Discovering Nagasaki: A Journey Through Time and Tranquility
Tim joins David to make the case for Nagasaki as a must-add to Japan itineraries—especially while the yen is favorable. Beyond its solemn WWII history, the city blends European influence, scenic harbor views, island day trips, and incredible food. We cover the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum, Dejima’s Dutch trading post, Glover Garden, a boat trip to Battleship Island, what to eat (castella and champon), where to stay (from boutique Portuguese-inspired hotels to brand-new design stays), plus nearby onsen culture and the perfect sunset finale from Mount Inasa.
Why listen:
• A practical “second-trip to Japan” alternative to Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka
• How to structure a respectful visit to the Peace Park and Museum
• Exactly where Nagasaki’s Dutch/Portuguese legacy shows up today
• What and where to eat, stay, and soak—without renting a car
What to see & do
- Nagasaki Peace Park: Begin here to understand the city’s history and commitment to peace. Pair it with the Atomic Bomb Museum for context.
- Dejima Island: Re-created streets and warehouses from Nagasaki’s Dutch-trade era.
- Oura Cathedral & Glover’s House: Rare historic church and hillside European mansions with harbor views.
- Battleship Island (Hashima): A guided boat trip to an eerie, abandoned mining island with UNESCO recognition and a Bond-film cameo.
- Mount Inasa Ropeway: Ride up at dusk for glittering harbor views.
Eat & drink
- Castella cake: Nagasaki’s signature Portuguese sponge cake.
- Champon noodles: Pork/seafood ramen unique to Nagasaki—try a local favorite near Dejima.
- Dejima Wharf & Izakaya alleys: Perfect for fresh sushi, sashimi, and casual small plates.
Where to stay
- Hotel Monterey Nagasaki: Boutique Portuguese-inspired stay with azulejo tiles and antiques.
- Glover’s House boutique hotel: A hillside retreat next to Glover Garden with breezy views and local character.
- Hotel Indigo Nagasaki: Stylish new property with architecture nodding to the city’s European heritage.
- Nearby onsen options: Obama Onsen on the coast, or Kagoshima (a Shinkansen ride away) for private in-room hot spring baths.
Responsible travel notes
- Be respectful at memorials; photography may be restricted.
- Support local businesses like castella bakeries and izakaya instead of big chains.
- At onsens: follow etiquette (rinse first, no suits, tattoos may need covering).
Affiliate Disclosure:
Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you click through and make a booking or purchase. Using these links helps support the production of Travel in 10 at no extra cost to you. Featured links include: Nagasaki Peace Park, Battleship Island, Hotel Monterey Nagasaki, Glover’s House, and Hotel Indigo Nagasaki.
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Transcript
Foreign Nagasaki is a medium sized city on the southern island of Kyushu in Japan.
Speaker A:And it is most famous or perhaps infamous for the atomic bomb that exploded there during the Second World War.
Speaker A:But there's so much more to this city.
Speaker A:It's an international port that for many centuries was the only opening from Japan to the outside world.
Speaker A:Some people say it's a slice of Europe in Japan as it was founded by the Portuguese and then developed by the Dutch.
Speaker A:It is volcanic, it is tropical, there are beautiful beaches.
Speaker A:Puccini famously set his opera Madame Butterfly here.
Speaker A:And there is an operatic quality to this place with a harbor surrounded by big mountains, palm trees and islands.
Speaker A:David, we're talking about Nagasaki this week.
Speaker A:How are you?
Speaker B:I'm doing great and I'm looking forward to getting back to Japan here on travel in 10 this week.
Speaker B:It's, it's somewhere.
Speaker B:Both me and you have spent a lot of time traveling around the country and Japan is hot right now.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:It's, it's, it's been a huge destination for, certainly for the past year, if not more.
Speaker B:Now where I know the, the yen is, is not doing quite as well against the, the US dollar or the euro or the Canadian dollar.
Speaker B:So a lot of international travelers making their way there and I think often when they're making their way there, it's on the main route.
Speaker B:It's Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, not as many people getting down to Nagasaki.
Speaker B:This is a little of a less traveled alternative.
