If you are planning to visit the western region of Nagasaki and Kumamoto, you might want to go a little further to Shimabara and check out the Shimabara Castle. Shimabara is a sightseeing spot at the easternmost of Nagasaki. It takes about 2 hours from Nagasaki city by train. If you go from Kumamoto, you can take a ferry and is about one hour ride. You can also travel by land to Shimabara, but I recommend to take ferry because it is faster and isn’t expensive even if you have a car. You can also see throngs of seagull and feed them on the ferry. Also the view from the ferry is very beautiful.



About Shimabara Castle

Shimabara castle was built in around 1618 by Matsukura Shigemasa, a busho (military commander) of the Warring States period. People of Nagasaki area, including Shimabara were influenced by western cultures and there were some Christians. But Matsukura suppressed the Christians harshly. The suppression caused the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637-38, the biggest civil war by Christians in Japanese history.

The castle has the five-tiered donjon. It is 33m tall and 1,320m width. The original castle was torn down after Meiji Restoration of 1868 and only stone walls were left. The present castle was rebuilt in 1963.

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When you arrive at the castle, staffs will welcome you with unique busho costume and nice music. They are very nice and will help you to take best photo shot. I’ve visited many sightseeing spots in the world, but I’ve never experienced such heartwarming service. You can also wear Japanese armor and take photos with the castle for free which is unusual at sightseeing spots. They also have Ninja costumes for kids.

Inside of Castle



Inside the castle is a historical museum and it exhibits the historical goods from the Shimabara Rebellion and Kakure Kirishitan, “Hidden Christians” culture. The museum is not big but those exhibitions are very interesting. There are many exhibitions you cannot see other places, like statues of mother Mary made closely resembles to Buddhist statues to hide they are Christians. At the 5th floor, you can get a 360-degree view of Shimabara city. You can also see Ariake Sea and Mt. Unzen. The view is very beautiful and it is nice photo spot.

Local Cuisine Guzoni at Himematsuya



If you get hungry, there is a recommended restaurant. Himematsuya is an old restaurant near the castle. You can eat local cuisine gu-zoni at the restaurant. gu-zoni is soy sauce based soup containing rice cake and many other ingredients. “Gu” means many ingredients and “zoni” means soup containing rice cakes. Most Japanese eat zoni on New Year’s Day. But in Shimabara, samurais eat Zoni with many ingredients to prepare for battles and it became to local cuisine. You can eat gu-zoni throughout the year regardless of the season.

Shimabara castle isn’t such a famous tourist spot but it is worth visiting. There are not too many people, so you can enjoy the castle without hurry. And there are some historical exhibitions. If you want to go Nagasaki from Kumamoto, Shimabara is on the way and Shimabara castle is only 8 minutes away by car from ferry terminal. So if you have time, it is a good idea to visit the castle.