Photo: 663highland / CC BY-SA 4.0A drowned coastline: hills that became islands when the sea rose, leaving 208 wooded islets in about twenty-five kilometres of water. It is the densest island cluster in Japan, and only four of them are inhabited. Kujukushima means "ninety-nine islands," which is an old way of saying "too many to count" — and it undercounts by half.
The whole area is inside Saikai National Park. The fifty-minute sightseeing boat threads between the islets close enough to see the pines, and it is a scheduled public service at a fixed fare — no booking, no tour operator, no markup.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- Check the sailing board when you arrive and build the rest of the day around it. It is the only fixed timetable here.
- Sit on the open upper deck. The islands pass close and the enclosed cabin wastes the trip.
- Umikirara aquarium is beside the pier, indoors, and unusually good on jellyfish.
- Oyster huts operate along this shore from about November — grilled by the bucket over charcoal.
- Sea kayaking runs from the same resort in sheltered water, and is easier here than it sounds.
The fifty-minute sightseeing boat threads between the islets close enough to see the pines, and it is a scheduled public service at a fixed fare — no booking, no tour operator, no markup.
Guided days from Sasebo
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
More in Sasebo
Spot guideTenkaiho
The picture on every Sasebo poster, and it is free
Open the guide →
Spot guideHuis Ten Bosch
A Dutch town at full scale, and Japan is entirely serious about it
Open the guide →
Spot guideSasebo Burger & the arcade
A burger with a rule behind it, eaten within ten minutes' walk of the Miura quay, plus a wartime air-raid shelter market
Open the guide →Questions people ask here
How many islands are in Kujukushima?
Two hundred and eight. The name means "ninety-nine islands," which in older Japanese usage meant simply "too many to count" — so it undercounts by half. Only four are inhabited, and the whole area lies within Saikai National Park.
Do I need to book the Kujukushima boat?
You cannot: individuals cannot reserve. It is a scheduled sailing at a fixed adult fare of ¥2,200, roughly hourly, and tickets for each sailing go on sale at the window from about 9:00. Check the sailing board when you arrive at Pearl Sea Resort and build the rest of your day around it — it is the only fixed timetable in this port.