Travel Features : The Best of Nagasaki
Nagasaki was once synonymous with commerce, the sole gateway for trade and culture into Japan. Then in 1945 it became known through its tragic destruction. Above all, however, Nagasaki is a city of faith. Buddhist temples, churches, a cathedral, a Confucian shrine, and a raucous Shinto festival are just a small part of the city’s spirituality. The people of Nagasaki also have a profound belief in their hometown and the value of life. More than sixty years have passed since the atomic bomb obliterated the city and the new Nagasaki stands as a testament to the strength and spirit of its people. The citizens of Nagasaki don’t want to forget any part of its turbulent history, they celebrate the present, and look with hope to the future of their city and all mankind.
Site of the Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan
The arrival of the Portuguese to Nagasaki in 1571 brought merchants and Christian missionaries to Japan. Although trade was welcomed, the missionaries were soon seen as a threat and six European missionaries and 20 Japanese Christians were crucified. In 1601 there was a national ban on Christianity and the expulsion of all Portuguese. In 1862 the pope canonized the 26 victims, and today a chapel and memorial stands at the site of the crucifixions. It was an unfortunate beginning, as Nagasaki would later become one of the centers of Christianity in Asia.
Sofukuji and Kofukuji Temple
With the Portuguese thrown out of the country, the Dutch and Chinese communities were Japan’s only contacts with the outside world. Chinese made up 15% of the population of Nagasaki, and temples were constructed to pray for safety during the sea crossings, to allow the celebration of festivals, and some say, to create a clear distinction between their community and the unpopular Christians. Kofukuji is the oldest temple of the Obaku sect of Buddhism in Japan and is now recognized as an important cultural asset. Nearby Sofukuji temple was constructed 6 years later and two of its buildings are designated as Japanese national treasures. Both temples are rare examples of Ming Dynasty architecture that is uncommon even in China.
Spectacles Bridge
Meganebashi or The Spectacles Bridge is one of Nagasaki’s most famous landmarks, and the oldest stone arch bridge in Japan. Built in 1634, by a Chinese Monk from Kofukuji Temple, it was constructed to provide worshipers with a safe way to cross the Nakashima River and reach the temple. The bridge gets its name because at high tide when there is no wind, the reflection of the stone arches onto the river creates the image of a pair of spectacles.
Glover House
The British merchant Thomas Glover arrived in Nagasaki in 1859, the year Japan was reopened to foreign trade. Although only 21 years old, he quickly became a successful business man and built his elegant home on a small hill overlooking Nagasaki harbor. Glover House still stands and is now the oldest Western style house in Japan. It is both a national cultural property and the most popular tourist attraction in the city.
Thomas Glover, married a local Japanese girl named Tsuru, and many believe that she is the inspiration for lead character Cio-Cio-san in the opera Madame Butterfly. A statue of Puccini, the composer, stands in the gardens around Glover House along with a statue of opera diva Miura Tamaki who was renowned for playing the role of Cio-Cio-san.
Oura Catholic Church
By the end of the 19th Century as merchants like Glover found commercial success, Christian missionaries also returned to Japan. French Priest Bernard Petijean oversaw the construction of Oura Church with it facing toward Nishizaka Hill where the 26 martyrs were killed nearly 300 years earlier. The gothic style church, completed in 1864, is the oldest church in Japan. Not long after its construction, several Japanese peasants came to Priest Petijean and revealed themselves as hidden Christians. For hundreds of years, unable to worship in public, a few Japanese had become secret Christians sharing their faith through clandestine meetings and secret signals. The construction of Oura Church was their first taste of religious freedom.
Confucian Shrine
The Chinese community continued to be the largest section of the foreign population in Nagasaki even after the port was reopened. In 1893, Chinese residents constructed Koshi-byo, a Confucian shrine, with financial support from the Ch'ing Dynasty government. To this day it is the only Confucian Shrine built by Chinese outside of China. The building was destroyed by the atomic blast but rebuilt and then renovated in 1982. The shrine’s distinctive architecture is an interesting contrast to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Perhaps the temples most fascinating features are the two lines of statues representing the 72 followers of Confucius.
