Old Chinese Settlement: Nagasaki City

The Old Chinese Settlement in Nagasaki was home for many Chinese sailors and traders who traded goods with the Japanese from the 15th to 19th centuries.  The Chinese Traders came to Nagasaki because it was the only "open port" to visit Japan at this time.  The Government at the time only allowed Nagasaki to stay open throughout all of Japan and closed off Japan to the rest of world from western foreign powers in order to prevent the spread of Christianity.

Strict rules were placed on these Chinese to never be outside their settlement at night and they were not allowed to live outside of the gates that kept them virtual prisoners inside the gates.  However at least the Chinese Settlement was on the mainland within Nagasaki City.  The Dutch, who were the only other traders allowed to enter Japan at that time because their Religious beliefs were not as severe as others such as the Portuguese, had to live on an artificial island just off the mainland and weren't even allowed to step on the mainland itself, business had to be conducted on the island called Dejima.

Today a  great walking course around the old areas of Nagasaki city exists and it is possible to step back in time and see how the Chinese lived in a limited way all those years ago.  Well worth a stroll around the oldest area of the city and to look at the buildings erected centuries ago.  If the old walls of the Old Chinese Settlement could talk you would be able to play a game of Chinese Whispers?

See the Old Chinese settlement on a map!

Click on the pictures below to enlarge:


Chinese temple
Old Chinese building

Check out the Nagasaki Old Chinese Settlement in the video below:

Shinchi Chinatown: Nagasaki City

Chinatown is located in the centre of Nagasaki City and is also known as Shinchi. There you will find four gates facing in four different directions.  These gates are called the Seiryu-mon,  Byakko-mon, Suzaku-mon and Genbu-mon, with the suffix mon meaning gate in English.

Nagasaki`s Chinatown is a major draw card for tourists who seem to flock here in major numbers so you have to be careful to avoid the constant rush of people and the non stop clicks of cameras going off left, right and center!

There are many Chinese restaurants and stores selling Chinese goods throughout the area, allowing you to enjoy a bit of Chinese flavor in Nagasaki.  During the Chinese New Year this place serves as the center of the Nagasaki Lantern Festival, which is the feature winter event in Nagasaki. The whole area is decorated with many Chinese lanterns, drawing crowds of people from all around Japan and the world.

It's a great place to take a walk, lose yourself in a different part of Japan and soak in the rich history of the area.  The Chinese were major traders in the area for centuries and their presence can still be felt today reaching out to the masses.  The food here is very authentic as I am sure the traditional Chinese recipes have been passed down from generation to generation to carry on the traditions and make sure their culture remains strong and intact.  So, if you want some Chinese food that is as good as what it is in Shanghai then Chinatown is the place to come and experience its amazing flavors and smells.

Click here to see Nagasaki`s Shinchi Chinatown here on a map:

 

Click on the photos below to enlarge:

The gate entrance to Chinatown

The Chinatown Arcade

Lanterns across the bridge

Have a look and feel Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown on the video below:

Dejima Island: Nagasaki City

Dejima Island in Nagasaki was the sole trading spot with foreign countries from the 17th to the 19th centuries.  It is a island with a 400-year history of Dutch trade.

Dejima was an artificial island built in the shape of a fan with an area of about 13,000 square meters. It was built south of the current city center during the Edo Period in order to accommodate Portuguese Christian missionaries and prevent the propagation of their religion. It also used to be the residential quarters of the Dutch, the only foreigners allowed to trade in Japan during the Sakoku (Isolation) Period and a Dutch Trading House operated on the island. For 200 years, until Japan reopened the country in the 19th century, Dejima was its only window to the world compared to the rest of Japan that lived in complete isolation from all things foreign.

Today, Dejima Island has been preserved and is an excellent example of what life was like in Japan and particularly Nagasaki 300 years ago.  The buildings have been painstakingly reformed to their original condition and the gardens are well looked after.  Someone could spend anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours just strolling around and being transported back to past.  Inside Dejima Island  there is a model replica of the entire island that has been made in order to show exactly what the island looks like in tiny detail with retaining wall and moat to boot.   This replica by itself took up about 20 minutes of my time as I studied and screened everything.  Absolutely amazing!!

Dejima is another one of those locations that is situated near the International Port Terminal thus walking distance and an easy to find attraction.  Combined with Glovers Gardens this make a perfect half day walking and history tour of Nagasaki.

Click on the link to see Dejima Island in Nagasaki on this map below:

 

Here are some pictures of what Dejima Island looks like today:
Click to enlarge:

The old ships at Dejima Wharf

A typical Dejima Building

A restored Church

Lots of important info

At sunset

Dejima Scenery

Check out Dejima Island Nagasaki on a video below:

Mount Fugen in Winter: Unzen, Nagasaki

Mount Fugen Unzen Nagasaki is not as challenging as Mount Fuji (I don't know from firsthand experience) but a great experience to climb never the less.  Not being much of a mountaineer myself, I jumped at the opportunity when a friend said to me out of the blue, let's climb to the top of the Volcano in the middle of winter.  Now, some might say that is a little foolish, but the views and the scenery at the top are well worth the effort and freezing temperatures.  You see in winter the scenic views are usually at their peak, not much cloudy cover and or fog or pollution polluting the desired view for climbing the mountain in the first place.  The frost on the limbs and trunks of the trees are worth seeing as the angles of the frost match the incoming wind direction to form the icicles perfectly.

Although we weren't able to get to the volcano it looms large and in all directions, such a massive and dominating effect on the landscape it's impossible to miss.  Absolutely the most interesting and extraordinary location on the Shimabara Peninsular.

