Journeys We Have Designed
Here are some examples of journeys we have designed for different groups and travel styles. Open each one to explore the full day-by-day itinerary.
Christian Pilgrimage
Sample pilgrimage itineraries through Nagasaki, Hirado and the Goto Islands, designed around Christian heritage, faith and local history.
View this journeyCruise Shore Excursions
Shore excursions built around each ship’s port schedule — from short port visits to full-day programs for groups.
View this journeyCycling & Onsen
Cycling journeys combining quiet coastal roads, mountain scenery and island routes with relaxing onsen experiences.
View this journeyThese are sample journeys for inspiration, not fixed packages for sale. Each itinerary can be customized to suit your group.
Christian Pilgrimage in Nagasaki & Kyushu
Designed for Modern Pilgrimage Agency
6 Days / 5 Nights — Nagasaki & the Kamigoto Islands
A curated Christian heritage journey across Nagasaki and Kamigoto, designed around faith, history and fellowship. The itinerary combines travel by private chartered coach and ferry, including a small-boat visit to the Hidden Christian Cave, with Mass planned at a different parish church almost every day.
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Arrival & Nakamachi Church6 April
- 12:55Arrival at Fukuoka AirportMain gateway to northern Kyushu
- 14:00–16:30Travel to NagasakiPrivate chartered bus
- 16:30–17:30Nakamachi ChurchMassMass at the city-centre parish
- 17:30–18:00Hotel check-inSettle in before the evening programme
- 19:00Orientation and dinnerIncludedAt the hotel
Overnight: Inasayama Kanko Hotel
Urakami Cathedral Mass, Nyokodo & Oura Cathedral7 April
- 08:30–09:00Transfer to Urakami CathedralPrivate chartered bus
- 09:00–10:00Urakami CathedralMassVisit the Atomic Bomb Madonna chapel
- MorningNyokodoDr. Takashi Nagai memorial site
- Peace Memorial ParkPrayer for peace and remembrance
- LunchFood courtOn Your Own
- AfternoonOura Cathedral and Christian MuseumNational Treasure and historic seminary with exhibits
- Knights of Mary MonasteryCatholic devotional complex founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe
- 18:00–18:30Transfer to the ropewayGateway to the Mount Inasa summit area
- 18:30–21:00Mountaintop dinner and night viewIncludedDinner at the summit restaurant and panoramic evening views
- 21:30Return to hotel
Overnight: Inasayama Kanko Hotel
Sotome District & Shitsu Church Mass8 April
- 09:00–10:00Hotel to the Sotome districtA scenic coastal area with Christian heritage churches
- 10:00Kurosaki ChurchBrick church tied to Hidden Christian history
- LunchEel restaurantOn Your Own
- AfternoonFr. de Rotz Memorial Hall / Former Shitsu Aid CenterMuseum and welfare site
- Shitsu ChurchMassHistoric centre of the Sotome Christian settlement
- 17:00–18:00Return to Nagasaki StationPrivate chartered bus
- 18:30–21:00Dinner — izakaya experienceIncluded
- 21:30Return to hotelBy hotel shuttle bus
Overnight: Inasayama Kanko Hotel
Kamigoto Arrival, Tainoura Mass & Christian Cave9 April
- 09:00–09:30Transfer to Nagasaki Port
- 10:00–11:40Ferry to Kamigoto (Tainoura Port)
- 11:40–13:00Lunch — Goto udonOn Your Own
- AfternoonTainoura ChurchMassHistoric church in Kamigoto
- Christian Cave / Kiri ChurchVisited in rotation by group
- 18:00Hotel check-in and rest
- 18:30Dinner at the hotelIncluded
Overnight: Hotel Margherita
Aosagaura, Kashiragashima & Return to Nagasaki10 April
- 08:30Depart hotelBy private chartered bus
- 09:00–10:00Aosagaura ChurchMassOne of Kamigoto’s best-known red-brick churches
- 10:30–11:30Kashiragashima ChurchStone-built UNESCO World Heritage site
- 11:30–12:30Lunch and break — Goto beefIncluded
- 13:00Boarding proceduresReturn ferry check-in
- 13:30–15:10Ferry back to Nagasaki
- 15:30–17:0026 Martyrs Site and St. Philip ChurchMassSite of the 1597 martyrdom and the church honouring St. Philip
- 18:30Free time / dinnerOn Your Own
- 21:30Return to hotelBy hotel shuttle bus
Overnight: Inasayama Kanko Hotel
Unzen Jigoku & Departure11 April
- 07:30–09:30Travel to UnzenPrivate chartered bus
- 09:30–10:30Unzen JigokuSite of Christian martyrdom and geothermal landscape
- 10:30–11:30Unzen ChurchMassParish near the martyrdom area
- 11:30–12:00Light lunch or bentoIncludedNear Unzen
- 12:00–15:00Travel to Fukuoka AirportPrivate chartered bus
- 18:15Departure
What we arranged for these groups
This itinerary was designed for a specific group and is shown here as an example of what we can create. It is not a packaged tour for sale. Each pilgrimage is customized according to the group’s interests, schedule, budget, walking ability and spiritual objectives.
