Nagasaki City
Sites in the Downtown Area.
Dejima.
The island of Dejima, where the Dutch traders were confined was originally an artificial island in Nagasaki harbour. Due to land reclamation, the "island" is now part of the mainland. On one part of the original site, there is a miniature model of Dejima at one point in its history. There is a museum containing artifacts relating to the period and there are several replicas of original buildings that contain various displays of what everyday life was like on the island. Most of the area of what was the original island has been repurchased by the Nagasaki government and they are now in the process of promoting Dejima as a major tourist attraction.
Chinatown.
The modern Chinatown was established in the nineteenth century when many Chinese came to Nagasaki to trade and study, and eventually remained in Japan. The original Chinatown of their predecessors of the seventeenth century is in a district behind the present day Chinatown. The descendants of these Chinese traders have become thoroughly Japanised, although until recently there was a small Chinese school in the area and the O-bon festival of the dead is celebrated by some descendants of Chinese on the date according to the old Chinese calendar rather than according to the Japanese calendar. Nonetheless, many continue to operate Chinese restaurants of which many are located in the Chinatown area. There are also many shops selling souvenirs, both Japanese and Chinese, that see much activity during the Nagasaki Lantern Festival in February.
Koshibyo Confucian Shrine
Some distance away from Chinatown is a Confucian Shrine, the present version of which was built in 1959. Inside are statues of Chinese sages and a museum of Chinese artifacts loaned by the government of China. The shrine is still used by some descendants of Chinese origin for various ceremonies though the year.
Oura Church.
This church was completed in about 1865, and is a national treasure, being the oldest woodern church in gothic style in Japan.
Glover Garden
Glover Garden includes the house of Tomas Glover on its original site, as well as various western style houses which belonged to other residents of the nineteenth century and the first western style restaurant in Japan, all of which have been moved from their original positions to be relocated to the garden. The garden has a magnificant view over Nagasaki habour. Glover's house is the oldest western style woodern house existing in Japan. These is a statue of Madam Butterfly near a fountain in the garden, since it is thought that Glover's house was the place where the 'true' story on which Puccini's opera was based took place, although this has no basis in fact. .
Minami-yamate and Higashi-yamate.
Glover Garden stands at the heart of the old foreigners' settlement which includes the present suburbs of Minami-yamate and Higashi-yamate. Walking away from the city centre from Glover Garden, you can still find old western style houses. Walking toward town and going behind the Confucian shrine, you can see a set of restored western style houses, one of which is an international restaurant, and you eventually come across a paved hillside know as the Dutch Slope.
Sites in the Temple Area.
Sofukuji Temple.
This temple is located about 3 minutes from my apartment. It is a Chinese Zen temple and was founded in 1629, for people from the Fujian area of China (people from different areas tended to build their own temples). The red colouration of the buildings and the painted decoration is characteristic of Chinese temples as opposed to Japanese temples which are of unadorned wood. The arched gatehouse is a particularly unusual feature of this temple. The sea goddess, Maso, has a shrine here since the original users of the temple were sea faring traders.
Tera-machi: Temple Town.
Descending the road directly in front of Sofukuji and then turning right brings you to Tera-machi. There are a number of temples along this road, mainly of Japanese style. At the back of the temples there is a forested graveyard that continues to the top of the hillside. It is a very enjoyable hike from my place, up over a hill and then down through the graveyard. Some of the tombs date back almost 400 years. The sounds of the city seem quite remote even though the city centre is close, and it is nice and peaceful here. I think it is the best the city has to offer a resident, although usually there are no people there.
Megane-bashi and the Nakashima River Bridges.
The Nakashima river flows through the centre of downtown Nagasaki and if you walk up the river towards Suwa Shrine you can see many stone bridges. The most famous of these is the Megane bridge (Spectacles Bridge), named because when calm, the reflection of the bridge in the water looks like a pair of glasses. It was build by the second head priest of Kofukuji in 1634 and it is the second oldest stone arch bridge in Japan. Many of the bridges are new because most of the older bridges on the river were washed away in the great flood of 1982. Megane Bridge was rebuilt using the original stones.