Come and check out Mount Fugen Unzen Nagasaki here on a map:

Click on the photo below to enlarge:

It was extremely cold

To see vapors wafting out of the ground as we were getting closer and closer to the Volcano was a little intimidating especially whether they might be toxic or not was unknown and a little disconcerting but we were as brave as could be expected to virgin winter climbers and if i get another invitation in the future I will jump on the bandwagon again without a doubt in the world!!

Glover Gardens: Nagasaki City

Glover Gardens in Nagasaki is one of the most popular tourist spots in the City.  This is the place that Thomas Glover who was from Scotland, built his house on the Minami Yamate Hill in 1863, where there are many relocated and restored gardens and houses of foreign merchants and traders who contributed to the industry of Japan at the time.

Many foreign merchants and nationalists at the end of Edo Period lived in Nagasaki at the time.  The former Glover House is the oldest western wooden architecture in Japan and is designated as a national important cultural property and is also known as the "Madame Butterfly House.  At various times throughout the year events are held to celebrate the opera created by Puccini as it is well known that Nagasaki is the backdrop of the story.

Glover Gardeni is a brilliant place where you can lose yourself in the history of Nagasaki, forgetting that you are actually in Japan and could be in any other trading country from Europe to the Americas. See Japan for yourself as it was in the later half of the 19th century and the effect one man made to bring Japan into the modern ages.  You will find something here for everybody, whether it be the magnificent old Victorian Houses, to the restored furniture inside to the panoramic 180 degree views of the breathtaking Harbor below and its crystal clear waters.

For those visitors that want to explore Nagasaki by themselves and not take an organized tour this location is a must visit.  It takes less than 10 minutes to walk to from the International Port Terminal and has a lot of attractions nearby with plenty of shops and restaurants for a bite to eat and shopping opportunities galore.  However it is located on a hill and even though their is a traveling escalator to get to the top there are many steps and a constant incline to contend with.

Check out at Glover Gardens in Nagasaki on a map below:

 

Please click on the following photos below to enlarge:

View of the Harbour below

The main house

Interesting architecture

One of the many houses

Lots of visitors

The main pond

Inside the restored old Victorian Houses

The main building is the most popular sight!

Outdoor setting for events is always popular

Puccini`s Masterpiece

Lots of antiquities

Kimono`s are often sighted

The centerpiece

Puccini's famous Madame Butterfly

Each building is unique

This is how they entertained in the day!

Thomas Glover

The magnificent view from the top of the hill

The beautifully presented gardens and ponds

Beautiful gardens all around

Please check out these videos of Glover Gardens Nagasaki for your viewing pleasure:

Saint Philip Church: Nagasaki City

Saint Philip Church in Nagasaki is on Nishizaka Hill where the 26 Martyrs are situated.  The Church is named after a Mexican Martyr who was one of the 26 saints that was killed by the Shogunate powers which banished Christianity in the 16th century.  His bust can be witnessed along with the other 25 martyrs at the Nishizaka Landmark which has such as power message and image of sacrifice and willpower to defy the orders to renounce Christianity within Japan.

The 2 towers soaring from the church are 16 meters high and the church has becomes one of the most visited landmarks in Nagasaki.  The museum and church was designed by Kenji Imai (1895-1987).  Here is some background information of the unknown designer and architect.

1895        born in Tokyo
1919        graduated from Waseda University
1919-65  teaches architecture at Waseda University
1926-27  travelled to Europe, influenced by Gaudi´s work
1948       converted to Catholicism
1987       died

The architecture of the church is unique and any fans of the works by Gaudi will immediately recognize the similarities.  So, if you are a follower of Gaudi's works or just like to visit interesting places then i am sure you will come away with a positive image of this place.  It will be impossible to just spend 10 to 15 minutes here, budget on at least 45 minutes to an hour as every aspect of this building will attract your eye and demand further detailed inspection.  This location is a great place to talk a walk and just breath in the history and atmosphere that remains today.

Click here to locate Saint Philip Church in Nagasaki on a map:

 

Click on the photos below to enlarge:

The unique Spires

Interesting patterns

Quiet reflections

Entrance of the Church

The 26 Martyrs Memorial in the foreground

Inspired by Gaudi

Amazing designs

Glorious

Please take a look at this video to see Saint Philip Church Nagasaki in more detail:

Fukusaiji Temple: Nagasaki City

Fukusaiji Temple in Nagasaki was founded in 1628, originally as a Zen Temple.  During the dropping of the atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945, the temple was completely destroyed. It was rebuilt in its present particular shape, a giant turtle at the base with an 18 meter statue of a Kannon (a goddess of compassion)  standing on its back.  In my opinion a unique and interesting construction of a temple and is also known as the Nagasaki Kannon Universal Temple and is instantly recognizable within the Nagasaki skyline.

Fukusaiji Temple also has another claim to fame.  It has a fascinating addition, a Foucault pendulum which is a device used to show the rotation of the earth.  Normally found in universities or planetariums, it is one of only five in Japan.  The pendulum is the third largest in the world and is only dwarfed by the ones in Paris and St Petersburg.  I am pretty sure that the only Foucault pendulum to be found in an active place of worship and can be witnessed here at Fukusaiji Temple Nagasaki.  I am sure that 99% of Nagasakians wouldn't know anything about this incredible fact and you could be more in the know then the locals with 1 visit to the amazing place.

If you have an interest in Buddhism, unique architecture an or just like to take photos of rare and special attractions then this is your place to visit!  You will be drawn in by this places uniqueness as its a place that you travel the world and still not find something this interesting and completely different to any other structure you have seen before.

Click here to see Fukusaiji Temple in Nagasaki on this map below:

 

Click on the photos below to enlarge:

Powerful from all angles

The monuments

Unique pond

Great hope for all

Goddess on a turtle

From afar

Unique image

Please click on the videos below to see Fukusaiji Temple in all its glory: