Be impressed by the large group of wild dolphins
A cruise where you can appreciate the sight of approximately 300 wild dolphins living in the strait between Nagasaki Prefecture’s Shimabara Peninsula and Kumamoto Prefecture’s Amakusa Islands. Departing from Kazusa Fishing Port, you can encounter wild bottlenose dolphins within 15 minutes. Since the dolphins reside there permanently, you can see them throughout the year, meaning a 99% encounter rate. Because they are wild, feeding the dolphins isn’t possible but you can approach them at close distance while seeing them swim and jump, so the cruise is great for both children and adults. If you are lucky, you might also have the chance to see the black finless porpoise. The cruise lasts from 60-80 minutes and there are 4-5 trips leaving the port per day. If there is space available, tourists can board without a reservation but it is recommended to make reservations. Making an online reservation up to 2 days before your visit will mean a 10% discount off the price and a gift of a dolphin postcard. Also, in the rare case that dolphins aren’t seen at all during the day, you will receive a free boarding ticket for your next visit which is valid for 2 years. The winter is quite cold so suitable clothing would be convenient. During rainy days, there is free rental of ponchos.
Nagasaki Wagyu beef BBQ sets are also great
A Nagasaki Wagyu BBQ plan from April to September is also popular. You can take part without needing to bring anything and cleanup is also unnecessary, so you can get that great taste of Nagasaki Wagyu beef while viewing the rice paddies within the lush nature of Kazusa Town and the sea where the dolphins live from the BBQ grounds. In the summer, it’s also great to head over to Maehama Swimming Beach along the beautiful sandy shoreline of Toasa which is reachable by car within several minutes. Also, you can also visit tourist sites such as the Unzen Jigoku with its strongly spewing steam and hot springs, and the Hot Foot 105 which is the longest foot bath facility in Japan at Obama Onsen, accessible by car within 30-40 minutes.