Cruise Shore Excursions in Kyushu
Nagasaki Port
Designed around the client’s request to experience as much of Nagasaki as possible, this shore excursion combined a variety of the city’s historic and cultural sites within the available port time.
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NagasakiA group of 26
- 08:00–08:15Walk from the cruise terminal to the coach
- 08:45–10:00Atomic Bomb Museum and walk to Peace Park
- 10:15–10:45Urakami Cathedral
- 11:15–12:00Twenty-Six Martyrs Monument at Nishizaka Hill
- 12:15–13:00Lunch — Nagasaki local set meal
- 13:00–13:20Transfer to the slope car station
- 13:20–14:00Mount Inasa observation deck
- 14:00–14:10Slope car down
- 14:30–15:15Dejima historical area
- 16:45Glover Garden and Oura Cathedral, then walk back to the port
Lunch was a Nagasaki set meal: tofu, sashimi, prawn and vegetable tempura, grilled local fish, simmered dishes, steamed egg custard, Nagasaki beef with champon noodles, rice, miso soup and dessert.
Kagoshima Port
A customized shore excursion from Kagoshima Port, planned around the group’s interests and the time available during the port call.
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Kagoshima
- Option 1 — Chiran & Sengan-en
- 08:30–09:30Transfer to Chiran
- 09:30–11:40Chiran Peace Museum and the Chiran samurai gardens
- 11:40–12:40Return to the ship
- 14:00–14:30Transfer to Sengan-en
- 14:30–16:30Sengan-en
- 16:30–17:00Return to the ship
- Option 2 — Kirishima Full Day
- 08:30–10:00Transfer to Kirishima Shrine by coach
- 10:00–11:10Kirishima Shrine
- 11:15–12:25Shinsui-kyo Gorge
- 13:00–15:00Buffet lunch and the Jomon Museum
- 15:00–16:00Return to the ship
- Option 3 — Sakurajima & Sengan-en
- 08:00–08:40Depart the cruise terminal and transfer to Kagoshima Port
- 08:40–09:00Ferry to Sakurajima Port, with the coach
- 09:00–09:20Transfer to the Arimura Lava Observatory
- 09:20–10:00Arimura Lava Observatory
- 10:00–10:40Return by ferry to Kagoshima Port
- 10:40–11:00Transfer to Sengan-en Garden
- 11:00–11:30Sengan-en with a guide
- 11:30–12:30Lunch — keihan, Kagoshima chicken riceAt the Sengan-en restaurant
- 12:30–13:30Free time in Sengan-en
- 13:30Tsurumaru Castle ruins and the Saigo Takamori statueSeen from the coach
- 13:45–14:15Terukuni Shrine
- 14:30–15:30Museum of the Meiji Restoration
- 15:30–16:00Return to the ship
Guests chose between the two routes, and each route ran as more than one departure so that every group stayed a comfortable size.
Keihan is a Kagoshima dish, best known on the Amami Islands: rice topped with shredded chicken, egg and pickles, with hot chicken broth poured over it.
Yakushima Port
A shore excursion designed for a port call in Yakushima, combining the island’s natural scenery and local highlights within the ship’s available time.
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YakushimaIn port 07:00–18:30
Shiratani Unsuikyo is a ravine in Yakushima’s natural recreation forest, between 600 and 1,050 metres above sea level. It is home to Yakusugi cedars over a thousand years old, the 3,000-year-old Yayoi Sugi, Taikoiwa Rock and the moss forest that inspired a well-known animated film.
- Ashore — Shiratani Unsuikyo Gorge
- 09:30–10:00Transfer to Shiratani Unsuikyo Gorge
- 10:00–11:3090-minute walking course in the gorge
- 11:30–12:00Return to the ship
- Afternoon departureThe same programme ran again from 13:30 to 16:00
- Onboard — Chopstick Making
- 09:30–10:30Chopstick-making workshop
- 11:00–12:00Second workshop
- Afternoon sessions13:30–14:30 and 15:00–16:00
Guests who preferred to stay aboard joined the chopstick-making workshop instead, so the whole ship had something to do in port.
