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Nagasaki Travel Guide: History, Temples and Champon Noodles

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Nagasaki Travel Guide: History, Temples and Champon Noodles

Atomic Bomb Legacy

The atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki at 11:02 AM on August 9, 1945, detonated 500 meters above the Urakami district, killing approximately 74,000 people by the end of the year. The Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum in the hypocenter area presents the event through warped metal, fused glass, stopped clocks, and survivor testimonies. The Peace Park above contains a 10-meter bronze Peace Statue with its right hand pointing to the sky representing nuclear threat and left hand extended horizontally symbolizing peace. A pillar marks the exact hypocenter below.

Urakami Cathedral, the largest Catholic church in East Asia when it was destroyed by the bomb, was rebuilt in 1959. A section of the original wall and statues scorched by the blast remain displayed nearby. The Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall provides a quiet reflection space with 70,000 names of victims inscribed in illuminated glass columns surrounding a fountain.

Christian Heritage and Trade History

Nagasaki’s Hidden Christian Sites, designated UNESCO World Heritage in 2018, trace the survival of Christianity through 250 years of prohibition after 1614. Oura Church, built in 1864 by French missionaries, is where a group of secret Christians revealed themselves after generations of underground worship. The 26 Martyrs Museum on Nishizaka Hill commemorates the crucifixion of 26 Catholics in 1597. Goto Islands off the coast preserve small wooden churches where hidden Christian communities worshipped.

Dejima, the fan-shaped artificial island in Nagasaki harbor, served as the sole point of Western contact with Japan during the 230 years of national isolation from 1641 to 1853, when only Dutch traders were permitted to reside. The restored trading post includes warehouses, residences, and a museum showing how this tiny island served as Japan’s window to Western science, medicine, and technology. The Chinatown district, the oldest in Japan, concentrates around four ornate gates and serves Nagasaki champon and sara-udon noodles.

Food and Getting Around

Champon noodles, created by Chinese restaurant Shikairou in the late 1800s as an affordable meal for Chinese students, features thick noodles in a milky pork and chicken bone broth loaded with seafood, pork, and stir-fried vegetables. Sara-udon uses the same toppings over crispy thin fried noodles. Castella sponge cake, introduced by Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century, remains Nagasaki’s premier souvenir with Fukusaya, established 1624, considered the gold standard. Turkish rice, a uniquely Nagasaki plate combining spaghetti, pilaf, and tonkatsu, appears on kissaten cafe menus.

Nagasaki’s streetcar system covers the main sights for 140 yen per ride or 600 yen for a day pass. The hilly terrain means many attractions involve climbs, but the Glover Sky Road, a combination of elevators and moving walkways built into the hillside, eases access to Glover Garden. The night view from Mount Inasa by ropeway, officially designated among the world’s new three great night views, overlooks the city’s harbor and surrounding hills. Thomas Glover’s 1863 mansion at Glover Garden, the oldest Western-style building in Japan, offers a glimpse into the life of the Scottish merchant who helped arm the Satsuma and Choshu domains during the lead-up to the Meiji Restoration. The JR Kamome limited express from Hakata in Fukuoka reaches Nagasaki in one hour and 25 minutes via the new Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen partial route.

The Megane-bashi (Spectacles Bridge), built in 1634 by a Chinese monk, is the oldest stone arch bridge in Japan, its twin arches reflecting in the Nakashima River to form the spectacle shape that gives it its name.

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