Japan: Martyrs, Hidden Christians & Our Lady of Akita
A Catholic Pilgrimage Through the Extraordinary Story of Christianity in Japan
14 Days / 12 Nights | Tokyo, Akita, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagasaki & More | Available for Parish and Catholic Group
Discover One of the Most Extraordinary Stories in Christian History
Few countries tell a Christian story quite like Japan.
Christian missionaries arrived in the 16th century and encountered a sophisticated civilization unlike anything they had known. The Gospel spread rapidly, producing thriving Christian communities, Catholic samurai and eventually saints and martyrs.
Then came persecution.
Churches disappeared. Missionaries were expelled. Christians were imprisoned, tortured and executed.
And yet the faith survived.
For generations, communities of Hidden Christians the Kakure Kirishitan secretly preserved prayers, traditions and memories of Christianity despite living without priests and under the threat of persecution.
Centuries later, when missionaries were finally permitted to return, descendants of these communities revealed that the faith had never completely disappeared.
This pilgrimage follows that extraordinary story across Japan.
We begin in Tokyo, discovering the modern Catholic Church alongside places associated with the persecutions of the Edo period. We then travel north to Akita, home to one of Japan’s best-known modern Marian devotions.
From there, we journey through Kyoto and Osaka, encountering Blessed Justo Takayama Ukon, the Catholic samurai who chose exile rather than abandon his faith.
In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the pilgrimage takes on an even deeper dimension.
We remember the victims of the atomic bombings, pray in churches rebuilt from destruction, encounter the legacy of St. Maximilian Kolbe, and walk through the city that became the heart of Japanese Catholicism.
Finally, we journey through the landscapes associated with the Twenty-Six Martyrs, the Shimabara Rebellion and the Hidden Christians, discovering communities that preserved the faith through centuries of isolation.
This is a pilgrimage of courage, perseverance, martyrdom, reconciliation and hope — set within one of the world’s most fascinating cultures.
Pilgrimage Highlights
- Our Lady of Akita — pilgrimage to the convent and chapel associated with the Marian events of Akita.
- Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan — encounter the story of St. Paul Miki and his companions who were crucified in Nagasaki in 1597.
- Ōura Church — visit the historic church associated with the remarkable rediscovery of Japan’s Hidden Christians.
- Hidden Christians of Japan — discover communities that secretly preserved elements of the Catholic faith during centuries of persecution.
- Blessed Justo Takayama Ukon — encounter the extraordinary story of a samurai and feudal lord who surrendered his position rather than renounce Christ.
- St. Francis Xavier’s Legacy — discover the missionary origins of Catholicism in Japan.
- St. Maximilian Kolbe in Nagasaki — visit the Franciscan monastery associated with his missionary years in Japan.
- Nishizaka Hill — pray at the place of martyrdom of the Twenty-Six Martyrs.
- Urakami Cathedral — discover the Catholic community devastated by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and the cathedral rebuilt afterward.
- Hiroshima Memorial Cathedral for World Peace — encounter a Catholic response to destruction through prayer and reconciliation.
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial — reflect upon one of the defining tragedies of the 20th century.
- Christian Shimabara — explore sites associated with persecution and the Shimabara Rebellion.
- Tokyo’s Catholic Heritage — visit historic and modern Catholic churches in Japan’s capital.
- Kyoto & Japanese Culture — experience Japan’s temples, traditional architecture, gardens and cultural heritage.
- Samurai Japan — encounter the historical world in which Catholic samurai such as Takayama Ukon lived.
- Mount Fuji — experience one of Japan’s most iconic landscapes.
- Daily opportunities for Holy Mass, prayer and spiritual reflection throughout the pilgrimage.
The Hidden Christians of Japan
Perhaps the most extraordinary story encountered on this pilgrimage is not the story of one individual saint.
It is the story of entire communities.
When Christianity was prohibited in Japan, priests disappeared and public churches ceased to exist.
Yet in isolated communities around Nagasaki and its islands, believers preserved elements of Christianity in secret.
Parents taught children prayers.
Families transmitted traditions.
Sacred objects were concealed.
Baptisms continued.
Generations passed without the visible institutional life of the Church.
Then, in the 19th century, after Japan began reopening to the world, a small group approached a Catholic missionary at Ōura Church in Nagasaki.
Their ancestors had preserved the memory of Christianity for generations.
The encounter became one of the most remarkable episodes in modern Catholic history.
Our pilgrimage allows us to stand in the very region where this happened and ask a profound question:
What does faith look like when preserving it carries a cost?
