Most people know Nagasaki Japan as the second and, to date, last city in the world to experience a nuclear attack during World War II. Before its tragic attack, it had been a center of Portuguese and other European influence from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and the Churches and Christian Sites in Nagasaki have been proposed for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Part of Nagasaki was home to a major Imperial Japanese Navy base during the First Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War. Its name means “long cape”.
It most definitely has a port and navy ships and cruise lines pull up on a regular basis as we did on our Princess Cruise ship over this past summer. I didn’t quite know what to expect of course and so I took a meander around through the city including Nagasaki’s fairly well known China Town.
The city itself rests on a series of hills, overlooking the bay. Worth visiting is Glover Garden, Nagasaki’s most visited tourist attraction and Japan’s oldest western-style house. Besides the mansions and museums, it’s a tribute to Thomas Blake Glover, the visionary who helped to modernize Japan in the 19th century. The garden’s open air museum exhibits mansions from the Meiji era belonging to former Western residents of Nagasaki.
The Atomic Bomb Museum stands above the Peace Memorial Park. Here you can view photographs and artifacts about the tragic event that affected world history. Nearby, you can go on your own or take a tour of Shimabara Castle and Village, which is a 16th century town featuring a samurai village and a reconstructed feudal castle.
Arita is also nearby and the birthplace of porcelain manufacturing in Japan. A quaint mountain town with 400 years of history producing ceramic treasures, you can tour a working kilm and shop of course. Other side trips include Dejima, which was originally built for Portuguese missionaries in the 17th century, this fan shaped island and National Historical Site became a Dutch trading center, and introduced coffee, beer and chocoalte to Japan.
Lastly, you can visit Mt. Inasa, which is nearly 1,100 feet high. This hill to the west of Nagasaki is known for its 10 million dollar night view, which you can see by riding to the summit in a cable car.
It’s also fun to just walk through the city, which is full of sprawling tall buildings and has a modern flare, likely because it had to be rebuilt after the war. There is a charming bridge which crosses in the river in the main section of town, not far from the main drag.
The nearby shopping arcade that everyone told me not to miss.
For more posts on Japan, see our Japan section and on Tokyo, visit our Tokyo Japan / top things to do in Tokyo section.
Note: I was hosted by Princess Cruises to see Japan by cruise and Nagasaki was one of our stops. They offered tours at every port and sometimes I took them and other times I walked around on my own. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
