Destination: Japan
Towns and Cities: Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Hirado, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Yanagawa
Duration: April 1 – 8, 2025 (8 days)
Status: OPEN – Book Now!
Deadline to receive deposits: December 20, 2024
HIGHLIGHTS
Spiritual Chaplain: Rev Fr Christian Emmanuel Gabinete – Parish Priest, Our Lady of the Pillar Parish, Las Piñas City
26 Martyrs Museum
At this museum, visitors can learn about the history of Christianity in Nagasaki—its rise, prohibition, and revival. A collection of items showcasing the lives of Christians as they hid from the authorities is on display here.
Nishizaka Hill
The monument commemorating the 26 Martyrs (or Saints) of Japan is located on Nishizaka Hill. It was built in June 1962 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the canonization by the Roman Catholic Church of the Christians executed on the site on February 5, 1597. The 26 martyrs were arrested in Kyoto and Osaka on the order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the national ruler, for preaching Christianity.
Urakami Cathedral
The Immaculate Conception Cathedral, also St Mary’s Cathedral, is known as Urakami Cathedral after its location in Urakami. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Motoomachi, Nagasaki, Japan. The beautiful building facing Hirado Strait offers artists and photographers a motif typical of the Tabira district.
Peace Park
The Peace Park was founded with the desire for world peace in mind. After the atomic bomb exploded, it was said that grass and trees would not grow on this spot for 75 years. However, this park is currently full of trees, flowers, and artwork donated by countries all over the world in support of the city’s prayer for peace.
Oura Cathedral and Christian Museum
Oura Cathedral is the oldest wooden church of Gothic architecture in Japan. It was built in 1864 by a French missionary and was thus known by the people of Nagasaki at the time as the “French Temple.” This church was dedicated to the 26 martyrs who had been executed on Nishizaka Hill. In 2016, the Vatican recognized it as a Minor Basilica for its historical value.
St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church
This is a Catholic church in Hirado, Nagasaki. Hirado is a place where Francis Xavier visited three times to spread Christianity in Japan. Even during the Kinkyo Ordinance of the Edo Period, which prohibited religions, Christianity was very widespread. For that reason, when the ordinance was lifted, this church was constructed, and the image of Francis Xavier was put on the side.
Houki Church
This church, located in Hoki-cho, Hirado City, was built in 1898. It was built by carpenters who had been baptized for temple and shrine construction on Ukujima Island. It has various architectural features, such as a structure combining wooden tile roofing with brick. It is a prefectural designated tangible cultural property for its valuable construction. It shows the history of faith in the area and the history of church architecture that moved from wood to brick.
Yamada Church
After the discovery of the numerous hidden Christians in Ikitsuki Island in 1865, they began to work on recovering their Catholic faith, although they were not too successful at first. Then, in 1878, a priest named Fr Pelu came to Hirado and baptized many people who are said to be the ancestors of the churchgoers of Yamada Church today.
Memorial Cathedral for World Peace
Renowned as one of the major Catholic cathedrals of the Orient, it was built in commemoration of the first A-bomb victims in the world. Togo Murano, a pioneer of modern Japanese architecture, designed the massive, refined building. In connection with the number of victims, some 240,000 clay bricks from the bomb site were used to build the cathedral, which projects an image of a monastery in the Middle Ages.
Dazaifu Tenmangu
This open and vibrant shrine has a rich history and forward-thinking outlook. It is built over the grave of Sugawara no Michizane and is one of the main shrines dedicated to Tenjin, the deified form of Michizane.
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