Saints, Samurai & Martyrs
The history of Christianity in Japan also challenges some of the assumptions we may carry with us.
Among the early Japanese Christians were farmers and fishermen, merchants and nobles — and samurai.
One of the greatest examples is Blessed Justo Takayama Ukon.
As a powerful feudal lord, Takayama possessed wealth, influence and status.
When authorities demanded that he renounce Christianity, however, he chose his faith over his position.
He lost his lands and eventually went into exile.
His story gives this pilgrimage another dimension.
The Gospel in Japan was not merely something carried into the country by foreign missionaries.
Japanese men and women made it their own — and some were willing to surrender everything for it.
Our Lady of Akita
The story of Japanese Catholicism did not end with the Hidden Christians.
Our journey north to Akita brings us into the modern Church in Japan and to one of the country’s most widely known Marian devotions.
At the convent associated with Our Lady of Akita, pilgrims will have the opportunity to step away from the intensity of the historical journey and spend time in prayer and contemplation.
Placed within this broader itinerary, Akita becomes particularly meaningful:
after encountering centuries of persecution and Christian perseverance, we meet a modern Japanese Catholic community continuing that same life of faith.
A Pilgrimage Designed Around Your Parish
Japan: Martyrs, Hidden Christians & Our Lady of Akita can be adapted to the spiritual, cultural and practical needs of each parish, diocese or Catholic organization.
Depending on available time, budget and group interests, possibilities may include:
Daily Holy Mass • Our Lady of Akita • additional Hidden Christian sites • additional Nagasaki churches • islands associated with the Hidden Christians • St. Maximilian Kolbe sites • Blessed Takayama Ukon experiences • Japanese Catholic art • additional St. Francis Xavier sites • Hiroshima • cultural temples and shrines • traditional Japanese experiences • additional nights in Kyoto or Tokyo
For groups particularly interested in Church history and martyrdom, the Nagasaki portion may be expanded with additional sites connected with Japan’s Hidden Christian communities.
More Than a Pilgrimage Through Japan
Japan confronts the pilgrim with an unusual history.
The first missionaries arrived with tremendous optimism.
Thousands converted.
Churches were built.
Japanese Catholic communities flourished.
Then almost everything visible disappeared.
But Christianity survived where authorities could not easily see it:
inside families, memories, whispered prayers and communities determined not to forget.
At Nishizaka, we remember martyrs.
At Shimabara, we encounter persecution.
At Ōura, we discover the astonishing survival of the Hidden Christians.
At Hiroshima and Urakami, we confront the devastation of modern war.
At Akita, we encounter the continuing prayer of the Japanese Church.
And throughout our journey, we also discover the extraordinary civilization in which all of this took place — its castles, shrines, mountains, cities, traditions and beauty.
This is not simply a tour of Japan with Catholic churches along the way.
It is a pilgrimage through the remarkable story of what happened when Christianity encountered Japan — and how the faith survived when almost everything seemed determined to extinguish it.
Important Information and Terms and Conditions
The published program is a general description and may be adjusted due to availability, operational requirements, local conditions, or the group’s needs. By registering, each traveler confirms that they have reviewed and accepted our Terms and Conditions.
Confirmed trip details, payment information, official meetings and presentations, updates, and final travel documentation will be provided through the official WeTravel page, the final itinerary, and other communications from Pilgrim Groups Travel. Travelers are responsible for reviewing all documents, insurance provisions, entry requirements, and travel instructions provided.
Proposed Itinerary
Day 1 — USA – Japan
Our Pilgrimage Begins
At the appropriate time, we will meet at our designated U.S. departure airport and begin our international journey to Japan.
Our pilgrimage will take us across a country where Christianity has experienced evangelization, extraordinary growth, brutal persecution, centuries of hidden survival and remarkable renewal.
Overnight flight to Japan.
Day 2 — Arrival in Tokyo
Welcome to Japan
Upon arrival in Tokyo, we will be welcomed by our local team and transferred to our hotel.
Depending on flight schedules, we may begin our pilgrimage with Holy Mass at a historic Catholic church in Tokyo, followed by our welcome dinner.
This first evening provides time to rest and prepare for our journey through the remarkable story of Catholicism in Japan.
Dinner and overnight: Tokyo
Day 3 — Tokyo
Christianity in Modern Japan
After breakfast, we begin our discovery of the Japanese capital.
Our cultural introduction may include the beautiful Meiji Shrine, providing an opportunity to better understand Japan’s traditional religious and cultural world — an important context for understanding the environment in which Japanese Christians lived during centuries of persecution and isolation.
