Nagasaki

Nagasaki (長崎) is the capital of Nagasaki prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan.

Understand
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. Six days later Japan surrendered, ending World War II.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site. Clicking on "Language" leads to the prefecture's multilingual guide site.

By plane


There are several limousine bus routes from Nagasaki Airport to the center of the city. All routes cost ¥1000 to JR Nagasaki Station. The fastest buses, via Dejima Road, take around 45 minutes.

If you are landing at Fukuoka Airport, highway buses run to Nagasaki 1-2 times per hour (2 hr 20 min, ¥2620).

By train
JR Kyushu operates the Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen Kamome (かもめ) train service, Japan's newest bullet train line which opened in September 2022. For the time being, only a 66 km section between Nagasaki and Takeo-Onsen is operational. From Fukuoka you will need to take two trains: The Relay Kamome limited express train to Takeo-Onsen, followed by a cross-platform transfer to the Kamome shinkansen train to Nagasaki. This two-train trip will be the norm for some time, as there is no timetable on when construction will begin in order to connect the new bullet train line to the rest of the shinkansen network.

The entire trip from Fukuoka takes about 90 min and costs ¥6050 for a reserved seat. The trip is free with a Japan Rail Pass or one of the regional JR Kyushu passes. Discounted tickets can also be purchased online at a cost of ¥4200 each way between Hakata and Nagasaki, or ¥3600 with three-day advance purchase. Note that reserved seat trips with connections at Takeo-Onsen may have the seat assignments for both trains printed on a single ticket.

If arriving from further east on the shinkansen, you can transfer to the Relay Kamome at either Hakata or the following station, Shin-Tosu, depending on the timetables. Nagasaki is around 2 hr 30 min from Hiroshima, 3 hr 30 min from Okayama, 4 hr from Osaka and 6 hr 30 min from Tokyo.

From Kagoshima-Chuo station in Kagoshima, Nagasaki can be reached via the Kyushu Shinkansen and Kamome services in about 3 hours (change at Shin-Tosu and Takeo-Onsen) but at the steep cost of ¥15080 for a reserved seat (free with any of the above passes).

Sleeper trains
You can travel overnight from Tokyo to Nagasaki by taking multiple services: the 21:50 Sunrise Seto/Sunrise Izumo overnight service to Okayama, the Shinkansen from Okayama to Hakata, and the Relay Kamome/Kamome trains from Hakata to Nagasaki. This will take around a half day, and if you're willing to constantly change trains, you will be rewarded as your journey will double as lodging.

The cost of the overnight sleeping accommodation on the Sunrise trains is included for the Japan Rail Pass holders only if booking into the nobinobi common area, where you'll be assigned a space on the carpeted floor and your head would be separated by wooden dividers from your neighbors (reservation is free, but still compulsory; the spaces are limited and tend to go fast). For a private berth everyone must pay the lodging supplement on the Tokyo-Okayama segment; the rest of the trip is covered under the pass. An alternative if you want to make an overnight trip is to split up the trip into an evening leg and a morning leg, spending the night at a city along the way.

By bus
Highway buses arrive from many major areas around Kyushu, including Fukuoka (2 hr 30 min, ¥2620).

The Holland overnight bus runs to Nagasaki from Kyoto (12 hr), Osaka O-CAT and Umeda (10 hr 40 min from Umeda) and Kobe (9 hr 45 min), with fares starting from ¥6900.

Get around


Trams (路面電車 romen densha or チンチン電車 "chin-chin densha") connect most of Nagasaki; they run about every ten to fifteen minutes during the day. The most frequently used lines will be the red (3) and blue (1); the blue and red lines run on the same track from the northern end of Nagasaki as far as the Nagasaki train station, where they split. The blue line continues to the You-me Plaza shopping mall, Dejima, and later the downtown shopping arcade. A one-way trip is ¥140 and you can get a transfer ticket (乗り継ぎ券 ”noritsugi ken") to continue your trip, if it requires two streetcars. These tickets can only be acquired if you get off at the Tsuki Machi stop.  You can save money if you're doing a lot of travel by purchasing a daily pass for the streetcars (¥500) which you can purchase at the Tourist Information Center at Nagasaki Station, or most major hotels.

Buses also run through much of Nagasaki, including places that aren't served by the streetcars.