Speaker B:So I'm looking forward to hearing your take on it because it is.
Speaker B:Although I spent a ton of time in Japan, not somewhere that I have been yet.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, and I would agree wholeheartedly with you that, you know, if you've been considering Japan for a while and putting it off, now is the time to go to Japan.
Speaker A:Because as you've said, the yen versus the dollar, very advantageous.
Speaker A:I mean, the first few times I went to Japan, I found it to be quite an expensive destination.
Speaker A:Everything was expensive because of the exchange rate.
Speaker A:Now not so much.
Speaker A:And you can actually travel reasonably economically if you stay in, you know, two, three star hotels, things like that.
Speaker A:And Nagasaki, I think really, you know, you're absolutely right that it's, it's not one of the obvious places.
Speaker A:A lot of people on their first visit to this, to the country, to Japan, you know, they stick with Tokyo.
Speaker A:They might go to Osaka, Hiroshima.
Speaker A:I ended up there, not by chance, but I had, the first time I went, I had one of these Japanese rail passes where you have unlimited travel within a certain span of Time I think I had two weeks and I would literally get on the train.
Speaker A:Sometimes get on the train in the morning and just ride for a while and then say, okay, this place looks nice, and get off and spend a couple days there.
Speaker A:Nagasaki.
Speaker A:I think I did actually plan to go because I love history and I studied history and, and so I knew about it from the World War II history.
Speaker A:And I think it was one of the places that most surprised me for what it had beyond.
Speaker A:You know, I mean, The World War II history is very interesting, but the city itself is quite a beautiful place and really offers a lot beyond the World War II history.
Speaker A:And so I was back just recently on a cruise, so it was just one day, but it was a pleasure to be back and see some corners of the city that I hadn't visited the first time.
Speaker A:So very much looking forward to chatting about Nagasaki.
Speaker B:Was that the, did you do the JR rail pass?
Speaker B:Is that how you were doing it when you were traveling around?
Speaker A:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker A:And for any of our listeners who are considering a trip to Japan, I would wholeheartedly recommend this pass.
Speaker A:I'm not sure if this is still the case, but when I had it, it was a pass and I've done it twice.
Speaker A:At least that you could only purchase outside of Japan.
Speaker A:You could, and it is not for Japanese people, it is for visitors.
Speaker A:And the goal is to have visitors come and see more of the country and maybe to promote people getting outside of the big cities.
Speaker A:And it is a very good deal.
Speaker A:I mean, if you use it, especially if you use it every day, you, it'll be much, much cheaper than actually purchasing point to point tickets.
Speaker A:There are certain trains, you can't use the most expensive trains, but you can ride the Shinkansen, you know, the Bullet train.
Speaker A:And it is just a really wonderful and liberating way to see this, this amazing country.
Speaker B:Awesome way to travel.
Speaker B:I, I traveled up and down Japan on, on the Shinkansen a number of times and just to see such an easy, easy way of traveling.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:And the, the rail system in every corner of Japan is so well developed that, you know, I, I think in 14 trips there, I've never driven.
Speaker B:I mean, I've ridden in a taxi or an Uber, but I've never rented a car for sure and been able to see huge portions of the country without it.
Speaker B:So, yeah, a great way to get around the country for sure.
Speaker A:The Japanese went, went really big on trains right after the Second World War, especially where North America really sunk a lot of money into interstate highways and Cars.
Speaker A:The Japanese went big on trains, and you can get almost anywhere in the country.
Speaker A:I mean, even the tiniest little town, you can get there on a train.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:And as a train guy.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Really appreciate that fact.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Now, I know you said that there's a lot more obviously, than the, The.
Speaker B:The Atomic Bomb Museum, but that is really an essential piece of understanding the city and something that, you know, I had a chance to see the one down in Hiroshima and the Peace park there.
Speaker B:I imagine this is.
Speaker B:This is fairly similar, but I mean, what was your experience there at the Peace park and the Atomic Bomb Museum?
Speaker A:So I would definitely say when you first arrive, kind of do that first, like, kind of not, not to get it out of the way, but you're going to do it.
