十Christian Japan
Pilgrimages

Pilgrimage routes

Step-by-step itineraries with maps.

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Nagasaki: the city of martyrs and the Discovery

2 days7 stops

The classic pilgrimage. Day one follows the story through the city on foot and by tram; day two takes the coast road to the Sotome villages.

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The Goto Islands: churches at the edge of the sea

3–4 days5 stops

Fly or take the ferry from Nagasaki to Fukue and island-hop by boat and car. These are some of the most moving places in Japan, and among the hardest to reach.

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Hirado, Ikitsuki & Kuroshima

2 days4 stops

A drive through the north of Nagasaki prefecture, from Sasebo's island church to the terraced fields of the hidden faith.

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Shimabara & Amakusa

2 days3 stops

Volcano, castle ruins and sea: the route of the 1637 uprising and the fishing village that kept its faith in plain sight.

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In the footsteps of the 26 Martyrs

5+ days4 stops

In the winter of 1597 the 26 were led from Kyoto to Nagasaki. Pilgrims retrace the road in stages, ending on Nishizaka Hill.