Three days after Hiroshima, Nagasaki was the second city in the world to be destroyed by an atomic bomb. To commemorate the event, the Nagasaki Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum are situated next to the original hypocenter of the blast.
Although smaller than in Hiroshima, the museum exhibits some interesting photos and models, including this replica of the “Fat Man”.
The modern Nagasaki is a small, hilly city with a laidback attitude. Life there just seemed to run slower and more relaxed than in the big cities I’d visited before it.
Nagasaki, however, holds a significant place in Japanese history (aside from being the atomic bombing site). During the Japanese isolation policy from 17th until 19th century, it was the only port in the empire that had the permission to trade with foreign merchants and even that was limited only to the Chinese and Dutch.
The Chinese, therefore, had a long and significant cultural influence on the city and still today Nagasaki holds one of the three official China towns in Japan.
The Dutch, on the other hand, were constrained to the man made island of Dejima, which served as a sort of a ghetto to limit their interaction with the local population. The island character of it had long ago disappeared due to the land reclamation efforts, however the remaining buildings are currently being reconstructed into an open-air museum.
Something tells me that despite not being allowed to leave the island, the Dutch merchants didn’t miss out on any luxury.
Even though I only stayed for one day, I enjoyed the charming and relaxing atmosphere of the city.
Japan trip: Part 1: Yokohama and Kamakura | Part 2: Kyoto | Part 3: Hiroshima and Miyajima | Part 4: Fukuoka and Dazaifu | Part 5: Nagasaki | Part 6: Osaka and Nara | Part 7: Kanazawa | Part 8: Takayama | Part 9: Tokyo | Part 10: Food
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