Speaker A:It's an emotional experience and it's definitely worthwhile, and I think it is essential to understanding the way that the city is now.
Speaker A:So you'll.
Speaker A:It'll.
Speaker A:It'll stay with you as you continue to tour and see other parts of the city.
Speaker A:There's a great museum there that tells the stories of.
Speaker A:I think the, the most affecting stories are the individual stories.
Speaker A:So, you know, they, they do have, you know, a big map that shows you, you know, exactly where the bomb dropped and the timing of the bomb dropping and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker A:But, But I think for me, the stories that I carried with me out of that museum were the individual stories.
Speaker A:You know, people who woke up that morning and they thought it was just another day.
Speaker A:You know, kids going to school, people going to work, and just the individual stories of how that that bomb changed everything.
Speaker A:There's recreations of the ruins, including beautiful cathedral, perhaps built by the Portuguese, and that brings it to life as well.
Speaker A:And that's inside the museum.
Speaker A:And then you walk next door to the Peace park, and it's a bright, open outdoor space.
Speaker A:Lots of individual monuments, some sent by countries in commemoration of different anniversaries, some dedicated to different groups that were particularly decimated during the bombing.
Speaker A:And then there is this beautiful statue at the end of a man, and there's.
Speaker A:He's pointing at the sky.
Speaker A:And he's in a.
Speaker A:In a yoga pose, but he's pointing at the sky.
Speaker A:And the idea is that, you know, always be aware that death can fall from the sky.
Speaker A:And it's very affecting.
Speaker A:It's a very beautiful place.
Speaker A:And just out there in the open air, in nature, and, you know, in a city that is so peaceful and so dynamic and so interesting, now there is that almost that cognitive dissonance between trying to imagine what it was like on that terrible, terrible day and what it is now and how far we've come and, you know, no sense of.
Speaker A:And I've been to Hiroshima as well, and I think in both places, places, no sense of, of blame, but just the, the feeling, you know, both, you know, the theme is, is peace.
Speaker A:And I think the idea is let's just make sure it doesn't happen again, right?
Speaker A:Let's make sure that an atomic bomb never again is used on a human, you know, population.
Speaker A:So, so that is definitely, you know, that'll probably be a whole, a whole morning.
Speaker A:But really an interesting place to visit.
Speaker A:Is it?
Speaker B:I mean, this, this is also a city that, that has a lot going on from a historical perspective.
Speaker B:This was, my understanding is like long before World War II, during, you know, the period of time where Japan was really quite isolated from the rest of the world.
Speaker B:This city was a bit of a gateway.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:It's, it's where the, the Dutch, the Portuguese influence is very much seen in the architecture and the food and the religion in the city as well.
Speaker A:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker A:And there's a couple sites specific to that that I would recommend.
Speaker A:One is called Dijima island and it was once a separated island.
Speaker A:Now it has been connected with the mainland.
Speaker A:And this was the Dutch port during the Edo period, during those two centuries when essentially Nagasaki was the only place open to the rest of the world.
Speaker A:And it's, it's, it's interesting to walk through because they have recreated essentially what was a city there.
Speaker A:So the Dutch would come, these Dutch traders, and they would live there and they, you know, would have connections with Japanese in the city and they would trade back and forth, I think mostly with this, what's now modern day Jakarta.
Speaker A:They called it Batavia at the time.
Speaker A:And you can walk through and see what was it like to live there, what were the homes like, what were the warehouses like, what were, you know, and kind of squint your eyes and just imagine, I love to just imagine what it would have looked like in those days.
Speaker A:So, yeah, so very, very interesting spot to visit.
Speaker A:And then another place that's, that's connected with the, the European history is the Oro Cathedral, which very rare to see a historic church like this in Japan.
Speaker A:One noteworthy thing is that the stained glass there was imported from France and it is a very handsome building and definitely worth seeing when you are in Nagasaki.
Speaker B:You're telling me a bit too about another place that I'd never heard of before, Battleship Island.
Speaker B:Can you tell us A little bit more about that.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:I loved Battleship Island.
