Nagasaki Prefecture | Travel Guide
Nagasaki prefecture is on the southern island of Kyushu in Japan, and it is known worldwide as the location where one of the atomic bombs fell in WW2. You can learn more about this disaster in the museum and Peace Park in the city. But as you can read in this travel guide, there is more to the prefecture than this tragic history.
There is a long and interesting history of interaction with the West in Nagasaki, of which you can learn more in various places of interest. Several beautiful churches bear witness to the Christian influence in the region. Hashima Island, or the ‘battleship island’ is a fascinating place for lovers of urban exploration. Unzen Onsen is a spot of natural scenic beauty and healthy hot springs.
Sanno Sanctuary
One of the most impressive and curious places in Nagasaki is the Sanno Shrine because the main torii (gateway to the shrine) maintains only one pillar.
Suwa Shrine
The Suwa shrine in Nagasaki was founded in 1614 under the order of the Tokugawa shogun as a way to expel the Christian faith from the region. During the Edo period, Nagasaki was one of the few places where there was contact with foreigners.
Shimabara
Although Shimabara has been plagued by (man-made) disasters in its history, it is a nice town to visit when you are traveling through Kyushu. The upside to being in a seismically active area is that there are also plenty of natural hot springs to be found.
Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki
In Nagasaki, very close to where the epicenter of the explosion if the atomic bomb was, is the Atomic Bomb Museum. What happened on August 6 and 9, 1945 should never be repeated, and this museum explains in detail why.
Nagasaki Peace Park
One of the most emotional places in Japan is the so-called Peace Park (Heiwa Koen in Japanese). It is located in Nagasaki, a few minutes' walk from the atomic bomb museum and it commemorates the victims of the atomic bombing in Nagasaki