The trams stop running around 23:00, and most bus service also has downtime at night. This can come as a rude awakening if you go out in Shianbashi, only to find that you have to stay until 06:00 for the first running densha. For the adventurous, it takes about an hour to walk from Shianbashi to Sumiyoshi. This timeframe is heavily dependent on how fast you walk, and what kind of night out you experienced.

See
A multi-lingual call center can answer tourism-related questions in English and 16 other languages: +81-95-825-5175, 08:00-20:00 365 days a year. Save some paper by using their collection of electronic pamphlets (PDF) for several attractions.



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 more than 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 (e.g., 2008 featured rats, 2007 featured pigs, etc.)
 * O-Kunchi, the city's biggest and one of Japan's more popular festivals, takes place October 7-9th annually. This festival, based around the descent of the city's patron kami (神) 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 harbor to Iojima is about ¥1500 and about 10-15 minute another ¥500 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.
 * 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.

Eat
Nagasaki's most famous dish is champon (ちゃんぽん), which is a hearty dish of noodles in a pork-based broth, filled with vegetables, bacon, shrimp, squid, and scallops.

Saraudon (皿うどん) is another popular dish that combines the meat, seafood, vegetables, and sauce of champon, but serves it on a plate, or 'sara', over crispy dry fried noodles.

For Nagasaki's most well-known champon and saraudon restaurants, it is best to head into Chinatown (blue streetcar to the Tsuki-machi stop). While you're there, try out some of the fantastic street food, such as kakuni-manju (marinated braised pork cutlet served in a steamed bun), ebichiriman (shrimp fried in chili sauce, again served in a steamed bun), and marakao (steamed pound cake, usually available in chocolate and chestnut flavors).

Castella (カステラ) is a sponge cake that was originally brought by the Portuguese; it has assumed a distinctly light Japanese flavor and texture over the centuries, and now one can find it in flavors such as honey, chestnut, and green tea. Head to the (オランダ坂) on any day of the week to sample castella for free from one of the many vendors.

Chawan mushi, a steamed egg custard, savory instead of sweet and filled with meat, fish, and mushrooms, is also famous.

Another Nagasaki dish is Turkish Rice (トルコライス toruko raisu), named after the country. It consists of a pork cutlet, dry curry mixed into rice, and a small serving of spaghetti, all on the same plate. (ツル茶ん), Aburayamachi 2-47, tel. +81 95-824-2679. Established in 1925, this is the original and perhaps still the best Turkish Rice joint (¥850 a serve) and one of Japan's first cafes. Open 09:00 to 22:00 every day.

Another of Nagasaki's claim to fame is as the city of origin of tempura (天ぷら), as this cooking method was introduced to Japan by Portuguese traders in Nagasaki in the 16th century.

Drink
The worthwhile trip to the top of Glover Garden also yields another point of interest: the oldest Western-style restaurant in Japan, the. The stop in is worth it to see their impressive Dutch coffee-making equipment, when combined with the historicity could be why they charge about ¥550 for a cup.

Budget
Nagasaki has many youth hostels:

Mid-range
The typical array of business hotels can be found situated a short walk south of Nagasaki train station, along the main road between the station and the ferry terminal. The Toyoko Inn Nagasaki does not offer the usual post-midnight check-in discount.



Splurge
The luxury rooms of Victoria Inn, above, would be suitable for special occasions.

Go next

 * Saikai Nagasaki Bio Park: Just north of the city, but it is definitely worth an afternoon.  This is perhaps the world's largest and best petting zoo, where one can feed and pet animals like capybara, flamingos, mara, and wallabies.  From Nagasaki Station (長崎駅), hop on the Ogushi (大串) bus line, and ride north until you reach Kamedake (亀岳).  Follow the signs with the cute animals, and Biopark will be on the right approximately 500 meters down the road.  To return, look for the Nagasaki Terminal (長崎ターミナル) buses, which usually run hourly until 21:00.
 * Togitsu
 * Nagayo
 * Isahaya
 * Omura
 * Sasebo - Huis Ten Bosch: This is a Dutch-themed park in nearby Sasebo, which one can access with the Kamome train line. For those who have already toured the Netherlands, there is probably not much of a draw, but if you are interested in the uncanny Japanese ability to faithfully reproduce the works of other countries (they even imported the bricks from the Netherlands), it is worth a visit. There is a free shuttle service available from Huis Ten Bosch to Nagasaki Bio Park.
 * Tara
 * Unzen
 * Shimabara
 * Ikeshima &mdash; near-abandoned coal mining island, similar to but far well less known than Gunkanjima