Suwa Shinto Shrine.
If you follow the Nakashima river upstream from the city you will find Nagasaki's main temple. The shrine is approached by a long series of steps passing under a number or "torii" arches which are characteristic of an entrance to a shrine. The shrine was originally built in 1624, partly with the encouragement of the Tokugawa Shogunate in order to combat Christianity. Most of the present buildings mainly date back to 1984 when the was a large scale reconstruction. Inside the main shrine building is a staircase leading to a room in which the gods enshrined here are said to dwell. You can attract the attention of the gods by beating the gong above the entrance to the main building twice, and by clapping twice, as well as by making a small offering of money. The Suwa Shrine's Kunchi festival is Nagasaki's main event and the first performance of the festival is held here early (6am) on the first day of the October Festival. The performances can then be seen throughout the city for several days. If you go down the steps at the right side of the main building and then up the concrete path there, you come across a small inari (fox) shrine with lots of red torii and pairs of fox statues. The spirit of the fox is supposed to bring success in business and the torii are dedicated usually by businesses in the city. There are many old trees in this Shrine that date back more than 500 years.
The Siebold Memorial Museum.
Not far from the Suwa Shrine is a museum which commemorates the relationship between Nagasaki and Europe established by the doctor, anthropologist and naturalist, Philip Franz von Siebold, although I have never been there. The site of the museum is at Narutaki, where Siebold was allowed to establish a small medical school during his time in Japan in the 1830s - this was the first western school of medicine in Japan. Siebold's daughter (by a Japanese woman) later became the first female doctor in Japan.
Sites in the Peace Park Area.
Peace Park.
The Peace Park was created in 1954 after the war on the site of the old Urakami Prison, which was destroyed by the atomic bomb. The main feature of the park is the statue of a man who represents Nagasaki's commitment to peace and there are various other statues in the park that have been donated by other countries. There is a memorial service on the 9th of August every year. When I went, the sound of an airplane overhead was the only thing that could be heard during the 1 minute silence at 11:02 am; it was very eerie. At the opposite end of the park to the peace statue there is the Fountain of Peace. After the bomb fell, the citizens left alive were reduced to drinking polluted water and the words inscribed on the black marble were written by a nine year old girl describing this experience. The shape of the fountain spray is intended to symbolise the dove of peace.
Atomic Bomb Hypocenter
Besides Peace Park, the Hypocenter is one of the few places in the city that has a little grass (this has nothing to do with the bomb - the Japanese just seem not to be able to grow grass very well). The point below where the bomb exploded is marked by a column of black marble. There are often flowers in front of the column that have been laid down by some tourists. Nearby are some remains of the original Urakami Cathedral, which was destroyed by the bomb.
Atomic Museum
Many tourists visit the museum including school students from all over Japan. I have been to this museum four times and each time I am saddened by the complete lack of respect and discipline by the students and the teachers responsible for them. If it was in Australia the museum would be a sombre place but this has not been the case during my visits there. The museum has various displays about the atomic bombing and the damage that it did. It also has and area that explains from the Japanese point of view the lead up to the war in the 1930s and Japans involvement in China. It could be less biased but it is not too bad. The souvenir shop sells peace related items like t-shirts and books.
Urakami Cathedral
The present Urakami Cathedral was completed in 1959 and replaced the original cathedral destroyed by the bomb. It is richly decorated with stained glass. The use of decorative coloured glass was introduced by the Portuguese early in the history of Nagasaki and is a traditional craft product of the city. Having said that, some of the souvenir shops have ghastly glass crafts for sale that look like a 5 year old made them.
One Legged Tori Arch
This arch, the entrance to a Shinto shrine, had one of its legs blown away but it still remained standing surprisingly enough. It has been left standing as a reminder of the bombing.