Location: Nagasaki
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The 10 Best Things to do in Nagasaki, Kyushu-Okinawa
Nagasaki (長崎市, Nagasaki-shi, Japanese: [naɡaꜜsaki]) ( listen (help·info)) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. The city's name, 長崎, means "Long Cape" in Japanese. Nagasaki became a centre of colonial Portuguese and Dutch influence in the 16th through 19th centuries, and 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.
Restaurants in Nagasaki
1. Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,992 reviews
Jarring, horrific reminders of the devastation caused by the August 9, 1945 bombing of Nagasaki fill this historic and educational museum, which traces events preceding the bombing, the resulting destruction and the city’s restoration.
Reviewed By Rumples - Tucson, United States
A friend and I visited this moving museum on a weekday morning in early October. We had come to see how Nagasaki portrayed the effects of the Aug. 9, 1945, atomic bomb drop on the city. The curators have chosen to tell a story, presenting Nagasaki before the bomb fell; immediately after the explosion; and today. They weave explanations of historical details within the story and show what happened through photos, videos, artifacts and much more. The conclusion focuses on the need for peace and the end of nuclear weapons, made abundantly clear by the bomb's destruction of the city and the killing of at least 74,000 people. Those, who survived, would often have to endure physical ailments from the radiation and psychological trauma. As soon as I entered the exhibition hall, I felt uneasy, looking at a giant black-and- white photo of Nagasaki as it appeared before the bomb fell. That's because I knew what would be ahead for the thriving city. A recovered wall clock frozen at 11:02 a.m. soon appeared, marking the exact time that the horrors began. Displays feature English descriptions and include photos of the atomic wasteland that Nagasaki became, along with stories of that fateful day from survivors, including heroic rescue work. Artifacts damaged from the flash of heat range from a 14-year-old girl's lunch box with rice charred from the fire to six green glass bottles melted at the top and stuck together, which were found in a store's ruins. A helmet with the remains of a skull inside is one of the more grisly items. I found information on the bomb itself to be especially interesting. A life-size model of the one used on Nagasaki is displayed and called "Fat Man," because of its appearance. A video shows the military loading Fat Man and transporting it to the plane for the mission. There is also a photo taken from the plane that shows the mushroom cloud rising into the sky after the blast. We went through the relatively small museum in about 1 hour. It cost 200 Y (about $1.89 U.S.) to enter. A corridor leads from the museum to the adjacent Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. There is no fee to enter the Memorial Hall. Both are located near ground zero for the blast and the Nagasaki Peace Park. To reach the museum, we took the blue line to the Matsuyamamachi tram stop and then walked for about 4 minutes.
2. 26 Martyrs Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 178 reviews
Reviewed By Luvingmywine
This was enlightening and educational on what happened when Christianity was banned from Japan. To maximize your experience, i recommend watching the movie "Silence" before hand to grasp an insight into the why and what happened during the persecution era. Even if you are not Catholic or Christian, it is still an interesting part of Nagasaki's history.
3. Mt. Inasa
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,458 reviews
Reviewed By ArsenalPC - Sydney, Australia
Amazing view of nagasaki City at night. Get here by coach, 5min walk from Mt Inasa ropeway station or Taxi. Entrance is free at the observatory. Plenty of people at night but he lookout platform is quite spacious. Highly recommend if your in nagasaki This view is only second to Victoria Peak in Hong Kong. You don't realise how big Nagasaki is until you come up here. Definitely come here at night instead of daytime
4. Hashima Island
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,197 reviews
Reviewed By BendigoVic - Victoria, Australia
We went to Hashima Island as part of our tour and it was something that I had researched and was so looking forward to seeing. The island had a brief appearance in the James Bond movie Skyfall. Weather wise our day was perfect actually quite hot, pleasant boat trip to and from which was great for our 45min trip to the island. The island is 15km from Nagaski and was once used for coal mining with its own hospital, school and shopping centre which is incredible considering its size, it was abandoned in 1974 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You are able to get onto the island but only on the designated paths, as it wouldn't be safe to roam around on your own. I loved visiting this very interesting part of Japans history, it was fantastic. I hope my photos showed how interesting this place is.
5. Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 191 reviews
Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture is one of the few museums in Japan dedicated to the history of international exchange. The Museum holds approximately 81,000 objects in its precious collection, including historical documents, art and craftworks that tell the story of Nagasaki, the sole window open to foreign countries during the period of Japan’s national isolation. In addition, part of the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office (a local agency of the central government in the Edo period) has been faithfully reconstructed based on historical materials, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of feudal Japan. The exhibits are displayed to ensure an instructive and enjoyable experience. Come and spend meaningful time learning about the history and culture of Nagasaki.
