What Is Nagasakis Island Lumina?

Have you ever wanted to experience a fully interactive journey in a beautiful natural location? Now you can, in the quest to find an enchanted jewel in Japan’s stunning multimedia storytelling adventure.

The forest is dark, and the beam from your torch barely pierces the night. You are not alone. In the woods are lanterns, strange sprites, floating squid and a young girl, who asks your help in recovering a gem. There’s something else, too – the dragon who stole it.

Magical journeys have been a part of our stories since prehistoric times, and now multimedia shows like Japan’s Island Lumina have the technology to make them come to life in thrilling style – don’t drop that torch! This project in Nagasaki uses projections, light, music and old-fashioned suspense to build an immersive adventure in a real forest.

The Island Lumina experience is one of pure magic

What it’s all about

The route runs through a forest on the small, volcanic island of Iojima, which is connected to Nagasaki by a bridge. Nagasaki might be best known for the nuclear bomb the Americans dropped on it in August 1945, but it’s a lively and appealing city today, with great museums, a lovely harbour and an excellent food scene.

Iojima, meanwhile, has some excellent beaches and great seafood – which means it’s popular in summer, but quieter in winter. This big-name project aims to pull in out-of-season visitors, as well as entertain the summer crowds.

Exploring Kyushu

Iojima and Nagasaki are part of Kyushu, Japan’s sunny, subtropical southern island. Here, you’ll find onsens, great beaches, temples, monkeys and surfing. It’s easy to build an itinerary exploring the island, taking in Nagasaki, the buzzing city of Fukuoka, Kumamoto (home to a famous fortress) and leafy Hiroshima. And in between exploring cities, steaming it up in onsens and lazing by the sea, you might just find a dragon in the woods…

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.