Nagasaki
A cosmopolitan port with a poignant past
Go because no other Japanese city has been so shaped by the outside world — or carries its history, both rich and tragic, with such grace.
Come for centuries of foreign influence found nowhere else in Japan — the old Dutch trading post of Dejima, the hillside Western mansions of Glover Garden, a lively Chinatown and its own champon noodles; and for the moving Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum, marking the second city to suffer nuclear attack. A hilly, harbour-wrapped city of real character.
Nagasaki is unlike anywhere else in Japan, because for centuries it was Japan's one window on the world. While the country was otherwise sealed shut, this single port kept a channel open to Dutch and Chinese traders — and the result is a city with a genuinely cosmopolitan soul, its steep harbour slopes dotted with churches, Chinese temples and Western mansions. It is also, of course, the second city to suffer an atomic bombing, and it holds that memory with the same quiet dignity as Hiroshima. Beautiful, layered and deeply moving, Nagasaki rewards more time than most travellers give it.
A little background
During Japan's long period of isolation, Nagasaki's man-made island of Dejima was the only place foreign traders — the Dutch — were permitted to operate, making the city Japan's sole gateway to Western science and goods for over two centuries. A large Chinese community settled here too. That unique openness left a legacy of churches (Nagasaki was a centre of early Japanese Christianity), foreign architecture and fusion food. On 9 August 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on the city, and the Peace Park and museum in the Urakami district now stand in memory and warning.
What to see
The Peace Park & Atomic Bomb Museum. A moving, essential complement to Hiroshima's: the museum documents the 1945 bombing with honesty and care, and the park's statues and the hypocentre marker invite quiet reflection. Allow time, and prepare for emotionally heavy content.
Glover Garden. A hillside of preserved Western-style mansions from the treaty-port era, with lovely harbour views — the home of the Scottish merchant Thomas Glover, and long associated with the opera Madame Butterfly.
Dejima. The reconstructed Dutch trading post, once an island, now a fascinating open-air museum of Japan's isolation-era link to Europe.
Chinatown & the night view. Japan's oldest Chinatown, home of Nagasaki's own champon noodles; and the ropeway up Mount Inasa for a night view rated among Japan's three best.
How to get there
Nagasaki is about 2 hours from Fukuoka — faster since the opening of the Nishi-Kyūshū Shinkansen, which connects to the line at Takeo-Onsen. It's an easy day trip from Fukuoka, but the city rewards an overnight to take in Chinatown and the night view. A charming tram network links the main sights around the harbour.
When to go & practical notes
Pleasant spring and autumn; humid summers, mild winters. The city's hills mean plenty of walking and steps, so wear good shoes. Give Nagasaki at least a full day and ideally a night: the Peace Park and Dejima deserve unhurried time, and the harbour and Chinatown come alive after dark. The 9 August memorial ceremony is deeply significant. Try champon and the Portuguese-influenced castella sponge cake while you're here.