Kyushu Olle Minamishimabara – The Southern Feel

What?
Kyushu Olle is a collection of walking courses all around the Kyushu island, based on a similar initiative on the Korean island of Jeju. The Minamishimabara course doesn’t stray too far away from the port, but it’s a fascinating hike from start to finish that mainly leads you through farmer’s fields and along the coastline.
Where?
Minamishimabara lies at the southern tip of the Shimabara Peninsula (“minami” means “south”) in Nagasaki Prefecture. The walk starts at the Kuchinotsu Port Ferry Terminal (from where you can also join dolphin watching tours, but they only organize from 2 people – tough luck for me) and then loops around to end at 800 meters from the starting point; an “almost-loop”. The port can be reached by bus from either Shimabara Port (1h10min) or Isehaya Station (1h40min). Or do like I did and take the car.
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Kyushu Olle Minamishimabara Course

Looking at the plan I thought this course was again to have 30 minutes of drab introductory stroll before it really got started. Boy, I was wrong. After searching a bit for the actual starting point, I immediately turned into a picturesque old-style street. After around 10 minutes’ walk the path takes a right and immediately you’re where you should be: on a hill, in a forest, between farmer’s fields, at the shoreline.
On the leaflet of the course, there are two places written down as “pretty view point”. Ignore this: fantastic views are around every nook and corner. My pictures don’t do this course justice at all.

I’m just afraid that because you are actually treading on the property of the farmers (with their permission, otherwise the course wouldn’t lead there), that they will rescind this permission as the course gains in popularity. I cannot help but think that is what happened with the gorgeous Takachiho course.

Blue skies, farmer's fields and field terraces. Beautiful.

An abandoned shrine in a small patch of forest.

Walking through fields.

The basalt coastline.

The Minamishimabara course never gets boring. There is one point that is only accessible during low tide and goes over a basalt coastline. There is a high-tide shortcut, but when using that, you can backtrack the low-tide route at the point where the two tracks meet. It allows you to walk up to the sea and see at least some small part of the basalt rocks in the water.
I suggest you take this walk during low tide as it not only allows you to take the intended route, but the whole coastline would be prettier and you’ll be able to get off the road a few times and walk on exposed rocky beaches. But rest assured, even during high tide this walk is more than worth the effort.