City guide · 長崎 Nagasaki
Nagasaki
Japan's only window on the West during national seclusion: Dejima, churches and prayers for peace
Nagasaki's streets carry layers of history: the port opened for the Portuguese, the Dutch on Dejima, the Western houses of Glover Garden, and the prayers for peace since 9 August 1945.
History
How the city came to be
In 1571, with the permission of the daimyō Ōmura Sumitada, Nagasaki opened its port to Portuguese ships. For more than two centuries it was Japan's only port for trade with Portugal and the Netherlands. The Portuguese were expelled in 1639, and in 1641 the Dutch were moved to the artificial island of Dejima, where they traded with Japan under close watch until the end of the Edo period. At 11:02 a.m. on 9 August 1945 an atomic bomb exploded over Nagasaki, destroying about a third of the city.
- 1571Nagasaki opened its port to Portuguese ships
- 1636The artificial island of Dejima was built
- 1641The Dutch trading post moved to Dejima
- 1859The port opened to foreign trade, bringing Glover and other Western merchants to Nagasaki
- 1863Glover House was completed
- 1945Atomic bombing on 9 August
- 1955Peace Park was completed
Stories
Stories of the city
History · Glover Garden
A Scottish merchant and the samurai of the Bakumatsu
The Glover House was built by the Amakusa carpenter Koyama Hidenoshin and completed in 1863, the oldest surviving Western-style house in Japan. Glover met anti-shogunate activists from Chōshū and Satsuma here; also in 1863, he arranged for the 'Chōshū Five' to study secretly in London, among them Itō Hirobumi, later Japan's first prime minister.
Legend · Glover Garden
The 'Madame Butterfly' house
Because the house and its surroundings evoke Puccini's opera 'Madama Butterfly', it is also known as the 'Madame Butterfly House'. The garden has statues of Puccini and of Miura Tamaki, the soprano famous for singing Madama Butterfly.
History · Nagasaki Peace Park
11:02 a.m.
At 11:02 a.m. on 9 August 1945, an atomic bomb exploded about 500 m above this spot. The blast wave, heat rays of thousands of degrees and radiation destroyed everything around; about a third of Nagasaki's urban area was destroyed, and 150,000 people were killed or injured. Near the hypocentre you can still see remnants of the walls of the destroyed Urakami Cathedral.
History · Dejima
Two hundred years as 'hostages'
In 1641 the Dutch trading post was moved to Dejima. For more than two centuries afterwards the Dutch could barely set foot off the little island, and Japanese could not meet them without supervision. One Dutch employee complained in his records that they were guarded like prisoners, traitors and spies, or at the very least hostages of the shogun. Even so, Dejima was Japan's only window onto Western science and the world during the age of national seclusion.
People
People connected with Nagasaki
Must see
Places you shouldn’t miss
Glover Garden
The former home of the Scottish merchant Glover looks down over Nagasaki harbour, its group of exotic Western houses telling stories of Japan's …
Nagasaki Peace Park
11:02 a.m., 9 August 1945: an atomic bomb exploded 500 m above this ground.
Dejima
For two centuries of national seclusion, Japan's only window on the West: a small fan-shaped artificial island.
Before you go
Rules to know in Nagasaki
Take off your shoes when you see a genkan (entrance step)
- Take off your shoes at the entrance of homes, some restaurants, temples and hot-spring facilities
- If unsure, look for a shoe rack or slippers at the entrance
- Stepping onto tatami or indoor wooden floors in shoes
It is seen as very rude.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese etiquette
No phone calls on trains and the shinkansen; queue to board
- Put your phone on silent; on the shinkansen, take calls in the area between carriages
- Queue at the marked spots on either side of the train door, and let people off before you get on
- Give priority seats to older people, pregnant women and passengers with limited mobility
- Talking on the phone or playing sound aloud in the train
Not illegal, but you will get looks and a reminder from the conductor.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese etiquette
If you have tattoos, check the rules before using a hot spring
- Before you go, email the facility to ask about its rules
- Small to medium tattoos can be covered with skin-coloured patches (some onsen sell them)
- Choose a tattoo-friendly onsen, or book a private bath (kashikiri-buro) in advance
- Ignoring 'no tattoos' signs and getting in anyway
Most onsen do not allow guests with tattoos to bathe, but rules vary by facility and are often more relaxed for foreign visitors.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: tattoo rules and etiquette at onsen
Wash your body thoroughly before getting into a hot spring
- Before getting in, sit on the small stool in the washing area and wash your whole body with the shower or a bucket, leaving no soap
- Leave your small towel at the edge of the bath or fold it on your head
- Getting into the bath without rinsing first
- Dipping your towel in the bath water
- Leaving a used towel in the washing area
Not illegal, but other guests and the staff will see it as very rude. Most onsen require you to be fully naked in the bathing area.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: a beginner's guide to onsen
There is no tipping in Japan
- Say thank you with 'arigatō gozaimashita'
- Pressing loose change on staff
Japan is a no-tipping country and bills usually include service; if you press a tip on staff, some will politely refuse.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese table manners
An izakaya's otoshi is a cover charge
- Accept the otoshi as an appetiser
- Arguing with staff about it or asking for it to be taken back
There is no penalty: before you order at an izakaya, a small dish of otoshi always arrives. It doubles as the cover charge and cannot be chosen or swapped.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: drinking in Japan