Nagasaki walking tour & city guide

Walking the hills and the harbour

On the southern hillside, Glover Garden preserves the 19th-century homes of Western merchants, with views over the harbour and the shipyards. Below it, Oura Cathedral, the oldest church in Japan, and the Dutch Slope, a stone-paved lane of old wooden houses, recall the foreign settlement of the Meiji era.

The Nakashima River runs through the centre, crossed by a series of old stone bridges. The most famous, Meganebashi or 'Spectacles Bridge', is named for the circles its two arches make with their reflection. Nearby, the Shianbashi entertainment district and Shinchi Chinatown, one of the oldest in Japan, are busy in the evenings.

Dejima and the Peace Park

Dejima was a small fan-shaped artificial island where Dutch traders were allowed to live during Japan's isolation; its warehouses and residences have been rebuilt. In the north of the city, the Peace Park, the Hypocentre Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum tell the story of 9 August 1945 with great restraint, and Urakami Cathedral has been rebuilt on the site of the church destroyed in the blast.

After dark, Mount Inasa, reached by ropeway, has one of the most celebrated night views in Japan, over the lights of the harbour and the hills.

Visiting tips

The Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen and a connecting express link Nagasaki with Fukuoka in about 1 hour 30 minutes. Trams run through the city and are the easiest way between the sights, but the hillside streets are steep, so wear good shoes. The Lantern Festival in Chinatown, around Chinese New Year, fills the centre with thousands of lanterns.