Speaker A:I mean, it's, again, there's a little bit of a difficult history there, but so it was, it's an island off of Nagasaki.
Speaker A:You can book a boat tour and go and you will kind of sail around the island and then you can do a walking tour on the island.
Speaker A:And it was the site of undersea mines and eventually what they were mining ran out.
Speaker A:I believe it was coal and it became abandoned.
Speaker A:And so you had what was a thriving community.
Speaker A:You know, I think up to 5,000 people worked and lived there.
Speaker A:There's apartment buildings, there were bowling alleys, there were social clubs, there were bars and restaurants.
Speaker A:And then, you know, the, the coal dried up and everybody left.
Speaker A:And now it's this like, weird abandoned island.
Speaker A:The name Battleship island comes from the fact that it actually looks like a battleship.
Speaker A:Just the way that the island is shaped with the buildings and everything, it looks like it could be a battleship sailing through the sea.
Speaker A:There is a little bit of history there.
Speaker A:It has UNESCO World Heritage Site recognition.
Speaker A:Korean slave labor was probably used, almost definitely used there.
Speaker A:So there is that difficult history, but very interesting to visit.
Speaker A:One footnote is that in the Bond film Skyfall, it was used as the, the Bond villains layer.
Speaker A:So, and like, it's perfect for that.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:It looks slightly evil, abandoned, but at the same time, you know, really an interesting history to experience.
Speaker A:So I, I, I loved my love my day on Battleship island, found it was fascinating.
Speaker B:And when it comes to that sort of Dutch influence, Portuguese influence, do you see that coming through beyond just the history, do you see it a lot reflected in?
Speaker B:Like, I imagine it's really impacted things like the food and architecture, things like that as well.
Speaker A:Yeah, you do.
Speaker A:I mean, you see, I believe it's called the Glover Mansion, which is one of the most visited sites and Nagasaki, and that was, I believe, built by the, by the Dutch.
Speaker A:And I know you had a Portuguese dish in terms of the cuisine that, that you had heard was worth trying.
Speaker B:My understanding, castella cakes are supposed to be kind of a specialty in, in Nagasaki, a Portuguese sort of sponge cake.
Speaker B:And then you were talking about, we were talking earlier about a noodle dish that, that they're really well known for as well.
Speaker A:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker A:And again, I'm probably not great on the pronunciation here, but I believe it's called champon and it's the most typical Nagasaki dish and it is a Chinese inspired dish.
Speaker A:So we're talking about a soup with fried seafood or pork and there's ramen noodles.
Speaker A:And of course ramen is very common in Japan, but it's a different type of ramen noodle that are, that's made just for this dish.
Speaker A:And I, I did not try, I did not try it at this place, but I heard that IRO bishi, which is right near Dejima is definitely the best place to try it.
Speaker A:And there's just a couple of other really good.
Speaker A:You know, with any port city, especially in Japan, you're going to get really great sushi, sashimi, you're going to get fresh seafood.
Speaker A:So any of the restaurants on Dejima wharf are going to get you that beautiful taste of the sea.
Speaker A:And right near Dejima island there's a great little pocket of Japanese style tapas places.
Speaker A:This wonderful tradition in Japan where you can just pull up a chair at the counter, sit tight shoulder to shoulder with the people next to you.
Speaker A:If they speak English, you can have a nice chat and they bring the food out and it's like little tapas dishes.
Speaker A:So there's a great little pocket of those right near Djuma.
Speaker A:So I would recommend that as well.
Speaker B:Nagasaki, beyond food, when it comes to places to stay, any places that jumped mine that were kind of great spots when you were passing through?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So I mean there are lots of big four and five star hotels.
Speaker A:Nagasaki is a reasonably large city.
Speaker A:So you're going to find your Hilton, you're going to find your Marriott, you're going to find other hotels like that, which are always, always great.
Speaker A:Two that I would call out that are not, you know, in the, in the chains are Hotel Monterey, Nagasaki, which is a Portuguese style hotel.
Speaker A:So it calls back to that Portuguese history.
