From the Amakusa Islands, Mount Unzen on the Shimabara Peninsula can be seen nearby, and many wild dolphins live here where the Ariake Sea exits into the East China Sea. In any case, as soon as we set out on our fishing boat, the dolphins started chasing us as if they were enjoying the competition. Several of them work together to blow the tide and pass under the bottom of the ship. It’s like a messenger of peace.
Although it is advertised as a sightseeing boat for viewing dolphins, the hull is essentially a fishing boat. The price includes lunch. I was wondering to myself what would happen if I ate it, got on board, and got seasick.
dolphin watching1 almost fisher boat
dolphin watching2
dolphin watching5
dolphin watching3
A detour
As you head north along the west coast of the island from Sakitsu Church, you will see “Myoken-ura”, a sea cliff shaped like an elephant, “Tits Rock”, which is difficult to take photos with women, and a lighthouse floating off the coast that looks like “the Statue of Liberty”. In Amakusa City, you can buy Amakusa pottery “Kohiki” that was introduced from Korea, and Gion Bridge, which is a stone bridge but has multiple girders lined up instead of arches, is a must-see.”
myokenura1
myokenura2 elephant
amakusa beach3 tits rock
amakusa beach4 statue of liberty
amakusa beach1
gionbashi1 amakusa
gionbashi3 the top
asanijigama2 gallery
Another detour
At the tip of the Misumi Peninsula, where the bridge to the Amakusa Islands crosses, there is a stone wharf called Misumi Nishi Port that remains from the Meiji period, and has been designated as a World Cultural Heritage Site. If you have time, it’s a place where you can relax.
The colonial policy hidden behind the sale of Christian missionary work and trade as a set terrified the Edo shogunate, and with the isolation of the country, Christians fell prey to the banning policy. Shortly after the establishment of the shogunate, there was a large-scale battle to suppress Christianity (the Shimabara Rebellion), and the victorious shogunate suffered heavy losses, and many Christian farmers in the region died or were dispersed. As a result, they were unable to harvest any crops at all. Even so, there were still many Christians remaining in Amakusa and Shimabara. It is said that 90% of the people in the town of Sakitsu were Christians, and since they all survived as they were, it seems that even if they were hidden Christians, it was an open secret.
sakitsu 15 suwa shrine hiding christians
sakitsu 13 fisherman’s workspace
sakitsu 13
The villagers who were accused of being Christians claimed to believe in a local deity inherited from their ancestors, while Shogunate officials, fearing a repeat of the Shimabara Rebellion that had endangered the Shogunate and the subsequent sharp decline in the agricultural population, denied the truth and did not disclose it publicly.
ohe-tenshudo
Perhaps it was wisdom that determined that the villagers had a “misunderstanding of the sect” (they did not believe in Christianity, but that he believed in the wrong religion without realizing it was a mistake) and did not certify them as Christians. I am impressed that there were officials with such good sense at that time. There are many churches in the Amakusa Islands. Many believers still maintain their faith.
Sakitsu downtown is a part of World Heritage “Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region”, although not in the Nagasaki Region.
sakitsu 9 70% of population is hidden Christian
sakitsu 8 downtown
sakitsu church2
sakitsu church3
sakitsu church4
sakitsu church5 backside made of wood due to money short
sakitsu church6 altaar on the former place where to have hidden Christian step on a picture of Christ
sakitsu church7 Japanese style tatami inside
sakitsu 10 sweets shop
sakitsu 12 sweets
sakitsu 11 sweets
sakitsu 14
On the way to the Amakusa islands
Mt.Unzen on the way to Amakusa islands
You can reach the Amakusa Islands by crossing a number of beautiful bridges from the Misumi Peninsula. On the way, you can clearly see the Shimabara Peninsula and Mt. Unzen across the Ariake Sea. However, driving while looking away is prohibited.
go to amakusa islands1 yatsushiro sea
go to amakusa islands2
go to amakusa islands3
go to amakusa islands4
go to amakusa islands5
Cave hot spring inn Yurakutei (Yumigahama beach in Ohyano island)
Guests are welcomed by writing their names on the sake jar at the entrance of the inn. The owner has dug a cave by hand and you can enjoy hot springs inside it. Anyway, for dinner there will be more fish dishes caught in the Ariake Sea than you can finish.
