Nagasaki is the capital of city Nagasaki prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan.
Under the national isolation policy of the Tokugawa shogunate, Nagasaki harbor was the only harbor to which entry of foreign ships was permitted. Even today, Nagasaki shows the influence of many cultures such as Dutch, Portuguese, and Chinese.
On 9 August 1945, three days after the bombing of Hiroshima, a nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing a total of over 100,000 people. Japan surrendered unconditionally six days later.
PLACE TO VISIT
Glover Garden-
Peace Memorial park- Peace memorial statue, fountain of peace, bell of Nagasaki
Inasa mountain- night view of the harbor in Nagasaki
Oura Roman- Catholic Church
Urakami Roman- Catholic Church
many nice- European buildings
Atomic bomb museum-: a well-done commemoration of one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century. At the far end of the museum tour, you will find a powerful argument against nuclear proliferation, outlined in several well-designed exhibits. Buy yourself some ice cream after you leave - you'll need it.
Dejima (the island foreigners were restricted to during the Edo period)
Dejima Wharf- is located near Nagasaki Port Terminal. It was built for commemorating the exchange between Japan and Netherlands for 400 years. There are 20 shops including restaurants. You can eat lunch or dinner watching the sea.
Huis Ten Bosch, a Dutch-style theme park that is actually outside of Sasebo. The landscaping here is good, and very beautiful in the spring because all of the flowers in will be in bloom.
The Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium-this is a surprisingly entertaining and informative aquarium located about 30 minutes [by bus] from Nagasaki station. A 12 meter deep tank dominates the entry way. You can observe a variety of penguins from the vantage of underwater. A number of other aquaria contain many species of fish and invertebrates found locally, as well as a huge tank containing giant catfish [pla bluk] from the Mekong River in Thailand. The building is adjacent to a delightful sandy beach that could make a day with kids full and exciting. Entry is a reasonable 500 yen for adults, kids under 3 are free. The web page http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/penguin/ is unfortunately only in Japanese.
WHAT TO DO
Lantern Festival Lunar New Year (mid Jan-mid Feb). Held by Nagasaki's Chinese community, large lanterns are displayed on street corners and in the shopping arcades. Venture through Chinatown or along the river in the evening to see some of the 20,000+ lanterns displayed in the city. Many of the lanterns are shaped like animals or figures from Chinese mythology, and the major lantern every year represents the corresponding zodiac animal (eg, 2008 featured rats, 2007 featured pigs, etc).
O-Kunchi the city's biggest and one of Japan's more popular festivals, taking place in early October. This festival, based around the descent of the city's patron kami from their home high up in the Suwa Shrine, features choreographed routines with giant, cumbersome floats, sake, and a general feeling of celebration. Finding food will not be a problem during O-Kunchi, as the streets are lined with thousands of vendors hawking takoyaki, yakitori, and grilled corn on the cob.
Although all of Japan celebrates O-Bon in August, Nagasaki puts a unique and deafening spin on the day of ancestor worship. Head down to the harbor for the main festivities, which involve far more alcohol and fireworks than is generally considered safe.
A quick boat ride to Iojima is the easiest way to get to a beach. From Nagasaki harbour to Iojima is about 1500 yen and about 10-15 minute another 500 yen gets you in. The boat ticket allows a visit to the hot springs in the hotel on Iojima so that visitors can wash up.
A quick jaunt into Shianbashi, or Shianbash for short, is a must when you visit Nagasaki. This area of Nagasaki exudes debauchery, full of numerous Snacks (not to be confused with a snack bar) and drinking establishments.
If you happen to be in Nagasaki between March and June, might I suggest that you take a walk with Saruku-Chan. More commonly known as Saruku-Haku, these guided tours allow the Sarukist to experience the history of Nagasaki in a very unique way, by walking it! Available with orators teaching in either Japanese and English, these walks are quite the learning experience. These walks require a bit of multitasking, one must be able to listen, walk and look at the same time. The course sizes range from just a few miles to a monstrous 13 mile jaunt.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Both of Japan's major air carriers serve Nagasaki Airport. JAL and ANA offer nonstop flights from Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Osaka's Itami Airport. ANA also offers nonstops to Nagasaki from the new Nagoya Centrair Airport and Naha Airport in Okinawa, while JAL operates from Nagoya Airport in Komaki. In 2005, a new low-cost carrier, SNA (Skynet Asia Airways), began flights from Tokyo's Haneda Airport, providing cheaper tickets than major carriers. Buses connect the airport to the Nagasaki train station (1 hour, ¥800).
By train - JR Kyushu runs the Kamome Limited Express train service from Hakata station in Fukuoka once or twice every hour. The one-way ride takes about two hours and costs ¥4910.
Connections to the Kamome can be made from the rest of the country via the Shinkansen (Hiroshima, 3 hrs; Okayama, 4 hrs; Osaka, 4 1/2 hrs; Tokyo, 7 hrs).
From Kagoshima-Chuo station in Kagoshima, Nagasaki can be reached via the Kyushu Shinkansen and Kamome in about 3 3/4 hours (this will be reduced when the Kyushu Shinkansen between Hakata and Shin-Yatsushiro is fully operational).
Sleeper Trains - The Akatsuki , an overnight sleeper service that ran from Kyoto and Osaka to Nagasaki, was discontinued in March of 2008. From Kansai, the only overnight train that runs down to Kyushu is the Hayabusa , leaving Kyoto at 12:37 AM and Osaka at 1:08 AM. If you wish to take this service, you will have to change trains in Tosu for the final run to Nagasaki via the Kamome; the one-way trip will take about 13 1/2 hours. An alternate method is to take the Hayabusa to Hiroshima, take the Shinkansen from Hiroshima to Hakata, then change again in Hakata to the Kamome. This latter method could prove tiresome, not to mention more expensive, but the travel time is reduced to only 9 1/2 hours.
By bus - The Holland overnight bus runs from Kyoto and Osaka Umeda to Nagasaki (11 1/2 hours from Kyoto, ¥11300; 10 hours from Osaka, ¥11000). An additional bus, the Roman Nagasaki, runs from Osaka Hankyu Bus Terminal to Nagasaki at the same cost and time.
The Princess Road and Etranger overnight buses run from Kobe Sannomiya (10 hours, ¥ 10500) and Himeji (9 hours, ¥9580).
