Hirado is an island off the northwest coast of Kyushu, connected to the mainland by a bright red suspension bridge, and for a brief moment in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was one of Japan's windows on the world. Portuguese traders arrived in 1550, followed by Jesuit missionaries, and later the Dutch and English East India Companies set up trading posts here. When Christianity was banned in the early seventeenth century and foreign trade was moved to Nagasaki, the Christians of Hirado went underground. Kasuga, a farming village on the western side of the island, is one of the places where these Hidden Christians, the Kakure Kirishitan, maintained their faith in secret for more than two centuries, outwardly following Buddhism and Shinto while worshipping Christian images disguised as Buddhist statues and reciting prayers in a garbled mix of Latin, Portuguese and Japanese. The village and the sacred mountain of Yasumandake above it are part of the UNESCO listing of the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region.
The village is beautiful in a quiet way: terraced rice fields stepping down a valley towards the sea, farmhouses with stone walls, and forested hills behind. The terraces have been farmed in the same way for centuries, and in early summer, when they are flooded, they reflect the sky. A small visitor centre explains the history.
The riding on Hirado is pleasant and unhurried. The roads circle the island along the coast and through the hills, with tight bends, steep climbs and views over the sea and the scattered islands. Traffic is light, the surface excellent, as everywhere in Japan, and the speed limits are low and enforced. Japan drives on the left. Watch for farm vehicles and elderly drivers in tiny kei trucks.
Hirado town, on the eastern side, has a reconstructed Dutch trading house, a castle overlooking the harbour, and a striking view of a Buddhist temple and a Catholic church together on the same hillside. It has fuel, convenience stores and restaurants serving fresh seafood. Try the local flying fish, ago, dried and used in soups, or grilled squid.
The best seasons are spring and autumn. The rainy season in June brings heavy rain, and typhoons can strike in late summer and early autumn, so check the forecast.