Discover Kyushu, Your Way.
Our speciality is Christian pilgrimage, with particular expertise in Nagasaki and across Kyushu. We also have extensive experience arranging shore excursions for cruise calls in Nagasaki and other parts of Kyushu, as well as cycling tours. From our base in Nagasaki, we create personalized journeys for each group, tailored to their interests, needs and travel style — in Kyushu and beyond.
Based in Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan
Journeys Designed Around You
Based in Nagasaki, we create customized journeys for international groups and travel partners. From itinerary planning to accommodation, transportation, guides and local arrangements, each journey is carefully designed around your group’s needs. With local knowledge, trusted partners and direct communication in English, we support you from the first conversation through to your time in Japan.
Christian Pilgrimage in Kyushu
Journeys of Faith, History and Peace
Floraison designs customized pilgrimage journeys for churches, Catholic organizations, and faith-based groups visiting Kyushu, Japan.
Nagasaki and Kyushu hold a unique place in Japan’s Christian history. From the Hidden Christian communities of Nagasaki, the Goto Islands, and Hirado to historic churches and sites of martyrdom across the region, Kyushu offers deeply meaningful pilgrimage experiences.
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Visit iconic churches including Oura Cathedral, Shitsu Church and the stone-built Kashiragashima Church.
- The Hidden Christian Cave
Reach the remote, secret worship site of the Hidden Christians by small boat.
- Holy Mass and the Sites of Martyrdom
Your pilgrimage can include Holy Mass at historic parish churches and visits to sites of martyrdom, such as Nishizaka Hill and Unzen Jigoku, tailored to your group’s wishes and itinerary.
Pilgrimage Tour Itinerary
4 Nights / 5 Days — Nagasaki City, Japan
Few places in Japan carry a Christian history as powerful as Nagasaki’s — a history shaped by faith, persecution and resilience. This pilgrimage follows the early Christians from the first missionaries, through persecution and martyrdom, and leaves time to reflect on the city’s later history of peace. It is not only a journey through history, but a deeply meaningful spiritual experience.
A sample itinerary to inspire your group’s pilgrimage.
Arrival & Orientation
- Arrive at Nagasaki or Fukuoka Airport
- Transfer to Nagasaki
- Hotel check-in
- Welcome dinner and orientation
Christian Heritage Sites & Night View
- Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum & Nishizaka Park
- St. Philip Church
- Oura Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Seibo-no-Kishi Monastery
- Night view tour — cable car to the summit
Sotome District & Shitsu Church
- Sotome District — scenic coastal drive
- Kurosaki Church — historic brick church
- Karematsu Christian Shrine
- Traditional Japanese eel lunch
- Fr. de Rotz Memorial Hall
- Shitsu Church
Urakami Cathedral & Peace Memorial Sites
- Urakami Cathedral
- Nyokodo Hermitage
- Peace Park & the Hypocentre
- Peace Memorial Museum
- Dejima, the former Dutch trading houses
Departure
- Depart hotel
- Arrive at Nagasaki or Fukuoka Airport
- Depart for home
Holy Mass is part of the journey. In the sample itinerary above, Mass is included on Days 2, 3 and 4, and Mass coordination with the churches on your route is one of the services we arrange. Tell us about your group’s chaplain and what you would like for Mass when you enquire, and we will confirm what can be arranged for your dates.
Every journey is customised according to your group’s interests, schedule, budget and spiritual objectives. The itinerary above is one example, not a fixed package. Hotels and meals are arranged to suit each group. Tell us about your group’s walking ability when you enquire — we adjust the itinerary with you until it fits.
Places on the Pilgrimage Route
These are some of the churches, historic sites, and memorial sites that can be included in a pilgrimage through Nagasaki, the Goto Islands, Hirado, and other parts of Kyushu. We build each route around your group’s interests and the time you have. Not every site shown here appears in the five-day sample itinerary above.
What You Can Experience in Kyushu
Christian pilgrimage is our speciality, and it sits alongside everything else Kyushu has to offer. Tell us what you would like to experience and we will combine it into one journey.
Christian Pilgrimage
Our speciality. Churches, chapels and the history of faith in Nagasaki, the Goto Islands and across Kyushu, at the pace of your group.
Cruise Excursions
Shore programmes built around your ship’s hours in port, so even a short call feels like a real visit.
Cycling
Quiet coast roads, countryside and island routes, at a pace that suits your group.
Onsen Experience
Kyushu’s hot spring towns, from well-known resorts to quiet baths in the mountains.
Food, Sake & Local Culture
Discover regional specialties, local sake, traditional food culture, and the people behind them.
These are starting points, not fixed products. Most of our guests combine two or three.
Why Groups Choose Floraison
Local Kyushu Specialists
Based in Nagasaki, working closely with a network of local guides, transport providers, hotels and destination partners across Kyushu. We live here, so our suggestions come from the region itself, not from a brochure.
Pilgrimage Planning & Coordination
We create customized Christian pilgrimage itineraries and coordinate with local churches and pilgrimage sites according to each group’s needs.
One Contact for Everything
Hotels, buses, ferries, guides, meals, church and Mass arrangements — and all the logistics in between, handled by one team.
English Support
Communication in English before and during your travel, from your first message to your last day in Japan.
What we arrange
Anything else your group needs — just ask.
How It Works
Share Your Ideas
Tell us your name, organisation, country, group size, expected travel dates and the places you hope to visit. A short message is enough to start.
We Design Your Journey
Based on your requirements we prepare an initial itinerary proposal and a preliminary quotation.
Refine Together
We discuss the details with you and refine the itinerary based on your needs.
The initial itinerary proposal and preliminary quotation are complimentary. Extensive revisions or additional itinerary planning may require a planning fee, which will be credited toward your final travel cost if you book with us.
Why Kyushu?
Kyushu holds a special place in Japan’s Christian history — and for centuries, this southwestern island has been one of the country’s gateways to the outside world. Today, it is also a popular destination for cruise ships, with ports offering easy access to historic cities, local culture and regional experiences. Beyond its Christian heritage, Kyushu offers hot springs, sake breweries, distinctive local food and excellent cycling routes. It is also quieter than many of Japan’s best-known travel routes, allowing you to explore at a more relaxed pace.
Who You Will Be Working With
Managing Director, Inbound Travel & Cruise Division — Floraison Co., Ltd.
Akiko Kawashima
Director, Inbound Travel & Cruise Division — Floraison Co., Ltd.
Floraison’s travel and cruise business is led from Nagasaki by Akiko Kawashima. She has more than twenty years of experience in tourism, port operations and international business, and today designs customized journeys for international visitors and groups traveling in Kyushu and beyond.
Alongside her work at Floraison, she serves as Cruise Advisory Manager for the Port of Sasebo, promoting the port to international cruise lines and representing the region at cruise industry events overseas. Her work also includes shore excursions and guest services for visiting superyachts.
Write in English — we usually reply within 48 hours.