Nagasaki, Japan

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. It is most infamously known for the nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing a total of over 100,000 people. Six days later Japan surrendered, officially ending World War II. The Peace Park, Peace Statue, and the Atomic Bomb Museum were created to commemorate the 1945 Atomic bomb tragedy.

Today Nagasaki is a popular tourist destination with many interesting and beautiful places to visit. Among them are Glover Garden, former 19th Century home of a British merchant where hillside gardens overlook the harbor. It is a pleasant collection of relocated European style homes built for foreign traders and diplomats when Japan was opened to world after the Meiji Restoration of the mid 19th century.

The Sofuku-ji - temple was constructed in 1629 by Chinese residents of Nagasaki, this temple is one of the best examples of Ming Dynasty architecture in the world. Even in China itself there are few surviving structures that display Ming Dynasty architecture as well as Sofuku-ji.

Things to See & Do

* Glover Garden
* Atomic Bomb Museum
* Nagasaki Peace Park
* Sofuku-ji - temple
* Lantern Festival (mid Jan - mid Feb)

General information

Cruise Season - Jan - Dec
Currency - Yen (JPY)
Language - Japanese
Population - 455,000 approx
Land Area - 406.35 km2
Electricity - 2 perpendicular flat pins USA style or with a round pin below
Time - GMT plus hours nine hours
International Country Telephone Code - 81

Port Location - The Matsugae International Passenger Ship Wharf is conveniently located with easy access to the city and other transportation.

Travel Links - Both of Japan's major air carriers serve Nagasaki Airport. JAL and ANA offer nonstop flights from Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Osaka's Itami Airport. ANA also offers nonstops to Nagasaki from the new Nagoya Centrair Airport and Naha Airport in Okinawa, while JAL operates from Nagoya Airport in Komaki. In 2005, a new low-cost carrier, SNA (Skynet Asia Airways), began flights from Tokyo's Haneda Airport, providing cheaper tickets than major carriers.

JR Kyushu runs the Kamome (かもめ) Limited Express train service from Hakata station in Fukuoka once or twice every hour. The one-way ride takes about two hours. Connections to the Kamome can be made from the rest of the country via the Shinkansen (Hiroshima, 3 hrs; Okayama, 4 hrs; Osaka, 4 1/2 hrs; Tokyo, 7 hrs).