Nagasaki and the Goto Islands
The harbour city, the island churches and how to reach them

The New York Times put Nagasaki on its 52 Places to Go in 2026 list, at No. 17 according to Jiji Press, and Okinawa was the only other place in Japan to be chosen. The city is about an hour and a half from Hakata by train, with one change at Takeo-Onsen onto the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen. From Nagasaki, the Goto Islands are a 30-minute flight or a jetfoil of about 1 hour 25 minutes to Fukue, the island with the airport, from where the churches of the Hidden Christian World Heritage Site are reached by car and by boat.

This guide covers the train from Hakata, the old harbour quarter with Oura Church, Glover Garden and Dejima, the Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum, the night view from Mount Inasa, the crossing to Goto, the advance notice that several churches ask for, and where to stay on Fukue. We read every time, fare and rule on the official pages on October 31, 2026, and the sources are listed at the end. For Kyushu as a whole, with Fukuoka, Kumamoto and Yufuin, see Kyushu: where to go after Tokyo and Kyoto.

LET US ARRANGE YOUR DAYS IN NAGASAKI AND GOTO →

---

GETTING TO NAGASAKI

The Times entry, written by the Japan-based writer Craig Mod, gave two reasons for going now. One was the moment: "As the threat of nuclear proliferation spreads around the world, travelers have a potent reason to visit." The other was practical: the completion of a major redevelopment around the main station, which has added new hotels.

From Hakata by train

The change at Takeo-Onsen. The Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen runs only between Takeo-Onsen and Nagasaki. From Hakata you take the Relay Kamome limited express to Takeo-Onsen, and JR Kyushu says it arrives on the opposite side of the same platform as the Kamome shinkansen, so the change is a few steps across the platform.

The times. On JR Kyushu's timetable for March 14, 2026 to February 28, 2027, Relay Kamome 1 leaves Hakata at 6:00 and reaches Takeo-Onsen at 7:00; Kamome 1 leaves at 7:03 and arrives in Nagasaki at 7:33. Later in the morning, Relay Kamome 9 leaves Hakata at 8:12, and its Kamome reaches Nagasaki at 9:54. Allow about an hour and a half to an hour and three quarters, depending on the train.

A car with a driver can meet the train at Nagasaki Station. The city is steep and the sights sit on different hills, and the day-rate arithmetic for a driver is set out in Private driver in Japan cost.

OURA CHURCH, GLOVER GARDEN AND DEJIMA

Dejima, a small fan-shaped artificial island in the harbour, was for a long period the only place in Japan where the West could trade. The hillside above the harbour at Minamiyamate became the foreign settlement after Japan reopened its ports, and the church and the merchants' houses stand side by side there.

Oura Church

Construction began in January 1864, and the church was dedicated on February 19, 1865. A month later, on March 17, 1865, a group from the Urakami villages came to the church and one of them told Father Petitjean that they shared his faith: the first sign, after the long prohibition, that Christians had kept their faith in secret. The church was designated a National Treasure in 1933 and again in 1953, and it is part of the Hidden Christian World Heritage Site.

• Hours. 8:30 to 18:00 from March to October and 8:30 to 17:30 from November to February, with last entry 30 minutes before closing.
• Fee. ¥1,000 for adults, ¥400 for junior and senior high school students, ¥300 for elementary school children. The ticket includes the Oura Church Kirishitan Museum.
• Photographs. The church asks visitors not to photograph inside. The exterior can be photographed, once the admission fee has been paid.

Glover Garden

The former Glover House was built in 1863 and was confirmed in 1967 as the oldest surviving wooden Western-style building in Japan. Since 2015 it has been part of the World Heritage Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution. The garden holds nine historic buildings, three of them Important Cultural Properties, and looks straight down on the harbour.

• Hours. Normally 8:00 to 18:00, with last entry 20 minutes before closing. From November 1 to December 31, 2026 the garden stays open to 20:00, and from January 1 to March 31, 2027 it returns to 18:00.
• Fee. ¥1,300 for adults and ¥650 for school children, under a Nagasaki City revision in force since April 1, 2026.
• The lift. The Glover Sky Road, a public lift up the hill, is free and runs from 6:00 to 23:30, which saves the steepest part of the walk.

An evening at the garden in November or December, when the lights come on over the harbour and the day visitors have gone, is a quieter way to see it.

Dejima

Dejima was completed in 1636. The Dutch trading post there was abolished in 1859 and became part of the foreign settlement in 1866. The city has been rebuilding the island in phases, and 16 buildings, including the Chief Factor's residence, have been restored.

• Hours. 8:00 to 21:00, with entry until 20:40.
• Fee. ¥1,100 for adults and ¥550 for school children. Re-entry is not allowed.

THE PEACE PARK AND THE ATOMIC BOMB MUSEUM

At 11:02 on August 9, 1945, the second atomic bomb exploded over the Urakami district, north of the harbour. The Atomic Bomb Museum sets out what happened that day, the events that led to it, the rebuilding of the city and the development of nuclear weapons since. The Peace Park stands on a low hill north of the hypocenter, with the 9.7 m Peace Statue by the sculptor Seibo Kitamura.

• Hours. 8:30 to 17:30 from September to April and 8:30 to 18:30 from May to August, with entry closing 30 minutes earlier. From August 7 to 9 it stays open to 20:00.
• Fee. ¥200 for visitors aged 15 and over; high school students and younger enter free with a student ID. These prices have applied since April 1, 2026.
• Audio guide. ¥160 per set, in 12 languages including English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and French. It cannot be reserved.
• Closures. The museum closes December 29 to 31. It also notes that one section of the permanent exhibition is closed for renovation from November 24 until March 2027.

Give the museum a morning of its own, with the Peace Park and the hypocenter after it, and keep the rest of the day light. The Urakami Christians who came to Oura Church in 1865 lived in this same district, so the two halves of the city's story meet here.

THE NIGHT VIEW FROM MOUNT INASA

The observatory on Mount Inasa stands at 333 m and looks down over the harbour and the city. In 2021 Nagasaki's night view was named one of the World's New Top 3 Night Views, with Monaco and Shanghai.

• The ropeway. About 5 minutes from Fuchi-jinja Station to the top. The round trip is ¥1,900 for adults and one way is ¥1,040, on the city tourism site's April 2026 table. From Nagasaki Station, Nagasaki Bus routes 3 or 4 go to Ropeway-mae, about 3 minutes' walk from the station.
• The slope car. The second route up, from the mid-slope car park, was out of service for maintenance when we checked, with no date given for its return.
• By car. The summit car park has 38 spaces and is closed to cars from 18:00 to 22:00 on weekends, public holidays and peak seasons, the hours of the night view. On those evenings a driver drops you at the ropeway station.

Arrive a little before sunset. The harbour lights come on while the sky over the hills still holds some blue.

CROSSING TO THE GOTO ISLANDS

The Goto Islands lie west of Nagasaki in the East China Sea. Fukue, in the south, has the airport and the port of Fukue. Nakadori, in the north, belongs to Shin-Kamigoto town and is reached by sea.

Fares. ORC's standard Flex fare from Nagasaki to Goto Fukue is ¥16,610 one way from October 25, 2026 to March 27, 2027 with lower advance-purchase fares. Kyushu Shosen shows jetfoil fares by date, up to two months ahead.

Weather. Kyushu Shosen notes that journey times vary with conditions, and both boats and small planes depend on wind and sea. We plan the return a day before any onward flight from Fukuoka or Nagasaki.

THE CHURCHES OF GOTO

UNESCO inscribed the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region on June 30, 2018: twelve components, ten villages, a castle and a cathedral, that bear witness to people who kept their faith in secret during the prohibition from the 17th to the 19th century. Four of them, the villages of Nozaki, Kashiragashima, Hisaka and Egami on Naru, are in the Goto Islands, and each keeps a church built after the ban was lifted in 1873.