Urakami Cathedral
It took 30 years to build Urakami Cathedral, and when work was completed in 1925 it was the largest church in East Asia. The building was not far from the hypocenter of the atomic bomb and was completely destroyed. It was,however, rebuilt and reopened it doors to worship in 1959. In spring the cherry trees surrounding the cathedral cover the grounds in pink blossom while a few blackened stone statues remain as a reminder of the original cathedral’s fate.
Nagasaki Peace Park
A black stone pillar marks the hypocenter of the atomic bomb that exploded over Nagasaki on the 9th August 1945. Nearby, people have hung chains of origami paper cranes to remember those, especially the children, who died.
A 10-meter-tall statue sits at the north end of the Peace Park. The figure’s right hand points towards the heavens signifying the continuing threat of nuclear weapons while the left hand is extended outwards symbolizing the continuing quest for peace. In front of the statue is a vault made from black marble that contains the names of both those who perished, and those who died later of their injuries. A simple plaque includes the sobering statistics: Dead: 73,884 Injured: 74,909 Sufferers: 120,820 The Atomic Bomb Museum has displays showing the development, use, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. It also has items showing the effects of the bomb, and like the museum in Hiroshima, it is often simple artifacts that have the most impact: a wall clock stopped at 11.02, the charred remains of a school girl’s lunch box and the rosaries of two priests that had been hearing confession when the bomb exploded.
The Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims is designed to preserve pictures and memoirs of the events that took place after the bomb. It also helps to promote an international exchange of information and ideas so that a similar tragedy will never occur again. The Remembrance Hall is a particularly poignant room – twelve glass pillars stretch upwards symbolizing the sending out of prayers around the world calling for peace.
800 meters southeast of the hypocenter the stone torii gate of the Sanno Shinto Shrine was hit by the blast. Partly shielded by a stone wall, one pillar survived and continues to stand. The damaged torii gate was neither demolished nor rebuilt, but remains as a powerful reminder of the force of the bomb.
Fukusaiji Temple
On the hillside over looking the train station and the city center is Fukusaiji Temple, also known as Nagasaki Kannon Universal Temple. The temple is distinguished by a giant 18-meter statue of the Goddess Kannon astride an Astral Turtle. A fascinating addition is a Foucault pendulum, a device used to show the rotation of the earth. Normally found in universities or planetariums, it is one of only five in Japan. It is the third largest in the world only dwarfed by the ones in Paris and St Petersburg, and perhaps the only Foucault pendulum to be found in an active place of worship.
Celebrating Life
Festivals take place in Nagasaki throughout the year and are as diverse as the city’s cosmopolitan population. During the Chinese New Year in February, thousands of lanterns and light sculptures decorate the city’s Chinatown. In April, there is a kite flying competition with many of the kites bearing the colors of the Dutch flag. During the same month Nagasaki also celebrates its role as a merchant city with the Tall Ship Festival.
Throughout the year there are Yosakoi festivals which involve teams of dancers mixing traditional Japanese dance moves with modern music. They perform energetic routines dressed in colorful costumes and makeup, and it is hard not to enjoy the events even as a mere spectator. The city of Sasebo, in Nagasaki Prefecture holds Kyushu’s largest Yosakoi festival in October.
The largest and most famous annual event is the Nagasaki Kunichi Festival from the 7-9 of October. It is held at the Shinto Suwo Shrine but the whole city has a carnival like atmosphere as processions with giant floats and dragon boat races help celebrate the city’s diverse mix of cultures and entertain the crowds.
Getting There
Nagasaki is 1hour 14 minutes by train from Fukuoka’s Hakata Station which is the terminus of the Sanyo Shinkansen bullet train. Travel times to Hakata station from Hiroshima are 1 hour, from Osaka 2.5 hours and from Tokyo takes 5 hours.
Nagasaki is also 2 hours 45 minutes by train from Kumamoto with a change at Tosu.
Nagasaki boasts the world’s first offshore airport. It is, however, a 40 to 60 minute bus ride from the airport to Nagasaki City.
Getting Around
By far the easiest way to get around the city is by using the street trams. There is a stop right in front of the main train station and from there you can head north toward the Peace Park and Urakami Cathedral or south toward the Glover Mansion and the Confucian Shrine. From the train station it is a short, but uphill, walk to the Martyr’s Memorial and Fukusaiji Temple.
View all Nagasaki images at Alamy.com
