GOTO RETREAT by Onko Chishin

The Goto Islands, an archipelago off the western coast of Nagasaki prefecture, carry one of Japan's most compelling hidden histories: during the two centuries of sakoku (national seclusion policy, 1635–1853), Christianity was prohibited under penalty of death. Communities of 'hidden Christians' (kakure Kirishitan) maintained their faith in secret across the Goto Islands and the Nagasaki region, developing uniquely syncretic religious practices that blended Christian belief with Buddhist and Shinto elements. When Japan reopened to the world in the 19th century, these communities emerged — some returning to Catholicism, others maintaining their distinct hidden tradition. The Goto Islands' associated sites are part of a UNESCO World Heritage designation.

GOTO RETREAT by Onko Chishin — the premium Japanese hospitality brand whose properties also include MUNI KYOTO and SETOUCHI RETREAT — brings luxury accommodation to this historically extraordinary but practically remote destination. The Goto Islands require ferry service from Nagasaki or a small aircraft connection, a logistical commitment that in itself selects for travelers whose engagement with the destination is intentional rather than casual.

Onko Chishin's approach — culturally attentive, spatially considered, guided by deep engagement with the specific landscape and heritage of each property's location — finds in the Goto Islands one of its richest possible contexts. The hidden Christian heritage, the island fishing village character, the clear water of the surrounding East China Sea, and the extraordinary remoteness of the archipelago provide material for a stay that is genuinely unlike anything available elsewhere in Japan.

For travelers whose most significant travel experiences have been organized around remote places of historical and cultural depth — places that require effort to reach and reward that effort with encounters unavailable in more accessible destinations — GOTO RETREAT provides a Japanese version of that specific experience.