Nagasaki Shipyard/ Mitsubishi Giant Cantil and Shitsu Village in Sotome

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Nagasaki Shipyard/ Mitsubishi Giant Cantil

   The giant cantilever crane stands over the Nagasaki shipyard like a tall green arm, and it was installed in 1909 to lift heavy machinery, boilers and engines into ships being fitted out at the quay. It is among the oldest cranes of its kind in Japan, electric, enormous, and built with the confidence of a country that wanted to build its own steamers. The Mitsubishi yard it served grew into one of the great shipbuilders of Asia, and warships and liners both took form here. The crane is now part of the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution and is visible, in outline at least, from the water and from some of the roads around the harbour. The yard is still working, so access to the area is limited.

   Read the complete Nagasaki Shipyard/ Mitsubishi Giant Cantil write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Nagasaki Shipyard/ Mitsubishi Giant Cantil is where the day begins. Next is Takashima Coal Mine/ Takashima Coal Mine.

2. 2. Takashima Coal Mine/ Takashima Coal Mine

   Out in the sea off Nagasaki, a low island called Takashima was the place where modern Japan dug its first Western-style coal shaft. In 1868, in the very year of the Meiji Restoration, the Scottish merchant Thomas Glover went into partnership with the Saga domain to sink a shaft here using steam-powered machinery from Britain. The mine later passed to Mitsubishi and became one of the pillars of the company's rise, fuelling steamships, factories and the rapid industrialisation of the country. Takashima is now part of the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution, listed by UNESCO in 2015.

   Read the complete Takashima Coal Mine/ Takashima Coal Mine write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Takashima Coal Mine/ Takashima Coal Mine comes up about 21 km into the recorded legs. Next is Shitsu Village in Sotome.

3. 3. Shitsu Village in Sotome

   Sotome is a stretch of rugged coast north of Nagasaki, where steep hills drop into the East China Sea, and the village of Shitsu clings to its slopes. During the centuries when Christianity was banned in Japan, the farmers and fishermen of this remote area kept their faith in secret, passing down prayers and rituals from generation to generation, hiding their devotion behind Buddhist and Shinto practices. When the ban was lifted in 1873, many of them returned to the Catholic Church. The Shitsu church, built in 1882 under the direction of the French missionary Marc Marie de Rotz, stands on a hill above the sea, a simple white building with a low profile designed to resist the strong winds. De Rotz was more than a priest: he taught the villagers to make bread, pasta and textiles, built a clinic and a workshop, and his legacy is still honoured locally. The village and church are part of the UNESCO listing of the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region.

   Read the complete Shitsu Village in Sotome write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 67 km into the recorded legs you reach Shitsu Village in Sotome. Next is back through Takashima Coal Mine/ Takashima Coal Mine.

4. 4. Back to Nagasaki Shipyard/ Mitsubishi Giant Cantil

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Nagasaki Shipyard/ Mitsubishi Giant Cantil write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Takashima Coal Mine/ Takashima Coal Mine, late in the day. Next is Nagasaki Shipyard/ Mitsubishi Giant Cantil.

5. 5. Nagasaki Shipyard/ Mitsubishi Giant Cantil

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Nagasaki Shipyard/ Mitsubishi Giant Cantil write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Nagasaki Shipyard/ Mitsubishi Giant Cantil. That is the ride.