Nozaki is a long, steep island in the Goto archipelago, off the western coast of Kyushu, and almost nobody lives there now. In the nineteenth century, Christians who had kept their faith secretly for over two hundred years of persecution under the Tokugawa shogunate settled on the island, farming its steep slopes alongside the community that served a Shinto shrine. When the ban on Christianity was lifted in 1873, they built a church, and the brick church of Nokubi, completed in 1908, still stands on a hill above the sea. The island and its abandoned villages are a piece of the World Heritage property for Hidden Christian sites in the Nagasaki region.
The island was gradually abandoned in the twentieth century, as people moved to the cities, and the last inhabitants left in the early 2000s. Now it is home to wild deer, in large numbers, and to the ruins of houses, terraces and stone walls slowly being reclaimed by the forest. A small visitor facility in a former school offers basic accommodation for those who want to stay overnight, and walking trails lead to the church and around the island.
Riding here, honestly, is not an option. Nozaki has no roads for private vehicles, and it is reached by small ferry from Ojika island, which in turn is connected by ferry to Sasebo and Fukuoka on Kyushu. You can take your bike to Ojika on the larger ferry and explore its quiet roads, which wind around volcanic hills and along the coast with very little traffic, and then leave it at the port for the day trip to Nozaki. Check the ferry schedules carefully, as they are infrequent and weather-dependent.
Ojika has a few shops and inns, and fuel should be found there, but it is wise to fill up before boarding on Kyushu. Food on the islands is simple and fresh, with fish, seaweed and sweet potatoes. On Nozaki, bring water, food and everything else you need, as there are no shops. Walk up to the church, sit on the steps and look across the sea toward the other islands, and think of the families who lived here, holding on to their faith in secret, generation after generation.