Nagasaki in Japan

Nagasaki is perhaps the most Western city of Japan. It was for a long period of time the only harbor to which foreign ships could entry. In its building, we can recognize influence of Dutch and Portuguese architecture style.

The name of Nagasaki is associated outside Japan with the drop of the atomic bomb during the Second World War. However, Japanese associate it with a rather small town with a quiet life style.

Due to this sad events, the Peace Memorial Park with its huge bell of peace and a fountain of peace is perhaps one must see attraction. For the same reason the Atomic Bomb Museum is also a recommended visit. Both are directed towards a pacifistic message and there is by no means finger pointing at possible guilty countries.

There is enough to see during some weeks time. Climbing to the nearby mountains and looking down at the city with its dynamic harbor is a unique experience. A large part of Nagasaki’s life turns around its harbor. Its streets are also oriented towards it, and many companies settled in Nagasaki perform some sort of business related to it.

Nagasaki is also home for the most Catholic Japanese, a tiny minority in this Buddhist country. Therefore some Catholic churches can be visited like the Oura Roman Catholic Church and the Urakami Roman Catholic Church.

O-Kunchi is the city’s biggest and the more popular festival in Japan. People come from all around the country just to see it. It takes place in early October. The festival is based around the descent of the city’s patron kami. He descents from his home in the Suwa Shrine in Nagasaki. The festival in known abroad for its choreographed routines with giant dragons, cumbersome floats, and a popular feeling of celebration. Finding food is not be a problem during the O-Kunchi, as the streets are filled with thousands of food vendors of traditional food.

Another very intense popular celebration in Nagasaki is the O-Bon festivity. Although all Japan celebrates the O-Bon in August, Nagasaki sets a unique spin on the day of the ancestor. Head to the harbor for the festivities. They involve more alcohol added to fireworks than it is considered safe.