The New World’s Top 3 Night Views & Penguin Feeding Experience: Nagasaki’s 5 Most Unbelievable Attractions

▲ For first-time visitors to Nagasaki City who want to explore the downtown area, the streetcar is the most convenient mode of transportation. Currently, there are four routes — Systems 1, 3, 4, and 5 — all of which can take you to the main attractions.

Reporter Chen Xinru / Nagasaki Reporting

Located at Japan’s westernmost port city, Nagasaki began its urban history as a window for international trade. Through ancient trade exchanges, the influx of Western and Chinese technology and culture created Nagasaki’s unique culture. After experiencing the atomic bombing in 1945, Nagasaki has transformed from ruins into a vibrant new city. In addition to its ubiquitous stepped streets, Nagasaki also boasts a rich array of authentic cuisine and the title of one of the New World’s Top 3 Night Views. Therefore, the stunning night view around the harbor, where the lights resemble a brilliant starry sky, has made Nagasaki a new favorite destination for travelers visiting Japan.

1. Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium

A must-visit penguin aquarium in Nagasaki. Located in the suburbs of Nagasaki City, the penguin aquarium is considered one of the best places in Kyushu to see penguins. According to statistics, there are 18 known species of penguins worldwide, but the Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium houses as many as 9 species, making it the aquarium with the most diverse penguin collection in the world.

This two-story aquarium may not be as large as those in Okinawa, but it is quite impressive. To ensure visitors get their money’s worth, the facility is home to hundreds of penguins. Whether it’s the large king penguins or the world’s smallest little blue penguins, you can spot them throughout the park. In addition, the rich displays and 3D theater provide further insight into the ecology and life of penguins.

Notably, the aquarium’s signature “Penguin Feeding Experience Show” is truly unforgettable. Long lines of both children and adults, each holding a bucket of small fish, eagerly wait for their turn to personally feed the penguins. Moreover, aside from feeding the penguins, visitors can also take close-up selfies or photos with them, making it a perfect family-friendly attraction for kids.

2. New World’s Top 3 Night Views – Mount Inasa

▲ The 60-degree-view observatory offers a panoramic view of Nagasaki City.

One of Nagasaki’s most important tourist attractions — the “World-Class Certified Mount Inasa.” Located to the west of Nagasaki City, this 333-meter-high mountain is a famous local sightseeing spot. Because Nagasaki is built against the mountains, the entire city resembles a mountain fortress, and being a port city as well, the night views here are spectacular.As a result, Mount Inasa’s night view was selected on October 5, 2012, as one of the “New World’s Top 3 Night Views” alongside Monaco and Hong Kong.。

As evening approaches, the foot of the mountain is always crowded with people heading up. There are two ways to reach the top of Mount Inasa: either by driving yourself or taking a taxi, or by choosing the “Nagasaki Ropeway,” the option most visitors prefer. This fully glass-enclosed ropeway provides a spectacular view as you ascend. As you climb higher, the night scenery gradually becomes visible.

In about five minutes, you’ll reach the summit observatory, a 360-degree-view cylindrical building three stories high. Visitors can take an elevator straight to the top or walk up the spiral ramp. When night falls, the city lights twinkle like stars scattered densely across the hilly terrain, while the lights by the harbor reflect on the water, creating a beautiful scene that fully deserves its title as one of the New World’s Top 3 Night Views. The hallmark of Nagasaki’s night view can be simply described as “a starry sky mirrored under a clear night.”

3. Dejima

Want to experience walking the streets in kimono during the Edo period and learn about the history of Japan’s exchanges with other countries through buildings and numerous exhibits? Built in 1636, Dejima was Japan’s only window to the Western world during the 200-year sakoku (national isolation) period and played a significant role in Japan’s modernization.

Dejima is a fan-shaped artificial island in Nagasaki Port, Nagasaki Prefecture (formerly Hizen Province) during the Edo period, serving as a foreign settlement. From 1641 to 1859, it was the site of the Dutch trading post. During the sakoku policy, Dejima was Japan’s only window to the West and the only place where Westerners could legally stay. The island includes 49 buildings such as the Chief Factor’s residence, staff residences, warehouses, kitchens, bathrooms, livestock sheds, and guardrooms for Japanese officials, as well as gardens.

However, as some buildings had become dilapidated, Nagasaki City has been heavily involved in restoration efforts. Ten buildings, including the “Chief Factor’s Room,” have been restored. Stone warehouses visited by figures like Sakamoto Ryoma during the late Tokugawa period and precious Western-style rooms from the Meiji era have been opened to the public and are very popular among Nagasaki residents, becoming one of the most favored dating spots. Additionally, Dejima offers a kimono experience, allowing visitors to feel as if they’ve stepped back into the Edo period.

4. Glover Garden – Japan’s Oldest Wooden Western-Style Building

From around 1860, Glover Garden was once the residence of merchants engaged in overseas trade in Nagasaki and is now preserved as a beautiful garden overlooking Nagasaki Harbor. Glover Garden is a tourist spot located in the Minamiyamate area of Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It served as the residence of British merchants after Nagasaki opened to foreign trade in 1859. It is now listed as part of the Kyushu-Yamaguchi Industrial Heritage Group, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After World War II, Glover Garden briefly served as U.S. military housing. In 1957, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries celebrated its 100th anniversary by donating the buildings to Nagasaki City. In 1961, it was designated as an Important Cultural Property. The most magnificent Western-style house is the former Glover Residence, the oldest wooden Western-style building in Japan still in existence, and the most iconic and important cultural asset in the garden. In addition, the garden displays a wealth of maritime-related exhibits, offering visitors a deeper understanding of life at that time.

5. Battleship Island

Japan’s Kyushu “Hashima Island,” also known as Battleship Island (Gunkanjima), is a man-made island located 20 kilometers from Nagasaki Port. Once the most densely populated place on Earth, the island fell into decline with the collapse of the coal industry, evacuation of residents, and closure of the island, causing it to sleep in near isolation for nearly 40 years. Cloaked in an eerie mystery, it was even listed by the UK’s The Guardian as one of the “World’s 10 Most Haunted Cities.”

Battleship Island was originally just a shoal of sedimentary rock until 1887, when undersea mining began and land reclamation expanded the island into a semi-artificial one. It’s said the island was initially only one-third of its current size. This approximately 6.3-hectare semi-artificial island had a small foundation, but due to the booming coal industry at the time, many miners moved to the island with their families to work and live. By 1960, the population had ballooned to 5,300, making it the most densely populated place on Earth. To accommodate the large population, Japan’s first reinforced concrete building was even constructed on the island. In addition, the island had elementary and middle schools, a police station, a cinema, shops, barbershops, a shrine, and even a swimming pool and bar — essentially a fully equipped community.

However, as times changed, after 1960, Japan shifted its energy consumption from coal to oil, leading to the gradual decline of Battleship Island. Coal production dropped significantly, and the island officially closed on January 15, 1974. The once most densely populated place on Earth became a deserted island overnight, until it was reopened to the public in 2009 after being listed as a tentative World Heritage Site. However, most of the island’s buildings had been abandoned for so long that they were in disrepair and at risk of collapse. For safety reasons, only parts of the area are open. But don’t worry — even though many areas are off-limits, the 220-foot-long safe walking path includes three main viewing plazas, all accompanied by guides providing comprehensive commentary (in Japanese).

▲“The Meganebashi (Spectacles Bridge) is also a beloved attraction for many visitors.

▲ The ice cream stand near Meganebashi is hugely popular for its rose-shaped ice cream, often drawing long lines.。

▲Nagasaki is the city with the most bridges in the Kyushu region.