What we arranged for these groups
These shore excursions were arranged for specific cruise calls and are shown as examples of what we can create. They are not packaged tours for sale. Each shore excursion is customized according to the port, time alongside, group size and interests.
Cycling & Onsen in Kyushu and Shikoku
8 Days Across Kyushu — Fukuoka to Beppu
A week riding the width of Kyushu, from Hakata on the north coast to the hot springs of Beppu on the east. Two rest days at either end, six riding days of 50 to 70 km, and a different town every evening — the pace leaves time to stop, eat and soak.
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Fukuoka (Hakata)10 October, Sat
- RideRest day
- ProgrammeExplore around Hakata Station
- EveningWelcome dinner with the guides
Overnight: Hakata
Hakata to Wakamatsu11 October, Sun
- MorningBike fitting
- RideFukuoka City to WakamatsuApprox. 65 km
Overnight: Wakamatsu
Wakamatsu to Iizuka12 October, Mon
- RideAlong the Hibikinada and Suonada coastsApprox. 70 km
Overnight: Iizuka
Iizuka to Hita13 October, Tue
- RideTo Hita via Yabakei GorgeApprox. 70 km
Overnight: Hita
Hita to Nakatsu14 October, Wed
- RideHita to Nakatsu CityApprox. 50 km
Overnight: Nakatsu
Nakatsu to Kunisaki15 October, Thu
- RideTo Kunisaki, calling at Usa Jingu Shrine on the wayApprox. 60 km
Overnight: Kunisaki
Kunisaki to Beppu16 October, Fri
- RideAlong the Kunisaki Peninsula to Beppu OnsenApprox. 65 km
Overnight: Beppu
Beppu17 October, Sat
- RideRest day
- ProgrammeBeppu city and the hot springs
- DepartureTransfer out
9 Days, Shikoku & Kyushu — Onomichi to Fukuoka
A harder trip for experienced riders: the Shimanami Kaido island chain, the climbs above Matsuyama, the ferry across to Kyushu and then the Kunisaki peninsula. Seven riding days, over 600 km and more than 6,000 metres of climbing, with an onsen at the end of most of them.
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Arrival in Onomichi29 September
- 16:00Arrival at OnomichiGuides meet the group in Onomichi
- 16:30–17:30Onsen
- 18:00Welcome dinner
Onomichi to Setoda30 September
- Distance62.3 km
- Riding time4h 46m
- Elevation gain670 m
- DifficultyAdvanced
- RouteSeto Inland Sea coastline with several ferry crossingsMostly paved roads, rolling terrain. Finishes in Setoda on Ikuchijima Island.
Overnight: Setoda
Setoda to Matsuyama1 October
- DistanceApprox. 88 km
- Riding time5h 25m
- Elevation gain680 m
- DifficultyAdvanced
- HighlightsTatara Bridge, Omishima Island, Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, Itoshima Park, Dogo OnsenThe Shimanami Kaido — island hopping by bridge across the Seto Inland Sea, finishing at one of Japan’s oldest hot springs.
Overnight: Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama
Dogo to Uchiko round trip2 October
- Distance91.0 km
- Riding time4h 53m
- Elevation gain1,270 m
- DifficultyAdvanced
- RouteThe Popeye Loop, starting and finishing at KamataThe hardest climbing day of the trip.
Overnight: Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama
Matsuyama to Beppu3 October
- Distance86.1 km
- Riding time5h 13m
- Elevation gain1,670 m
- DifficultyAdvanced
- RouteRide to Misaki Port, then the ferry across to Kyushu
Overnight: Beppu
Beppu to Kunisaki4 October
- Distance63.2 km
- Riding time4h 12m
- Elevation gain550 m
- DifficultyAdvanced
Overnight: Kunisaki
Kunisaki to Hita5 October
- Distance121 km
- Riding time8h 07m
- Elevation gain1,710 m
- DifficultyAdvanced
- NoteThe longest day — a full day in the saddle across the Kunisaki peninsula and inland to Hita.
Overnight: Hita
Hita to Fukuoka6 October
- DistanceApprox. 91 km
- Riding time5h 32m
- Elevation gain570 m
- DifficultyAdvanced
Overnight: Fukuoka
Departure
- MorningTransfer to Fukuoka Airport
- Onward flight to Osaka
What we arranged for these groups
These itineraries were designed for specific groups and are shown as examples of what we can create. They are not packaged tours for sale. Each cycling journey is customized according to the group’s riding level, preferred daily distance, pace and interests.
Photographs supplied by the Nagasaki Prefecture Convention and Visitors Bureau, except: Hidden Christian Cave © KAMIGOTO; Shitsu Church, Site of the Twenty-Six Martyrs and Dejima © Nagasaki City.