Area Characteristics
Located in the western part of Kyushu, Nagasaki Prefecture faces the Sea of Japan in the north as it faces the East China Sea in the south and west. 45% of the prefecture consists of a peninsula and about 70 islands of varying size. Due to the opening of Nagasaki Port at the end of the Tokugawa Era, it developed as an overseas trading port. The 2nd-largest city of Sasebo has a US military base so that it has an American atmosphere.
Major Sites
The city of Nagasaki, which developed as an international metropolis, has many facilities with an exotic mood including Huis Ten Bosch, Glover Park and New Chinatown. It is also well known for its beautiful night view, so Mt. Inasa Observation Platform, Mt. Nabekanmuri Park and Kazagashira Park are all recommended. Also sites that cannot be missed are the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum which relates the horrors of war while praying for peace, Peace Park, and the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. As well, there are other sites such as Hashima Island (Battleship Island) which has been registered as a World Heritage site, Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium and the man-made island of Dejima.
Cuisine
When it comes to Nagasaki, there are the noodle dishes of chanpon and saraudon which use plenty of meat, shellfish and vegetables as toppings. Another famous dish is Toruko Rice which has Napolitan spaghetti, tonkatsu pork cutlet and pilaf all on one plate. Other Nagasaki dishes include castella cake, kakuni pork buns and Shippoku cuisine which incorporate Chinese cooking influences.
Transportation
Even by Shinkansen (Bullet Train), it would take 7 hours to reach Nagasaki from Tokyo Station, so air travel is recommended. You can reach Haneda Airport from Tokyo via Hamamatsucho within 30 minutes by monorail. Taking about 2 hours to reach Nagasaki Airport, from there you can ride to Nagasaki, Sasebo, Shimabara and other places by bus. You can easily use the trolleys within the city of Nagasaki as well as ride to the major tourist spots by the many regular tourist buses. In addition to the railways and highway buses to get around the prefecture, you will want to make good use of the connecting ferries to reach the many islands and peninsula.
Accommodations
There are naturally accommodations around Nagasaki Station and the onsen areas of Shimabara and Unzen, and there are many facilities in tourist areas such as Huis Ten Bosch and Sasebo.