Speaker A:There's Portuguese antiques, there's those colorful tiles that anyone who's been to Portugal will be familiar with.
Speaker A:So that's part of the ornamentation that they have within the hotel.
Speaker A:And then one other one I wanted to mention was Cetra Glover's house, which is next to Glover Garden, which is, it's a historic building, it's a small hotel, boutique hotel.
Speaker A:And it is up set up on the hill near the Glover house with these beautiful views, nice breezes.
Speaker A:It can be quite hot and humid in Nagasaki, so beautiful breezes and lots of charm.
Speaker A:The tram is five minutes away.
Speaker A:And my favorite part, free snacks.
Speaker A:So they have free snacks that you can enjoy and free drinks.
Speaker A:I'm not sure what the limits are on those, but that definitely is a nice little added feature and something that is a little bit different from the big chains.
Speaker B:And what was that one called?
Speaker A:Tim, that last one, it's called Setra, so it's spelled S E T R E Glover's house.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And I'm just, I'm noticing here just looking at another really cool looking one on Glover street, but brand new hotel called Hotel Indigo Nagasaki that looks like it's very much that sort of Portuguese influence on the architecture there.
Speaker B:Quite cool.
Speaker B:The other, the other thing I always loved when I was traveling throughout Japan were the, the ryokans and the, and the onsen hotels as well.
Speaker B:I'm just reading about one here called Obama Onsen.
Speaker B:That sounds interesting.
Speaker B:But now we're outside of Nagasaki.
Speaker B:Looks like a very cool oceanfront outdoor baths and Ryokan.
Speaker B:And Ryokan Yamotoya there, which, which looks very cool as well.
Speaker A:Yeah, I stayed at a, at an onsen resort in Kagoshima which is right at the end of the line on the Shinkansen and not too, too far from Nagasaki.
Speaker A:And that was an amazing experience.
Speaker A:I mean I had a room that actually had the hot spring water piped in onto the balcony of my room so I could have my own private hot spring there and very traditional food and drink.
Speaker A:I actually had chicken sashimi which is a specialty in Kagoshima, raw chicken.
Speaker A:And so maybe we'll have to do a whole episode on, on Kagoshima and onsen culture.
Speaker A:And that's another very fascinating thing that you can encounter in Japan for sure.
Speaker A:And in Nagasaki.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Something that if you're going to Japan you absolutely have to stay in at least 1, 1 ryokan.
Speaker B:And even if you're staying in a lot of the western hotels have kind of Japanese ryokan style rooms usually as well that you can find as well with the tatami mat floors.
Speaker B:And sometimes even in the big chain hotels they'll have like a sort of an onsen type experience within them as well.
Speaker A:Yeah, exactly, exactly.
Speaker A:And you get a real sense of.
Speaker A:And a lot of hotels you can have a Western style room which will be, you know, your two double beds and whatever, a desk.
Speaker A:And then you can also stay in a Japanese style room which you know is like as you've said, the tatami mats.
Speaker A:And so I definitely recommend, you know, I'm not a man who's very good at sitting on the floor and things like that, but it is worth spending at least one night in a Japanese style.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker B:Okay, any final, any camp misses or final tips that you would give us for, for a trip to Nagasaki, I.
Speaker A:Would just say at the end of the day, take the cable car up to the top of Mount Inassa.
Speaker A:It is a beautiful view from the top of the mountain.
Speaker A:The city will be kind of at your feet.
Speaker A:You can see the harbor and the sparkling lights all around the harbor.
Speaker A:And it's just a wonderful way to end what's probably been quite a busy day in Nagasaki.
Speaker A:So, yeah, that would be my recommendation.
Speaker B:Fantastic.
Speaker B:Well, thank you, Tim, as always.
Speaker B:Always great to get your recommendations on some new and undiscovered places around the world.
Speaker B:I know you're off to the wilds of Alaska here shortly and looking forward to hearing about that soon, too.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:Always a pleasure to chat with you, David, and safe travels and looking forward to reconnecting on new and exciting destinations down the road.
Speaker B:Thanks.
Speaker A:Thanks, David.
