What are the Best Tourists Attractions in Nagasaki ?

What are the Best Tourists Attractions in Nagasaki ?

Nagasaki Japan is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. During the 16th through 19th centuries it became the main port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch.

Part of Nagasaki was home to a major Imperial Japanese Navy base during the First Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War. Toward the end of World War II, the American atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki made Nagasaki the second and, to date, last city in the world to experience a nuclear attack (at 11:02 am, August 9, 1945 ‘Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)’).

However, this has also made Nagasaki to be one of Japan’s tourist attractions. So if you are planning a flight to Nagasaki, or you don’t know what to do or tourists attractions to visit, I will be your guide to eat some Nagasaki sushi or pay a visit to some historical places in Nagasaki Japan. Get set and let begin our little guide to Nagasaki.

Best Tourists Attractions in Nagasaki

1. Gunkanjima: Abandoned island off Nagasaki’s coast

Gunkanjima(Hashima Island) meaning “battleship island” as its name implies is an island that has the form of a battleship. it’s worth going to Nagasaki to visit this ancient abandoned island and ruins. But if you are unable to reach the island, you can still visit the Gunkanjima Digital Museum. This museum also displays historical information about Gunkanjima island.

2. Nagasaki Peace memorial park

Want to pay an homage to the people that disappeared due to the Nagasaki atomic bomb on August 9, 1945 ? This is the ideal place to visit. At the park you can also find the Nagasaki peace memorial museum. It’s main goal is to show and tell people how horrible a war can be. You may find atomic bomb photos or artwork in this museum. Next to the museum stands a memorial hall for the victims of the atomic bomb with a remarkable modern architecture.

3. Best night views at Mount Inasayama

Another tourist attraction in Nagasaki is the impressive night views at Mount Inasayama. Mount Inasayama is a 333 meter high mountain close to Nagasaki’s city center. You can reach the summit either by ropeway, bus or car and it offers great views over the city. This is why it is considered to be among Japan’s three best night views besides the views from Mount Hakodate and Mount Rokko. Even if you are hungry, no need to leave the summit because there is a restaurant where you can dine while contemplating the city.

4. Nagasaki Kunchi Festival

Have you ever been to any shrine festival ? This is an amazing festival you ought to attend when visiting Nagasaki. This festival has been celebrated for about 400 years. It incorporates different aspects of Chinese and Dutch cultures, which have played a role in the city’s history. But What are the Best Tourists Attractions in Nagasaki here ? The main festival’s highlights are the dance and show performances by groups representing Nagasaki’s various city districts.

5. Glover Garden

Glover is an attractive garden which is also home to an open air museum in Nagasaki that displays mansions of the city’s former foreign residents and buildings. The main attraction you should visit here is the Glover house. Glover house is the oldest Western-style wooden building in Japan.

The glover house will undergo reconstruction from 2019 to latest October 2021.

Besides the Glover house there are many other buildings and visitors can enter and explore the well-preserved rooms. In addition to these you can get a great view of the city including some of Nagasaki’s important industrial sites. You can equally buy some souvenirs for your personal interest or relatives in the shop there and enjoy some café.

6. Sofukuji Temple

Besides the Glover garden, if you are fond of Chinese temple, then you ought to visit the Sofukuji Temple in Nagasaki. Sofukuji Temple is a temple that belongs to the  Obaku school of Zen Buddhism. At the bottom of the temple, stands the temple’s two-stories tall entrance gate “Ryugumon“. Both the Ryugumon and walls of the temple have a red brick-like color.

In the temple’s inner ground, you can see several halls and a number of impressive artifacts such as statues and a temple bell. In addition to this, there are many English descriptions around the inner grounds that visitors can read while exploring the temple.

7. Urakami Cathedral

This church has a tragic but interesting history. The atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945 that not only killed many citizens, but almost completely destroyed the church which stood only 500 meters from the hypocenter.

8. Nagasaki Museum of History

Another impressive tourist attraction in Nagasaki is it’s great Museum of History and Culture. If you want to learn more about Nagasaki then you should head to it’s museum that displays various historical states of Nagasaki. For example the museum has a section each dedicated to telling the story of Japan’s relationship with its three main trading partners of the era: that is China, the Netherlands and Korea.

Their history is shown through the exhibition of artifacts, including tools, art pieces and documents, diagrams is a equally a best tourist attraction in Nagasaki. On the other side of the museum features a gallery showcasing arts and crafts influenced by Nagasaki’s cosmopolitanism. Some collections in the gallery include porcelain, lacquerware and blue shell works influenced by both domestic and foreign aesthetics.

9. Kofukuji Temple

Another tourist attractive Chinese-founded temple in Nagasaki is the Kofukuji Temple. It’s located in the city’s Teramachi “Temple Town“. The temple was established by a Chinese monk around 1620 and has many impressive features. You can find many halls and structures around the grounds with explanatory signs in English.

10. Nagasaki Chinatown

Travel through China with a blink of the eye. Besides The Yokohama Chinatown, there is the Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown. Nagasaki Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in Japan and it’s where the Nagasaki Lantern Festival (a popular event in which thousands of lanterns illuminate the city). The festival’s dates vary each year, normally during a two week period between late January and early March.

I hope this guide will help you to discover amazing tourist attractions in Nagasaki. But there are other great attractive sights you can add to your list of trips apart from the ones listed above..

Other top Attractive sights in Nagasaki

What are the other Best Tourists Attractions in Nagasaki ? Below are some few selections.

• Dejima
• Oura Church
• Confician Shrine
• Dutch Slope
• 26 Martyrs Monument
• Meganebashi Bridge
• but not the least, the Prefectural Art Museum

A little bonus for you.

Some frequently asked questions about Nagasaki

What are the best outdoor activities in Nagasaki ?

• Mt. Inasa
• Hashima Island
• Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium
• Nabekanmuriyama Park
• Nagasaki Peace Park

What are the most popular things to do in Nagasaki with kids ?

• Nagasaki Electric Tramway
• Mt. Inasa(Inasayama)
• Inasayama Observation Deck
• Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium
• and also Nabekanmuriyama Park

What are some best restaurants in Nagasaki

• Yossou
• Sumibi Yakitori Torimasa Ebisucho
• Kozanro Nagasaki Chinatown Honten
• Menya Always Manyacho Honten
• and finally but not the least Hitokuchi Gyoza Hountei Honten

Planning to visit other cities in Japan, These are complete guides to

• Hokkaido
• Yokohama
• Hiroshima
• Himeji
• Osaka