Nagasaki Historical Culture Museum

The Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture is a museum that brings together historical materials and heritage sites of Nagasaki Prefecture, with a special focus on the late Edo period from the end of the shogunate through the Meiji Restoration. Its exhibits are organized into eight clear sections: “Encounter with the West,” which covers the opening of Nagasaki Port and red-seal ship trade; “Exchange with Korea,” focusing on diplomacy and trade; “Nagasaki Trade,” focusing on imports and exports; “Exchange with China,” covering Chinese temples and culture; “Life in Nagasaki,” showing the development and formation of Nagasaki as a trade city; a section for Nagasaki arts and crafts; “Exchange with the Netherlands,” covering Dejima and Rangaku (Dutch studies); and “Nagasaki as the Pioneer of Modernization,” which presents Nagasaki’s role in Japan’s modernization. The exhibitions are easy to understand, and it is an especially recommended spot for Bakumatsu history fans. Access by car: about 10 minutes from “Nagasaki Mangatsuka IC” toward Suwa Shrine. By public transportation, it is about a 10-minute walk from JR Nagasaki Station. By Nagasaki Prefectural Bus, take the “Kazagashira-machi to Yume Saito Line” from JR Nagasaki Station bus stop and get off at “History and Culture Museum.” By regular bus, take a bus from JR Nagasaki Station bus stop, get off at “Sakuramachi Koen-mae,” and walk about 3 minutes. By tram, get off at “Sakuramachi” stop and walk about 5 minutes.