In late March we decided to pay a visit to the Goto Islands (Goto literally means "five islands") of Nagasaki Prefecture, and there is only one luxury property in the main island of Fukue - Goto Retreat ray by Onko Chishin.

I won't go into redundant detail since Nagasaki Joe has an excellent write-up of this property here, along with tons of photos that illustrates the type of establishment it is.

Overall, I echo Nagasaki Joe's opinions - it's fresh and new, offers great views, dishes out excellent locally-sourced cuisine and probably isn't a place you go to just for the sake of staying there... you will need a car to get around and make the most of your Goto visit.


Deluxe Room with Sea View, 70mē

We stayed two nights in the Deluxe Twin Room with Sea View, the top category accommodation at Goto Retreat ray. It's 70mē in size, has a Junior Suite-style layout and isn't much different than the 58mē Superior Room, which comprise the majority of the rooms. It appears the only differences are the larger vanity area (with two sinks rather than one) and the additional lounge chairs and coffee table in the living room area - not entirely necessary, but I'd imagine the Deluxe Rooms would feel more spacious than the Superior Rooms.


Deluxe Room with Sea View, 70mē

As Nagasaki Joe pointed out, there is no Onsen anywhere on site, which is a significant drawback - Iki Retreat Kairi Murakami had wonderful hot springs in the room, and we sorely missed the lack of one at Goto Retreat ray. It's not Onko Chishin's fault - it is a myth that you'll find Onsen by digging anywhere underground in Japan, and we were told there's only one area of Fukue Island that has Onsen, and it's not here.

The quality of the food offerings was excellent - the area around Goto Islands is known for having top quality seafood, and during our time there, Kue (Longtooth Grouper) was in season. Over the course of our two kaiseki dinners, they served Kue sashimi as well as Kue Shabu Shabu (a hot pot) and a wonderfully prepared sauteed Kue "steak." The kitchen uses liberal amounts of additional local ingredients, including Aosa Nori (a type of green seaweed), and offered their own take on Goto Udon, which is considered as one of the three major Udon varieties in Japan (Sanuki and Inaniwa being the others.)


Abalone steak with Abalone liver sauce


Terrine of Longtooth Grouper and Aosa Nori Seaweed


Two nits to pick about the cuisine, however... first off, we paid for the "upgraded meal." Typically, we expect this to mean there would be higher quality (and more expensive) ingredients, but not in this case. While they did provide fantastic sauteed Abalone (along with sauce made from the Abalone liver) and grilled Ise-ebi (Spiny Red Lobster) with cheese and garlic sauce, among others, they were additions rather than replacements - two additional dishes for each dinner! As a result, we were absolutely bloated towards the end of each meal, which impacted the enjoyment of dinner itself. By the second go-round, we knew better and elected to have one of the upgraded courses served during breakfast the following morning.


Goto Beef Rump Steak. Not a highlight.

We were also disappointed by the Goto beef that was served - it was hard, chewy and lacked flavor. When I asked what part of the beef it was, I was told it was rump steak. While I've had my share of good Rump Steak, and I wasn't expecting Chateaubriand or Rib Eye, I was hoping for something better than what they served us. If anything an upgraded meal should have consisted of a higher quality cut of Goto Beef.

While we were pleased with our time spent at Goto Retreat ray, and it's undoubtedly the top luxury property in Fukue, unless you have a reason to visit Goto (namely to explore the UNESCO churches in the area), I wouldn't recommend anyone to go out of their way to stay here. And yes, a rental car is a requirement if you want to get around. We got a vehicle from Toyota Rent a Car at Fukue Airport (like Nagasaki Joe, we flew into Goto from Nagasaki), which allowed us to visit Dozaki Church and Mitake Enchi, the latter featuring a row of Sakura Cherry trees in a circular pattern (it was full bloom when we were there), and is particularly photogenic when viewed from above at the Mt. Mitake Observatory, a hill that's about 144 meters above sea level. We also tried out Kankoro Mochi, a "wagashi" treat - a type of mochi typically mixed with parboiled sweet potato and is prevalent in Goto. We also chartered a private boat to take us to some of the adjacent islands, which also allowed us to visit Egami Church and Gorin Church. Given that ferry schedules to the minor islands is extremely sporadic (often just one round-trip per day), the number of tourists at these UNESCO churches are few and far in between. The caretaker of Gorin Church mentioned that visitors average about 400 per month(!) We had both locations all to ourselves, which added to the peacefulness and allowed us to reflect on the hardships that the Kakure Kirishitans (Christians that practiced in hiding) had to endure by fleeing to such a remote outpost and living with meager means.


Dozaki Church (UNESCO World Heritage Site)


Narushima Island, Goto - Egami Church (UNESCO World Heritage Site)


Hisaka-jima Island, Goto - Kyu Gorin Church (UNESCO World Heritage Site)


Fukue, Goto - Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) view from Mitake Enchi's Mt. Mitake Observatory