I was really fortunate to be able to take a car out to Nagasaki Prefecture recently. Since I have already been to Nagasaki proper years ago, I thought it would be interesting to explore outside of Nagasaki city. I looked around and found this affordable resort on the island of Okinoshima and Ioshima, just 45 minutes drive south of the city.
This resort spans across the coast of both these small islands and connected to the mainland of Kyushu by bridge, so as long as you have a car, you can get to it. But it is a pretty big property, and getting around the resort will require you to drive or take a bicycle (free for staying guests) to cycle around. They also have a free shuttle bus service within the property.
So within I+Land, there are different hotels. The hotels on Okinoshima are all mostly lodges (plus one hotel). Ioshima has mostly all the hotel rooms. Depending on where you stay, you will have different check in receptions and restaurants available to you.
I really enjoyed my time here and I wanted to share with you a bit of my experience.
Spa/Onsen
Their main hook are the onsen/spa they have on their property.
There are three in total. If you’re staying on their property, you have free access to them. There’s two on each ends of the property, and one in the middle. The shuttle bus takes you around all of them. Each building has a specific focus.
Their biggest spa/onsen is the Ark Island Spa. This one has swimming pools (not made for swimming lol, they’re more like just glorified jacuzzis to paddle around in), which will require swimsuits. For staying guests, they will provide swimwear free - but you can of course bring your own if you like. There’s a small onsen with an observation deck. It’s got a lovely view, but if it’s windy, it can get chilly and not so comfy. There’s also fishermen that fish nearby so eh… they could see you up there if they tried.
Their second building is in the middle called Yuyu Spa. Not much to write home about. Your typical pools of lovely warm water.
The third one is Minato Spa, which is located on the other island. This also isn't such a big Spa. There is one bath, but their main catch are their saunas and rock beds. Mostly it's just a nice place to relax, because the facilities there are very nice and clean! And they had these nice cubby holes for napping and reading:
These three places are available free of charge during opening hours if you are a staying guest. All you need to do is show them your room key and they will do the rest.
Food
During my stay, dinner & breakfast was included.
I have been to many ryokans, some of them quite high class and luxurious. So you'll have to believe me when I say that the food here has been one of the best meals I've had during my hotel stay.
One thing that threw me off was the natto in the above small dishes platter. I wasn't a huge fan, but thankful these are all one-biters, so they can be easily forgotten about.
Dinner was a simple course meal with a pork nabe as main. At first I thought it was very simple and not really special, but recently, I much prefer food from accommodations to be delicious over the presentation. So while it was simple, the taste of the foods went above and beyond.
I also had a sashimi platter included in the course and the seafood was so fresh.
They also had a short dragon show!!
Breakfast was buffet style, and it was just as delightful.
I was served with miso soup on the table ready to be reheated. The server instructed me to proceed to the buffet bar and add ingredients to your liking in the pot. While it isn't anything crazy special, I appreciated the simplicity of this option. I often find that miso soup here has too much seaweed, and it's nice to know I can avoid adding it in at all if I chose to.
Another really nice feature is the seafood bowl you can create from their buffet. They had various stations of "create your own" whatever - which was kind of nice. Otherwise, the rest of the options are typical Japanese and "Western" styles. Again, a nice mix to start off the day.
Island Lumina
Facilities and food aside, the main reason I chose to stay here is because of their Illumination Show: Island Lumina.
Access to the illumination is restricted in that you cannot just walk right up to the entrance and walk in. Vehicles are restricted as well. The only way to get to this illumination is by a shuttle bus operated by the hotel itself. This bus is separate from the hotel shuttle service. At the time of writing this, there are three time slots you can opt to go for: 7PM, 8PM, 9PM. (This can change due to COVID restrictions)
If you are a staying guest, you just need to tell the front desk you are interested in the illuminations and they will instruct you. As far as I know, there's no official "sign up" or registration, but since there are only three buses operating up to the illumination spot, it is probably wise to ask and time your activities.
This is not free - you need to pay out of pocket. It is 2100 yen per person.
You can also go as a non-staying guest, but again, you need to get to the location of the shuttle bus to go up to the illumination spot.
The shuttle bus location is closest to Parking #5, where the information center is. There is a waiting area (the information center), and once the shuttle bus is here, a staff member will usher everyone to the bus and head up to the illumination spot.
If you are staying on property, you can take the hotel shuttle to this area and wait. Or take your car to Parking #5 (all parking on property is free), if you don't want to gamble with shuttle times.
The other reason I say access is "restricted" is because the entrance to the illumination is on a elevated location. I wouldn't say it's a... mountain, but walking up would be extreme tedious. Even the hotel staff highly advises against it. So it's best to take that shuttle bus.
This is a illumination show does involve A LOT OF walking, and the estimated amount of time to complete the course is about 1 hour. If you have any mobility issues and need assistance with movement, this show would be out of the question for you. The path is rocky and involves a healthy amount of up & downhill hiking.
If you are bringing small children with you, definitely make sure to watch out for them because the path can be pretty rough as it is not paved. They will need to be able to walk or be carried, as another group who was with me with two toddlers did not use a stroller at all.
And watch your own steps too! Dark & rocky definitely creates a nice island aesthetic, but I could swear I could have tripped 10 times over the course of the walk.
That being said, it's time for photos!
I don't want to ruin the whole thing, so I won't comment so much on the pictures. But just know that the illumination is separated into sections and each of the sections tell a part of the story. Some are more interactive than others.
This is easily one of my favourite illuminations I've ever been to in Japan.
There was one part of the walk where it was essentially a maze. A staff member hands you a black light flashlight, which you need to shine on the signs to find your way out. While it was a bit of a no-brainer maze, the concept itself and the ambiance was so perfectly orchestrated - I was absolutely in awe.
If you are in Nagasaki, I absolutely 100% recommend you do this walk, even if you don't stay at the resort. And go with a group if you can - some of the interactive elements are more fun that way!
One you finish the walk, you will arrive back at the entrance and there will be a shuttle there to take you back. When I was there, there were two shuttles timed at approximately 45 minutes at the start of your arrival, and 1 hour at the start of your arrival. If you miss these two shuttles back, you will have to wait until the next hour. There is a small gift shop & a outdoor cafe area to wait, but it is a good idea to inquire with the staff members there when the shuttles back are before you enter so you can time your walk accordingly.
Everyone seemed very accommodating and attentive, especially since I was there not during peak season. I was only accompanied by three other groups of people during my hour. Admittedly the night I went, it was fairly windy and chilly. Probably discouraged a lot of people from going. However, since the illuminations are in the middle of a forest, the winds don't really penetrate through too much. You can still enjoy it in windy elements!
If you are interested in the resort and the illumination, here are the links down below:
Book here:
〒851-1201 長崎県長崎市伊王島町１丁目3277-7