Dejima

Dejima is an artificial island that played a major role in Japan’s modernization as the nation’s only open trading window for 218 years during the Edo isolation period, from 1636 (Kan’ei 13) to 1859 (Ansei 6). Before that, it was created as an island to confine Portuguese residents who had been living throughout the city, with the aim of preventing the spread of Christianity. Today it is designated as the national historic site “Dejima Dutch Trading Post Ruins.” Sightseeing is broadly divided into exhibits and buildings from three eras: the “early 19th century Edo period,” “late Edo to the opening of Japan,” and “opening of Japan to the Meiji period,” allowing visitors to learn about how the site evolved over time. Access to Dejima by car is about 1 minute from “Nagasaki IC” via the Nagasaki Dejima Road. By public transportation, take the tram from JR Nagasaki Station: use Line 1 bound for Shofukuji from “Nagasaki Station-mae,” and get off at “Dejima” or “Shinchi Chinatown,” which are right nearby. The “Nagasaki Sightseeing Route Bus” operated by Nagasaki Bus is also very convenient for tourism, as it circulates major city attractions such as Glover Garden, Oura Cathedral, Oranda-zaka, Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown, Dejima, Peace Park, and the Atomic Bomb Museum.