Location: Nagasaki
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What to do and see in Nagasaki, Kyushu-Okinawa: The Best History Museums
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.
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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. 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!
4. Father De Rotz Memorial Museum
5. The Confucian Temple, the Chinese Museum of Successive Generations
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 196 reviews
The Nagasaki Confucius Temple was built in 1893 (Meiji 26) cooperatively with the Chingk Government and the Chinese Overseas Chinese, and it has been rebuilt after some modification since then. It is the only authentic Chinese style mausoleum in Japan, which has magnificent traditional beauty everywhere in Nomiyama, in Shandong Province, China, in Shandong Province, China. It is also one of the venues of the Lantern Festival, and everyday events are held during the lantern festival and you can enjoy various shows. Also, in a business trip opening, various eating and drinking establishments can be opened from Nagasaki prefecture and enjoy the food of Nagasaki.
6. Oka Masaharu Memorial Nagasaki Peace Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 26 reviews
Reviewed By xlne - Singapore, Singapore
As a traveller, I am always eager to learn more about the history of a country I’m visiting, both the good and bad sides of it. Many countries have scores of museums to showcase their triumphs but few, if any, institutions to display their shame. In India, I couldn’t find a museum that place any emphasis on the British colonial period, despite it being an important part of their past. In history museums across Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, I’m treated to a series of propaganda that at times slip from the realms of ridicule into the chasm of comedy. All of which is why I am grateful to discover the existence of this little museum in Japan. From reading some of the other reviews, I am also pleasantly surprised to learn that there are actually organised school trips to this place, even if those particular reviews didn’t take kindly to the museum. After paying the cheap entry fee, the polite staff left me to peruse the two levels of the museum at my own pace. Interestingly, the stark contrast in the state and facilities of this museum as compared to the lauded atomic museum nearby speak volumes on its popularity with the country’s administration. Nevertheless, this place still strives to educate with its few prop displays and tons and tons of information, half of which is fluently translated to English. The tone of the information might be a tad biased and accusing, but it’s easy to tune that out and focus on the content itself. All in all, I had an enriching experience here and would highly recommend this museum to anyone interested to learn minute details in the inconvenient truths of war.
7. St. Domingo Church Museum
8. The Former Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Nagasaki Branch Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 78 reviews
The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Company established its Nagasaki Branch in 1896. The present building was designed by Kikutaro Shimoda and completed in 1904 as the new office building of the Nagasaki Branch. After the closure of the Nagasaki Branch in 1931, the building was utilized for other purposes, becoming a police station and later a museum. Upon request from the citizens of Nagasaki, the building underwent restoration work and reopened in 1996 as the Former Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Nagasaki Branch Museum. Following renovations, the museum reopened in April 2014 as a joint facility incorporating the Nagasaki Museum of Modern-Era Exchange, Sun Yat-sen & Umeya Shokichi.
9. Shiroyama Elementary School, Peace Memorial Hall
10. Nagasaki Folk History Museum
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