Nagasaki (長崎) is the capital of Nagasaki prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Visitors usually come to visit the Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park, the abandoned town built on a nearby island constructed for coal mining, and the reconstructed 16th-century Portuguese/Dutch trading post. There are also several sites related to the history of Christianity in Japan, because Nagasaki was the entry point for Europeans into the country.
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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. The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site. Clicking on "Language" leads to the prefecture's multilingual guide site.
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.
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. 1 Atomic Bomb Museum (5 minutes by foot from tram stop Hamaguchi-machi of tram line 1 or 3 (destination 赤迫 akasako)). 08:30-17:30. 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. It has a café and a shop. Buy yourself some ice cream after you leave - you'll need it. ¥200.
1 Gunkanjima (Hashima Island), Tokiwa Terminal, 長崎県長崎市常盤町1－60常盤ターミナルビル102号 (take number 5 (green) tram toward Ishibashi to Ourakaigan-Dori stop, walk 1 minute toward the water), ☏ +81 95-8959300, reservation@gunkanjima-concierge.com. Museum opened 09:00-18:00; morning cruise begins 09:10; afternoon cruise begins 13:00; arrive at least 20 min before departure. Gunkanjima ("Battleship Island") is a small island completely covered in the ruins of a mining city, abandoned since 1974. Once the most densely populated place on earth, it's now a ghost town, showing the decay of what society leaves behind. Gunkanjima is about 15 km away from Nagasaki and is reachable as a part of organized boat tour.
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).
The worthwhile trip to the top of Glover Garden also yields another point of interest: the oldest Western-style restaurant in Japan, the 1 Jiyu-tei Cafe and Teahouse. 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. It is closed until 2027 for renovation.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Aug, Nagasaki typically sees ~31°C daytime highs and 18 rainy days.
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