Advance notice

The Information Centre for the Hidden Christian sites asks visitors to register before going to the churches marked "advance notice required". In Goto these include Kashiragashima, the Former Gorin Church on Hisaka and Egami on Naru. Online registration closes two days before the visit; for the day before or the same day, the centre takes calls on +81-95-823-7650 from 10:00 to 17:00. The churches have no admission fee as a rule, because they are places of worship, Dozaki and Oura being the exceptions. The caretakers who look after the buildings are not guides.

The centre's manners are short and specific: no entry during Mass, funerals or weddings; hats off; shoes off where the church asks; no photographs or video inside; nothing touched on the altar or the pews; and clothes suited to a place of prayer, without much bare skin. Churches belonging to the Archdiocese of Nagasaki do not allow photography inside; the Former Gorin Church, owned by Goto City, does.

On and around Fukue

• Dozaki Church. About 20 minutes by car from Fukue Port. A first wooden church was built here in 1879; the red-brick church of 1908 now holds a museum of the persecution years. Open 9:00 to 17:00 from March 21 to November 10 and 9:00 to 16:00 from November 11 to March 20, closed December 30 to January 3. Adults ¥500. No advance notice is listed.
• Former Gorin Church, Hisaka. A wooden church moved here in 1931 from Hamawaki, saved from demolition in the 1980s and now an Important Cultural Property. It stands about 500 m on foot from its car park, along a hill path and the shore. A caretaker is present Tuesday to Sunday, 8:30 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 16:30.
• Egami Church, Naru. Designed and built by the church builder Tetsukawa Yosuke, and blessed in March 1918. Visits 9:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 15:30; closed on Mondays and on the third Sunday of each month, for church events.

Kashiragashima

Kashiragashima Church is on a small island off the east coast of Nakadori, joined to it by a bridge since 1981. Tetsukawa Yosuke designed and built it between 1910 and 1919 from sandstone cut on the island, one of very few stone churches in Japan, and it has been an Important Cultural Property since 2001. Visits are taken from 9:00 to 12:00 and 13:00 to 17:00; Mass is held on the second and fourth Sundays from 14:00. It makes a separate day, by jetfoil from Nagasaki to Narao and then by car.

STAYING ON FUKUE

GOTO RETREAT ray by Onko Chishin. The hotel stands above the sea about 10 minutes by car from Goto Tsubaki Airport and 15 minutes from Fukue Port. All 26 rooms face the sea and have their own open-air bath fed by a natural hot spring, which the hotel says was found at Arakawa on the west coast in 1856. Rooms run from 34 m² for two to 70 m² for three or four. Dinner is kaiseki built around local seasonal ingredients.

• Recognition. The hotel group announced on October 9, 2025 that the hotel had received One MICHELIN Key in the 2025 hotel selection for Japan, and the Ikyu listing describes it as featured for 2024 to 2026.
• Rates. When we read Ikyu on October 31, 2026, the lowest plan shown was ¥59,400 including tax for two guests in an Ocean View semi-double with breakfast. Larger rooms and plans with dinner cost more.
• Times. Check-in from 15:00, check-out at 11:00.

Two nights on Fukue lets one day go to Dozaki and the coast, and a second to a boat out to Hisaka or Naru. What to look for in a ryokan-style stay is in How to choose a ryokan in Japan.

HOW WE ARRANGE NAGASAKI AND GOTO

We plan the days around the hours above and arrange the parts in your name.

• The train and the flight. We tell you which Relay Kamome and Kamome fit the plan, and which flight or jetfoil to Fukue. You buy the tickets yourself, or through our travel partner.
• The church notices. We register each church visit with the information centre for your date, and plan the route so that you reach each church within its visiting hours and outside Mass.
• A car and a guide. A driver in Nagasaki and on Fukue, and a licensed guide who can tell the story of the Hidden Christians as you go; the caretakers at the churches do not guide.
• The stays. We arrange the hotel in Nagasaki and on Fukue in your name, and you pay each one directly.

What a guide costs for a day is set out in How much does a private guide in Japan cost.

SOURCES AND HOW WE CHECKED

Read on October 31, 2026. Prices include tax and are for one adult unless stated.

