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Nagasaki city skyline view from Inasa Mount in Nagasaki, Japan.; Shutterstock ID 1040318305; Your name (First / Last): Laura Crawford; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: HCMC & Nagasaki page images BiA

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Overview

It's both unfortunate and important that the name Nagasaki (長崎) is synonymous with the dropping of the second atomic bomb. This history undeniably overshadows everything else, yet if that's all you experience during your visit you'll be missing the point. As paradoxical as it may seem, Nagasaki is vibrant and charming, and it begs to be explored far beyond the bomb museums, monuments and memorials.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Peace Statue, Nagasaki,Japan

    Peace Park

    Nagasaki

    A still, serene and deeply moving place, Nagasaki's Peace Park commemorates the atomic bombing of the city on August 9, 1945, which reduced the…

  • Gunkanjima

    Gunkanjima

    Nagasaki

    From afar, the Unesco World Heritage island of Hashima resembles a battleship, hence its nickname Gunkanjima ('battleship island'). Up close, this long…

  • NAGASAKI, NAGASAKI-KEN, JAPAN - 2010/07/20: The former Nagasaki International club built in 1903. Dejima, literally "protruding island", was a small island in the bay of Nagasaki that was a Dutch trading post during Japan's self-imposed isolation of the Edo period from 1641 until 1853. Here Dutch traders were stationed, keeping a small window on the outside world plus trade with the rest of the world..Since the closing of the Dutch East India Company's trading post in 1857, the island has been surrounded by reclaimed land and merged into Nagasaki. The island was designated a national historical site in 1922. Today, Dejima is a work in progress with the long-term plan to fully restore its characteristic fan-shaped form and all the embankment walls.. (Photo by John S Lander/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    Dejima

    Nagasaki

    In 1641 the Tokugawa shogunate banished all foreigners from Japan, with one exception: Dejima, a fan-shaped, artificial island in Nagasaki harbour. From…

  • prayer hall of Suwa shrine in Nagasaki, Japan; Shutterstock ID 611889566

    Suwa-jinja

    Nagasaki

    Situated on a forested hilltop and reached via multiple staircases with nearly 200 steps, this enormous shrine was established in 1625. Around the grounds…

  • Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, Nagasaki Peace Park, Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan, Asia

    Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum

    Nagasaki

    On 9 August 1945, the world's second nuclear weapon detonated over Nagasaki, and this sombre place recounts the city's destruction and loss of life…

  • NAGASAKI, JAPAN -3 NOV 2017- View of the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims located in Nagasaki, Japan.; Shutterstock ID 777330865; Your name (First / Last): Laura Crawford; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: HCMC & Nagasaki page images BiA

    Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims

    Nagasaki

    Adjacent to the Atomic Bomb Museum and completed in 2003, this minimalist memorial by Kuryū Akira is a profoundly moving place. It's best approached by…

  • NAGASAKI, JAPAN -3 NOV 2017- View of the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture located in Nagasaki, Japan.; Shutterstock ID 777299056; Your name (First / Last): Laura Crawford; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: HCMC & Nagasaki page images BiA

    Nagasaki Museum of History & Culture

    Nagasaki

    This large museum with attractive displays focuses on Nagasaki's proud history of international exchange. Additionally, there's a fabulous, detailed…

  • Ōura Cathedral

    Ōura Cathedral

    Nagasaki

    This hilltop church, Japan's oldest (1864), is dedicated to the 26 Christians who were crucified in Nagasaki in 1597. The former seminary and bishop's…

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