Visiting Nagasaki

Nagasaki is a city rich in history that dates back hundreds of years.  We recently had an opportunity to visit this fascinating Japanese city. Here’s a quick look at this coastal city.

We arrived in Nagasaki via expressway bus from Hakata Bus Terminal in Fukuoka. Bus travel is a good choice in Japan. Buses are clean, convenient, and almost always on time. Buying bus tickets at the station was an easy process, with most signs in English. The friendly staff person spoke a little English, and with our limited Japanese, we purchased tickets with no problem at all. Our bus was a “Super Express” – only one stop between Fukuoka and Nagasaki Station, a trip of about two hours.

Our hotel was the JR Kyushu Hotel Nagasaki, just steps from the bus and train station. As usual in Japan, the hotel staff was friendly, and spoke a little English. Rooms are a little bigger than typical Japanese hotels, and we found it to be a comfortable and convenient place to stay.

Getting around Nagasaki is easy. We bought a day pass for the street car, which at 500 yen provides unlimited use. The street car has routes convenient to many attractions in the city. There are also a multitude of buses and taxis available, which we didn’t find a need for.

There are many things to see in Nagasaki. Of course, there is the Peace Park, atomic bomb hypocenter monument, and the Atomic Bomb Museum. These provide a powerful and sobering view of the human tragedy of the atomic bombing on Aug. 9, 1945. Perhaps if everyone could see this, there would be more willingness to abandon the weapons that can cause this kind of suffering.

Aside from the Peace Park, there are more uplifting things to see and do. We enjoy seeing temples and shrines, and there are a multitude to visit in Nagasaki. Fukusai-ji Temple is home to the world’s third longest Foucault Pendulum. Sanno Shrine has a one-legged torii gate and huge camphor trees that survived the atomic bombing. Many, many others provide historic perspective. There is also the Meganebashi (“Spectacles” Bridge), and other stone bridges across the river. And Mt. Inasa, with a 333 m peak offering spectacular views of the city and the sea. A ropeway cable car to the top is about 1200 yen round trip.

Nagasaki offers a friendly, amazing experience for visitors. It’s another great place to visit in Japan.