Nagasaki Travel Guide 2027: Inasa Night View, Glover Garden & Gunkanjima
Japan's closed-country window to the world — Mt. Inasa's night view, the World Heritage Glover Garden and Oura Church, Dejima, Peace Park and Gunkanjima.
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The Colors Within Anime Pilgrimage Guide
きみの色 ・ Officially certified on the Anime Tourism 88 (2025)
Quick take
- Certified pilgrimage sites: 長崎市, 佐世保市, 五島市, 新上五島町 (4 locations)
- 6 verified filming spots, sourced from tourism boards and official guides
- Plan an overnight stay or fold it into a regional itinerary
Naoko Yamada’s 2024 film The Colors Within threads Nagasaki’s hillside slopes, Christian churches and remote-island light through a story of three teenagers forming a band. This is not a one-day pilgrimage: the model locations span Nagasaki City, Sasebo City, and the UNESCO-listed churches out on the Goto Islands, where ferry and flight schedules dictate your itinerary. My honest take — do the city slopes and tram terminus in half a day, then treat Sasebo and the island churches as a deliberate Nagasaki-region extension rather than something to cram in.
Pilgrimage map
Verified filming spots
| ✔ | Spot | Area | Scene & guide | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 崇福寺坂・ドンドン坂 | 1 長崎市 | Listed by the Nagasaki Prefecture tourism portal as a model location in the Minami-Yamate slope district; the source names no specific scene. It is one of Nagasaki’s best-known historic slopes, a short walk from Oura Church and Glover Garden, so it pairs naturally into a walk that captures the sloped cityscape the film draws on. | 長崎電鐵大浦天主堂電停下車，步行至南山手坡道區 | |
| 赤迫電停 | 1 長崎市 | Listed by the prefecture portal as a model location and noted as the terminus of Nagasaki’s streetcar line. For anyone chasing the film’s tram imagery, it is the easiest to reach: just ride the streetcar to the end of the line. | 長崎路面電車赤迫線終點站 | |
| 旧海軍佐世保鎮守府凱旋記念館（佐世保市民文化ホール） | 2 佐世保市 | Per Sasebo’s official tourism page, this hall appears in the scene where the three leads perform as a band. Note that it cannot be viewed while in use (visits not possible during events), so call ahead (0956-25-8192) before making the trip rather than turning up on spec. | JR 佐世保站周邊，市中心設施 | |
| 黒島天主堂 | 佐世保市（黑島） | Per Sasebo’s official page, Kuroshima Church appears as the chapel of protagonist Totsuko’s school. It is a UNESCO World Heritage component; the source notes the interior differs from the anime and that advance booking is required (Nagasaki and Amakusa Hidden Christian Sites Info Center, 095-823-7650). Reaching it means a ferry to Kuroshima island, so plan it as its own leg. | 搭渡輪至黑島，需事前預約參觀 | |
| 旧五輪教会堂 | 3 五島市 | Per the Nagasaki tourism portal, this is the story’s principal setting — the heart of the band’s rehearsal scenes. A UNESCO World Heritage site requiring advance booking, with exterior photography permitted. It sits out on the Goto Islands, reached by air or ferry from Nagasaki, making it the film’s most committed island stop. | 五島列島福江，由長崎搭飛機（ORC 約 30 分至福江）或渡輪前往，需事前預約 | |
| 有川港 | 4 新上五島町 | Listed by the prefecture portal as one of the film’s island settings. Located in Shinkamigoto, it is a gateway ferry port for the Kamigoto islands and slots naturally into a Goto church-pilgrimage route. | 新上五島町，由長崎或佐世保搭渡輪至有川／奈良尾港 |
Spots verified against tourism-board / municipal / official sources (2026-07-18); confirm on-site conditions locally.
Getting there and routing the pilgrimage
There is no direct shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagasaki. In practice you have two options: fly Haneda–Nagasaki (about 2 hours), or take the shinkansen to Hakata and transfer to the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen (the “Relay Kamome to Kamome” with a same-platform change at Takeo-Onsen), reaching Nagasaki from Hakata in roughly 1 hour 20 minutes at fastest.
For Sasebo, the limited express “Midori” from Hakata takes about 1 hour 34 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes. The Goto and Shinkamigoto legs are reached by air from Nagasaki (ORC, about 30 minutes to Fukue) or by ferry from Nagasaki Port (around 3 hours) — this is not a Tokyo day trip, so build it in as a Nagasaki-region extension.
Stringing it together: cover the Nagasaki city spots (Dondon-zaka, Akasako terminus, shopping arcades) by streetcar in half a day; treat Sasebo and the island churches — booking-required and bound by ferry and opening hours — as separate legs rather than forcing all three areas into one day.
A pilgrimage run means walking with one hand holding your phone up against an anime screenshot the whole day — that eats data fast. Grab a KKday Japan eSIM before you land so you are not hunting for Wi-Fi at every filming spot.
The real locations
More pilgrimages in the same region
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q1：Can you visit the The Colors Within locations in Nagasaki in one day?
- No. The Nagasaki city slopes and tram spots take half a day, but Kuroshima Church in Sasebo and the Goto churches require ferries and usually advance booking, so realistically plan two to three days and treat the islands as their own leg.
- Q2：Do Kuroshima Church and the Goto churches need advance booking?
- Yes. Per official sources, both Kuroshima Church and the former Gorin Church are World Heritage sites requiring advance booking; for Kuroshima, contact the Nagasaki and Amakusa Hidden Christian Sites Info Center (095-823-7650). Note the interiors differ somewhat from the anime depiction.
- Q3：What is the fastest way from Tokyo to Nagasaki?
- Flying Haneda–Nagasaki (about 2 hours) is the most direct; alternatively take the shinkansen to Hakata and change to the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen, reaching Nagasaki in about 1 hour 20 minutes. For Sasebo, the limited express Midori from Hakata takes roughly an hour and a half.
- Q4：Can you enter the Sasebo Civic Cultural Hall anytime?
- No. Per Sasebo’s official tourism page, viewing is not possible while the hall is in use, so call ahead (0956-25-8192) to avoid a wasted trip.
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