26 Things to Do in Nagasaki

The best season to visit Nagasaki is autumn.
The breathtaking view of the colorful autumn leaves blooming amidst the dramatic landscapes of Mt. Unzen, with its cluster of about ten volcanoes, is truly impressive.
Additionally, many events and traditional festivals take place in autumn, offering unique experiences that can only be enjoyed during this time.

With Nagasaki Airport, it takes about two and a half hours to reach Nagasaki from Haneda or Narita Airport in Tokyo.
From airports in the Kansai and Chubu regions, it takes about two hours.
There are also direct flights from international cities such as Taiwan, China, and South Korea, making it highly accessible from abroad as well.

This outdoor museum preserves the residential area of the merchants who came to Nagasaki from overseas more than 160 years ago. The Garden stands on a hill overlooking Nagasaki Port, dotted with intriguing places to see.

The highlight is the nine historic buildings. The former Glover residence, where Thomas Blake Glover lived, is designated as a world heritage.

Hashima, also known as “Gunkanjima” or “battleship island”, is an uninhabited island that sits approx. 18km off the port of Nagasaki.
With the island’s surrounding concrete breakwater wall and multi-story apartment complex inside, the island was nicknamed “Battleship Island” for its apparent resemblance to Battleship Tosa.

This is the largest theme park in Japan, with beautiful European-like cityscapes and a canal that leads to the sea. The park is decorated with seasonal flowers and illuminations and has a wide range of the latest attractions. The park is also filled with excitement and a moving experience through a variety of events.

During the Edo period, Nagasaki was actively engaged in trade with China, and the land reclaimed from the sea to build a baggage warehouse to store goods from Chinese ships was called Shinchikurasho. Today, a monument to the Shinchikurasho site stands in the center of Chinatown.

The Oura Catholic Church was built for foreigners staying in Japan. Its actual name is “26 Martyrs Church”, and was built in honor of 26 apostles who reached martyrdom in the year 1597. The church faces West Hill, which is where they were executed.

A dome-shaped museum located on the low hill near the center of the explosion displaying 1500 preserved documents and personal mementos. You can get an easy understanding of atomic bombs with a design of exhibitions performing a plot with wishes for peace and also describing the devastating terrors of an atomic bomb and the history of nuclear weapons.

Kujukushima is a complex structured haven including the labyrinth like Ria coast and 208 islands. Kujuku refers to the number “99”. The Kujukushima Pearl Sea Resort is at the entrance of the coast. Here, you can enjoy marine sports such as cruising, marine sports, aquariums and zoos.

A park spreads on the hill in Matsuyama-town, Nagasaki-city. At 11:02 a.m. on August 9, 1945, the bomb was dropped over this park. This park was established in 1951 to learn about the threat of an atomic bomb, to pray for the souls of victims, and to wish for eternal world peace.

Dejima was the only place where trades with the western countries were allowed during about 200 years of national isolation. In 1636, a fan-shaped island was constructed by reclaiming the sea, the food culture, Western studies along with various articles of commerce as well as games such as billiards and badminton came to this island and spread to many places in Japan.

More than ten stone bridges were built over Nakajima river running across the central Nagasaki City, the Megane bridge is one of them and the oldest in Japan. In 1634, a monk, Mokusu-nyojo who was in the second generation of Kohfukuji Temple was said to build this bridge, 22m long and 3.65m wide, and the bridge has been designated as a national important cultural property.

The zoo has introduced ecological exhibits that bring the animals closer to the wild environment in which they originally lived and allow visitors to observe them living freely and spontaneously. Visitors can learn about the symbiosis between people and animals by entering the environment where the animals live and sharing a part of their lives, rather than simply watching them from outside their cages as in a typical zoo.

Unzen Jigoku, a main highlight of the Unzen hot springs. The scenery of cloudy white steams with the smell of sulfur looks just like hell.
A tour is available for viewing of about 30 springs during about a 30- minute walk along the path. Each Jigokus (hells) are named differently with their own history and legend, such as the Dai-kyokan Jigoku (the Great Screaming Hell), the Oito Jigoku (the Oito Hell), and the Seishichi Jigoku (the Seishichi Hell).