Reviewed By meikemccaw
I visited the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture during my tour with Huber Tomodachi Guide. My guides were so friendly and kind and knew a lot about Nagasaki history! They taught me a lot and brought me to this museum. Since we went on the weekend, we were able to enjoy a historical play that was free with the regular admission ticket (which is fairly priced). The play was in Japanese, yet I still found it very entertaining and educational despite my lack of Japanese language ability. The staff here work hard to help you make the most of your experience which I appreciate a lot. There is so much valuable information in this museum about Nagasaki's rich and diverse past! I highly recommend!
6. Nagasaki Electric Tramway
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,009 reviews
Reviewed By TWHK - Hong Kong, China
If you have to travel around Nagasaki city by public transport, it is the best choice to get around Buy the one day pass and you can go to nearly everywhere you have to visit in the city.
7. Nagasaki Lantern Festival
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 99 reviews
This winter event in Nagasaki is held from the 1st through the 15th of the first month of the traditional Japanese calendar. The entire area centered on Nagasaki Chinatown is decorated with more than 15,000 vividly colored Chinese paper lanterns and various illuminated art objects both large and small. Originally a New Year festival celebrated by Chinese residents of Nagasaki, the scale of the celebrations was expanded in 1994, and it became famous nationwide. There are many events with a rich traditional Chinese flavor, including the dragon dances (a Chinese ritual to pray for rain), erhu ( a stringed instrument) concerts, Chinese acrobatics, Chinese mask shows, and the magnificent Emperor's Parade. It boasts as many as 1 million visitors.
Reviewed By CatherineBulg - Moscow, Russia
Amazing atmosphere, lots and lots (!) of colorful decorations, some of which are of grand scale! The decors in Chuo park were most spectacular, as well as those installed along the river! It all starts at the railway station of Nagasaki! You’ll need several hours just to see them all! Plus, don’t miss cultural events, such as Dragon dance and Chinese opera! I would recommend to stay in Nagasaki at least for two days to have enough time to enjoy the festival! If you can’t come there on weekend when parades take place, don’t get discouraged: we’ve been there in the middle of the week, and are very content with our two-days trip, because there are many other interesting performances and we could see and take pictures of lantern decorations without any disturbances. I was told by the locals that on weekends he Chinese Lantern Festival gets really crowded! We, on the other hand, had a unexpected experience to be almost only Westerners visiting on Tuesday and Wednesday. Very authentic! Besides, you can easily get nice and affordable lodging on weekdays. By the way, during the daytime, I would highly recommend visiting the Dejima island museum, temples and port!
8. Glover Garden
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 2,062 reviews
This open air museum consists of nine Western-style homes built between 1868 and 1912 for Western merchants living in Japan. Glover Mansion, the most famous of these, is Japan's oldest Western-style house.
Reviewed By feelfukuokajapan
For those of you who don't know, Glover Garden is an open air museum in Nagasaki that exhibits mansions of several of the city's former foreign residents and related buildings. It is located on the hill where Western merchants settled down after the end of Japan's era of seclusion in the second half of the 19th century. As mentioned, it is on a hill. It might be very exhausting to see the whole garden, especially on a hot day. However, the view on the city from the hill is just amazing.
9. Dejima
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,156 reviews
An artificial island to which Dutch workers were restricted during Japan's era of isolation, the area is now being restored and includes historical buildings, a museum and a miniature model of the former island.
Reviewed By deckchairtraveller - Sydney, Australia
Thus is the re-make of the original Dutch settlement on edge of the old Nagasaki harbour. Was a locally built island JUST for the Europeans, has been realistically restored. Excellent historic exhibits and rooms made to look like they originally were utilised (stores or living). At the far end of the street is a model of the island n' buildings and shows you just how small (n' compact) it all was then. Established in 1500's and lasted till mid 1800's and was the "sugar route" into the rest of Japan. Imports were sugar, tobacco and (early on) even silk from China.
10. Nagasaki Peace Park
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,471 reviews
The magnificent Nagasaki Peace Statue is one of many dramatic statues and sculptures at this park reminding visitors of the nuclear catastrophe and the need for world peace.
Reviewed By Karinakc - Parkdale, Australia
Peaceful park containing memorial sculptures from various countries scattered around the park - explanations in English for each one. Well maintained, escalators up to it, a must see whilst in Nagasaki. Easy to walk to the museum/memorial hall from here, recommend gerting off the tram at the Peace Park stop, as the rest is downhill from here. Also at the far right end of the biggest main statue, if you pop outside of the park you can get a great photo of the Cathedral - signposted. Free entry.
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