We then visit St. Mary’s Cathedral, the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Tokyo and one of the country’s most striking modern Catholic buildings.
Subject to arrangements, we may celebrate Holy Mass here.
Our day may also include the Imperial Palace area and gardens, allowing us to encounter the history of the Japanese imperial institution and the transformation of Japan from the feudal period into a modern nation.
Dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Tokyo
Day 4 — Mount Fuji & the Martyrs of Tokyo
Beauty, Culture & Christian Witness
Today we leave Tokyo for an excursion toward Mount Fuji, one of the great symbols of Japan.
Weather and road conditions permitting, we may ascend toward the Fifth Station and enjoy views of this spectacular UNESCO-listed landscape.
We may also visit Oshino Hakkai, known for its clear spring waters and traditional setting beneath Mount Fuji.
Upon returning toward Tokyo, our pilgrimage shifts back toward the history of Christianity in Japan.
We visit a Catholic church associated with the memory of Christians who suffered during the persecutions of the Edo period, allowing us to begin exploring the difficult centuries when professing the Christian faith could mean imprisonment or death.
Time will be provided for prayer and reflection.
Dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Tokyo
Day 5 — Tokyo – Akita
Our Lady of Akita
After breakfast, we travel north toward Akita, using Japan’s famous high-speed rail network according to the final transportation arrangements.
Upon arrival, we continue toward the Seitai Hoshikai convent, associated with Our Lady of Akita.
Here, beginning in 1973, Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa reported extraordinary experiences involving a wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We will have time to visit the chapel and grounds, learn about the events associated with Akita, and spend time in prayer.
Subject to the community’s arrangements, the visit may include Holy Mass or another opportunity for common prayer.
Dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Akita
Day 6 — Akita & Kakunodate
Catholic Life & the Samurai World
After breakfast, we visit Akita Catholic Church, offering us an opportunity to encounter the everyday reality of Catholic life in modern Japan.
We may also enjoy a peaceful walk through Senshu Park, whose gardens, shrines and historic landscape provide another glimpse into Japanese culture.
Later, we travel to Kakunodate, one of Japan’s best-preserved historic samurai districts.
Walking among its traditional residences and streets gives us important cultural context for understanding the world of Blessed Justo Takayama Ukon and the Christian samurai who emerged during Japan’s first century of evangelization.
Return to Akita.
Dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Akita
Day 7 — Akita – Osaka – Kyoto
Blessed Justo Takayama Ukon
After breakfast, transfer to Akita Airport for our flight toward Osaka.
Upon arrival, we may begin with Osaka Castle, one of the great monuments associated with Japan’s feudal period.
We then turn toward one of the most remarkable figures in Japanese Catholic history:
Blessed Justo Takayama Ukon.
Takayama Ukon was a powerful Christian samurai and feudal lord who chose fidelity to his Catholic faith over political privilege and ultimately accepted exile rather than renounce Christ.
We will visit a church and memorial associated with his legacy, together with the historic area of Takatsuki.
Our journey then continues toward Kyoto, Japan’s ancient imperial capital.
Dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Kyoto
Day 8 — Kyoto
Faith Within Japanese Culture
Today we experience the extraordinary cultural heritage of Kyoto.
Our morning may begin at the iconic Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, followed by other important historical sites.
We will visit a Catholic church dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, remembering the Jesuit missionary whose arrival in Japan in 1549 marked the beginning of one of the most fascinating chapters of Catholic missionary history.
Subject to arrangements, we may celebrate Holy Mass.
Our cultural program may continue to Nijō Castle, once associated with the Tokugawa shogunate whose policies would ultimately lead to the suppression of Christianity.
Later, we may experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, offering a deeper encounter with the country’s cultural traditions.
Dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Kyoto
Day 9 — Kyoto – Osaka – Hiroshima
From Blessed Takayama Ukon to Hiroshima
After breakfast, we may visit St. Mary’s Cathedral in Osaka, where Catholic art and relics associated with Blessed Takayama Ukon help us continue his story.
We then board the Shinkansen for Hiroshima.
Upon arrival, our attention turns toward one of the great tragedies of modern history.
We visit the remains of the Atomic Bomb Dome, now part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, and continue through Peace Memorial Park and Museum.
Our visit is intended not simply as historical sightseeing, but as a moment of remembrance and reflection upon war, human suffering and the Christian call to peace.
Later, we visit the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace, built after the atomic bombing as a sign of prayer, reconciliation and hope.
Dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Hiroshima
Day 10 — Hiroshima – Nagasaki
The Heart of Catholic Japan
After breakfast, we leave Hiroshima and travel by high-speed rail toward Nagasaki.
Few cities are more important to the history of Christianity in Japan.
For centuries, Nagasaki and the surrounding islands became the heartland of Japanese Catholicism — a place of missionary activity, martyrdom, Hidden Christians and eventually the rediscovery of communities that had preserved the faith underground.
Our first visits may include Ōura Church, one of the most important Christian monuments in Japan.
It was here in the 19th century that descendants of Japan’s Hidden Christians approached missionaries and revealed that their communities had secretly preserved elements of the Christian faith during more than two centuries of prohibition.
We then continue to the Franciscan monastery associated with St. Maximilian Kolbe, who lived and worked as a missionary in Nagasaki before returning to Europe.
The site may include a small museum, relics associated with the saint and the Marian grotto connected with his community.
Dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Nagasaki
Day 11 — Nagasaki
The Twenty-Six Martyrs & the Hidden Church
Today we enter one of the most powerful chapters of our pilgrimage.
We visit Nishizaka Hill, where the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan were crucified in 1597.
Among them were Japanese Catholics, missionaries and St. Paul Miki, whose final witness became one of the defining moments of the early Japanese Church.
We will visit the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum and Monument, learning how their deaths anticipated the much wider persecution that would follow.
We may also visit the church dedicated to St. Philip of Jesus, one of the Twenty-Six Martyrs and the first canonized Mexican martyr.
Later, our cultural exploration continues to Dejima, the former trading enclave that illustrates Japan’s long period of restricted contact with the outside world.
This historical setting helps us understand how Christian communities could become so isolated — and how remarkable it was that elements of the faith survived underground.
Dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Nagasaki
Day 12 — Nagasaki – Unzen – Shimabara – Nagasaki
Martyrs, Persecution & the Hidden Christians
Today we travel into the Shimabara Peninsula, where the story of persecuted Christianity becomes inseparable from the landscape.
We first journey toward Unzen, whose volcanic hot-spring region is remembered not only for its natural beauty but also as a place where Christians suffered martyrdom during the persecutions.
Our route continues toward sites associated with the Catholic communities of Shimabara.
We will learn about the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637–1638, in which many participants came from heavily Christianized communities suffering economic hardship and religious persecution.
At the ruins of Hara Castle, we reflect upon the final siege and the devastating consequences that followed.
The suppression of the rebellion was followed by an even more severe campaign against Christianity.
Yet the faith did not completely disappear.
Across this region and the islands around Nagasaki, communities continued practicing Christianity secretly for generations, producing the remarkable tradition now remembered as the Hidden Christians of Japan.
Depending on the final routing, we may also visit local churches, Christian heritage sites and Marian monuments associated with these communities.
Return to Nagasaki.
Dinner and overnight.
Overnight: Nagasaki
Day 13 — Nagasaki
From Destruction to Hope
Our final full day brings together the ancient and modern suffering of Nagasaki.
We begin at Hypocenter Park, marking the area above which the atomic bomb exploded on August 9, 1945.
We then visit Urakami Cathedral, whose Catholic community suffered catastrophic losses in the bombing.
The original cathedral was destroyed, but the church was later rebuilt — standing today as both a place of Catholic worship and a witness to the resilience of Nagasaki’s Christian community.
For pilgrims who have spent several days learning about persecution, martyrdom and war, this becomes an appropriate place to reflect upon reconciliation, forgiveness and peace.
Later, our cultural program may include Glover Garden, where Western-style residences overlooking Nagasaki Harbor recall the period when Japan reopened to international contact.
In the evening, we gather for our farewell dinner.
Depending on weather and timing, we may conclude with panoramic views from Mount Inasa, looking across the city whose Christian history has accompanied the final days of our pilgrimage.
Overnight: Nagasaki
Day 14 — Nagasaki – USA
Return Home
After breakfast, at the appropriate time, transfer to Nagasaki Airport for our return journey to the United States.
Depending on airline schedules, connections may be required through Tokyo or another international gateway.
We return home having encountered one of the most extraordinary stories in the history of Christianity:
missionaries who crossed oceans to proclaim Christ;
samurai who surrendered power rather than abandon their faith;
martyrs who died publicly professing the Gospel;
families who secretly transmitted prayers across generations;
and Catholic communities that emerged from centuries of persecution still carrying memories of the faith entrusted to their ancestors.
End of our pilgrimage services.
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