Shimabara Castle has white Tenshukaku that stands on a hill called Moritake in Shimabara City. Matsukura Bungonokami Shigemasa completed the castle over a period of about seven years, from 1618.
Shimabara Castle was built in the style of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1603), with a 33-meter-high, five-story Tenshukaku (castle tower) on the main block with Ninomaru and Sanomaru on the north side, and large and small turrets in key locations.

In 1873, the long persecution against Christians was ended. Although the believers in Urakami planned to build a cathedral, they could not raise enough funds. In 1895, Father Fraineau‘s design was put to construction. 30 years later in 1925, the stone and brick Romanesque cathedral, called the greatest in the Orient, was completed.

At 333m above sea level, this observatory stands at the top of Mt. Inasayama at the center of Nagasaki City. The observatory with a cafe and restaurant offers a view over Nagasaki Bay, Unzen, Amakusa and Goto Islands.

Located just 20 minutes by car from the center of Nagasaki City and facing Tachibana Bay, Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium is, as its name suggests, a penguin-focused aquarium. It houses about 180 individuals of 9 out of the 18 penguin species found globally.

Located within the "Kujukushima Pearl Sea Resort," this aquarium allows visitors to experience the rich natural beauty of Kujukushima, a beautiful marine area with a complex ria coast and 208 islands.
The highlight, Kujukushima bay large aquarium, is an outdoor tank that replicates the diverse environments of Kujukushima Bay, including rocky shores, sandy areas, and reefs.

A specialty restaurant for Sasebo's local delicacy, "Lemon Steak." Lemon Steak consists of thinly sliced beef cooked on a hot iron plate and flavored with a lemon-infused Japanese sauce. It is said to have originated as a Japanese adaptation of the steaks popularized by the American Navy stationed in Sasebo.

In a corner of the retro shopping street near Shimabara Castle, you'll find "Koubou Momo" operating in a charming café. The building itself is a precious wooden Western-style structure built in 1923 and designated as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property. During the 2000 renovation, great care was taken to preserve the building's original form, retaining as much of the original lighting and decor as possible, creating a nostalgic atmosphere throughout.

The former foreign settlement in Nagasaki is turned into “Glover Garden,” a tourist spot with western-style residences, where this cafe stands. This building used to be “Jiyutei,” a western-style restaurant opened by a Japanese chef, Jokichi Kusano, in the Meiji Period. Today, the menu used in the Meiji Period is brought back in modern arrangement. Enjoy it in this retro building.

Located in the middle of the nostalgic Unzen Onsen town, surrounded by sulfuric scents and steaming springs, this traditional ryokan offers easy access to Unzen's famous attractions, including "Unzen Jigoku" and "Unzen Primordial Swamp."

The impressive resort filled with flowers and lights “Huis Ten Bosch” runs this hotel. Surrounded by peaceful canals. It is the recreation of the high-end Dutch hotel with the same name.
The hotel’s cruiser will take guests to the check-in counter. Live concerts are on 365 days. The lobby is decorated with bright flowers.

Garden terrace Nagasaki has three accommodation buildings, the main building, a detached building, and a new building. They stand on a hill overlooking Nagasaki Port and the city center, giving an open view of the houses lining the mountainside and the liner boats departing from Nagasaki Port. At night, a jewel-like nightscape of Nagasaki City will make you want to gaze at it forever.

“The Nagasaki Lantern Festival” is a significant winter event held from January 1 to 15 of the lunar calendar (usually from late January to early February) in the center of Nagasaki City, including Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown, one of the three significant Chinatowns in Japan, the Sightseeing Street Arcade in Hamamachi, and Central Park.

Japan’s original boat race, the Peron dates back to 360 years ago. When a boat docked at the Nagasaki Port was destroyed by a sudden storm, the local fishermen sought to quell the ocean god’s anger by racing with ships.

Hirado Kunchi, a typical autumn festival in Hirado, is located in Hirado Castle on a hill overlooking the Hirado Straits and the Kyushu mainland on the opposite shore, and is an annual autumn festival of Kameoka Shrine, which enshrines the ancestral spirits of the Matsuura family, the successive lords of Hirado.