• Jiji Press via Adnkronos, Nagasaki, Okinawa make N.Y. Times' 52 Places to Go in 2026: Nagasaki at No. 17, the Times' reasons
• Japan National Tourism Organization, Nagasaki and Okinawa selected for the 2026 New York Times 52 Places to Go: date of the list, Dejima as the only place of trade with the West
• Nippon.com, Nagasaki on the New York Times list: background on the selection and the city's two World Heritage connections
• Craig Mod, Ridgeline 221: My 2026 New York Times pick, Nagasaki: who wrote the entry, the station redevelopment
• Nagasaki City tourism, NYT 2026, first-time guide and access to Mount Inasa: the Times quotation, 11:02 on August 9, 1945, the Peace Park and statue, ropeway fares and bus routes, car park rules, night view ranking
• JR Kyushu, Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen Kamome, Relay Kamome and timetable, March 14, 2026 to February 28, 2027: route, same-platform change, train times
• Oura Church official site, visiting guide and Information Centre, Oura Cathedral: hours, fees, museum, photography, 1864 to 1865, National Treasure
• Glover Garden, visitor guide and about the garden: 2026 night openings, fees from April 2026, 1863, nine buildings, World Heritage, Glover Sky Road
• Dejima, official site and guide to Dejima: hours, fees, 1636, 1859, restored buildings
• Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum and fee revision of April 1, 2026: hours, fees, audio guide, closures
• ANA, Kyushu domestic timetable, October 25, 2026 to January 31, 2027 and ORC Oriental Air Bridge, fares: Nagasaki and Goto Fukue flights, Flex fare
• Kyushu Shosen, routes and journey times: jetfoil and ferry times to Fukue and Narao
• Information Centre for the Hidden Christian Sites, FAQ, manners, and the pages for Kashiragashima, Former Gorin and Egami: advance notice rules and deadline, fees, photography, manners, visiting hours and history
• Japan National Tourism Organization, new sites added to the UNESCO list: June 30, 2018 inscription, twelve components
• Goto tourism, Nagasaki Prefecture, Dozaki Church: hours, fees, access, history
• GOTO RETREAT ray by Onko Chishin, rooms and Onko Chishin, One MICHELIN Key press release: rooms, hot spring, access, MICHELIN Key 2025
• Ikyu, GOTO RETREAT ray by Onko Chishin: lowest rate shown on October 31, 2026, check-in and check-out

QUESTIONS GUESTS ASK

Why is Nagasaki on the New York Times 52 Places list for 2026?

The Times placed it at No. 17, according to Jiji Press. Its entry tied the visit to the moment, saying that as the threat of nuclear proliferation spreads, travellers have a potent reason to visit, and noted the completed redevelopment around the main station with its new hotels.

How long does it take from Fukuoka to Nagasaki by train?

About an hour and a half to an hour and three quarters from Hakata, with one change at Takeo-Onsen from the Relay Kamome to the Kamome shinkansen on the same platform. On JR Kyushu's current timetable, the 6:00 from Hakata arrives in Nagasaki at 7:33.

How do I get from Nagasaki to the Goto Islands?

By air, ORC flies Nagasaki to Goto Fukue in 30 minutes, sold as ANA flights, with a 9:50 departure every day in the current timetable. By sea, Kyushu Shosen's jetfoil takes from 1 hour 25 minutes to Fukue, and from 1 hour 10 minutes to Narao on Nakadori.

Do I need to reserve before visiting the churches in Goto?

For several of the World Heritage churches, yes. Kashiragashima, the Former Gorin Church and Egami are marked "advance notice required" by the Nagasaki information centre. Register online up to two days before, or call +81-95-823-7650 for the day before or the same day.

Can I take photographs inside the churches?

As a rule, no. The information centre asks visitors not to photograph or film inside, and churches owned by the Archdiocese of Nagasaki do not allow it; Oura Church asks the same. The Former Gorin Church, owned by Goto City, allows photographs inside for personal use, and exteriors can be photographed.