Shimabara

Shimabara is a castle town on a peninsula in the far south-east corner of Nagasaki Prefecture, on the flanks of Mt. Unzen, an active volcano dominating the region. After nearly 200 years of dormancy, Mt Unzen last erupted in 1991, killing 43 and devastating the southern district of town with the resultant pyroclastic flows.

The city is also the site of the Shimabara Rebellion in which Christians and locals who were unsatisfied with grossly high taxes and oppression of Christianity fought to regain control of the territory. They were unsuccessful, and with the help of the Dutch, the Japanese stopped the rebellion and beheaded approximately 37,000 Christians and peasants. It also led to the ousting of the Portuguese who they no longer trusted, making the Dutch the only Europeans the Japanese were willing to trade with. Although Christianity had already been banned prior to the rebellion, the rebellion made the government even more anti-Christian and even stricter enforcement of the religious ban was established.

Nowadays Shimabara acts as the gateway between Nagasaki and Kumamoto and sightseeing in the Unzen Volcanic Area Geopark.

Tourist information site:

The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site. Its Pamphlet section has some materials in English and other languages.

By train:

Trains run direct from Isahaya, near Nagasaki along the private Shimabara line. As with many private lines in Kyushu, the Shimabara line departs from a slightly hidden "platform zero" within the JR station. Don't leave through the JR gates, just hop on the train and buy your tickets from the driver.

By ferry:

Various ferry options will let you reach Shimabara from neighbouring Kumamoto.

Ocean Arrow will take you from Kumamoto Port (熊本港) to Shimabara Port (島原港) in 30 minutes. One way is ¥800, a round trip ¥1520. Buses from Kumamoto city centre station to Kumamoto port are ¥480 one way (¥420 from the JR station). The ¥1800 discount roundtrip special including connecting bus fare only runs from Shimabara -> Kumamoto -> Shimabara, and not reverse rendering it utterly useless for a tourist. The last ferry back to Kumamoto leaves at 19:20.

The cheaper Kyusho Ferry (九商フェリー) will get you from Kumamoto Port (熊本港) to Shimabara Port (島原港) in 60 minutes but for ¥680 one way or ¥1000 round trip. The connecting bus to the Kumamoto city centre course will still set you back ¥480 (¥420 for the JR station) each way. The last ferry back to Kumamoto leaves at 18:55.

Although primarily designed to get Nagasaki residents to the Greenland theme park, an alternate option does exist to the north. For ¥430 each way, Ariake Ferry (有明フェリー) will give you a 45-minute ride from Nagasu Port (長洲港) just north of Kumamoto to Taira Port (多比良港) just north of Shimabara. The last eastbound ferry leaves at 20:00.