310
It takes about 20 minutes on foot from the Koteda bus stop to Tabira Catholic Church. Climbing a gentle hill to Tabira Catholic Church makes me very tired.
Tabira Catholic Church was built in 1918 (Taisho 7). Although it is not included in the world heritage ” Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region”, it is a national important cultural property. It is a church with a wonderful brick exterior. However, we cannot tour the inside.
The problem with Tabira Catholic Church is that there is no toilet. To be precise, there is a toilet, but it can only be used by believers and not by visitors. Visitors have no choice but to rent a toilet at Tabira Insect & Nature Park, which is about a 10-minute walk from Tabira Catholic Church. The area around Tabira Catholic Church is a countryside and there are many places to build toilets, so I think it is better to build toilets. The parking lot of Tabira Catholic Church is large, and many cars can be parked for free.
Prior notice is required to visit Tabira Catholic Church. However, as mentioned above, you cannot tour the inside of the church even if you contact the church in advance. It is a very inconvenient church for travelers in many ways.
4. Kujukushima
After visiting Tabira Catholic Church, I went to Nishi-Tabira Station, which is about a 20-minute walk, and returned to Sasebo City. The trains I boarded are as follows.
Depart Nishi-Tabira Station at 11:22, Matsuura Railway Sasebo Line, arrive at Sasebo Chuo Station at 12:36, fare Yen1,230
Matsuura Railway is a third-sector railway operator that operates the Nishi-Kyushu Line, the former Japanese National Railways Specified Local Line. It is called MR.
Matsuura Railway is a one-man train, so you need to be careful about how to get on it. Get on at the back door of the train and get off at the front door. There was a poster on how to get on and off at Nishi-Tabira station, but it was only in Japanese. Nishi-Tabira Station is an unmanned station.
After getting off at Sasebo Chuo Station and having lunch, I went to Kujukushima, which is the centerpiece of Sasebo sightseeing.
Kujukushima bay is a scenic spot consisting of the intricately intricate ria coast and 208 large and small islands. It is called Kujukushima in the sense of “innumerable islands”. Although it was designated as Saikai National Park in 1955, it has not been selected as a national special place of scenic beauty or scenic spot. It’s strange because I thought the scenery from Kujukushima was more beautiful than the many tourist destinations designated as national special scenic spots and scenic spots.
In 2018, Kujukushima Bay joined the “The club of the most beautiful bays of the world” as the fifth case in Japan. Others are Matsushima Bay (Miyagi Prefecture), Toyama Bay (Toyama Prefecture), Suruga Bay (Shizuoka Prefecture), Miyazu / Ine Bay (Kyoto Prefecture). Since I visited Matsushima Bay in September and Miyazu / Ine Bay in October, I was able to tour the bays that are members of the “Club of the Most Beautiful Bay in the World” for three consecutive months.
There are several observatories to see Kujukushima. I saw Kujukushima from “Tenkaiho” and “Ishidake”.
First, I went to “Tenkaiho”. The buses I used are as follows.
Depart Kyomachi at 12:58, G7 via Nishikoshima and Akasaki, bound for Tenkaiho, arrive at Tenkaiho at 13:31, fare Yen 520
The Tenkaiho Observatory is located just off the bus stop at Tenkaiho.
It was almost over, but there was also a cosmos flower field at Tenkaiho. It seems that the best time to see cosmos in 2021 was from mid-October to early November.
Next to Tenkaiho, I went to Ishidake Observatory by bus. The buses I used are as follows.
Depart Tenkaiho at 13:53, C2 Nishikoshima / Omiya via Kiba entrance line, arrive at Zoological and Botanical Garden at 14:07, fare Yen 290
It takes about 15 minutes on foot from the bus stop in front of the Zoological and Botanical Gardens to Ishidake Observatory. Ishidake Observatory is the place where the scenery of the islands that appears at the beginning of the movie “The Last Samurai” was shot. I was able to see the same beautiful scenery as the scenery from Tenkaiho. In October, I went to Shoshazan Engyoji Temple in Hyogo Prefecture, which was the location of “The Last Samurai”, so I could accidentally go to two sightseeing spots related to “The Last Samurai”.
The opening scene of “The Last Samurai” is Kujukushima, which was dyed in the sunset color taken from Ishidake Observatory. I also thought about going to Ishidake Observatory in the evening, but it was forecast to be cloudy in the evening, so I went early.
The return trip from Ishidake Observatory to Sasebo City was a problem. There is only one bus running every two hours, and I can’t return from the Ishidake Observatory. By the way, I left Ishidake Observatory before 15:00. The departure time of the bus from the bus stop in front of the Zoological and Botanical Garden to Sasebo Station was 16:03, so there was a waiting time of more than an hour. I couldn’t help it, so I decided to walk back to Sasebo Station. The distance was about 6km and it took about 70 minutes.
On the way back to Sasebo Station, there was a signboard at the entrance of the US military base inside the torii gate of the shrine. Isn’t it a very rare combination?
If you have a long waiting time for the bus from Ishidake Observatory, why not go to “Kujukushima Zoo & Botanical Garden Mori Kirara“? I was wondering if I should go, but I didn’t go because I wasn’t interested in animals and plants. I think that those who are interested in animals and plants are just right for waiting time.
After dinner, I went to Sasebo Port. The night view was beautiful.
Note: The departure / arrival times, fares, admission fees, meal fees, etc. of the transportation facilities listed in the text are as of the time of writing the BLOG. They may change in the future, so please verify yourself when you go on a trip.