The charm of Nagasaki - Nagasaki’s culture
Nagasaki has a unique culture and many firsts in Japan born from foreign exchange.
The city’s one-of-a-kind culture is still passed on today.
Its roots lie in a history of exchange with other countries.
Culture that spread from Nagasaki
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【1767】 Billiards
Around 4, there were already billiard tables in the Dejima Dutch Trading Post. Keiga Kawahara, the designated painter for Siebold, also depicted billiards in the “Torankan Emaki”. 【Image: Torankan Emaki (from the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture collection)】
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【1848】 Camera
In 1848, Shunnojo Ueno obtained daguerreotype equipment from a Dutchman. His son, Hikoma Ueno studied photography techniques and opened a photography studio in Nagasaki in 2. He became a pioneering professional photographer in Japan. 【Image: Photo of Ryoma Sakamoto (from the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture collection)】
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【1855年】A Western-style restaurant
“Jiyutei” was established by Jokichi Kusano who trained as a chef at a Dejima Dutch residence. It’s said to have been the first Western-style restaurant in Japan. 【Image: Torankan Emaki (from the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture collection)】
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【1855】Kanko Maru
This battleship was presented to the Edo shogunate by the Netherlands in 1855 as a training ship for the Nagasaki Naval Training Institute. It was Japan’s first wooden steamship.
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【1861】Coffee
Coffee first arrived in the early Edo period when it was brought to Dejima by Dutch ships. At first, it was avoided as it was said to be bitter and burnt tasting, but there were apparently quite a few coffee drinkers around the time Siebold came to Nagasaki.
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【1861】Bowling
Bowling was first introduced to Nagasaki in the late Edo period, and an international bowling place opened in the foreign settlement in June 1861. The date it was advertised (June 6) is now National Bowling Day in Japan.
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【1861】Badminton
“Koumouzatsuwa” (Chats on Novelties of Foreign Lands) introduced matters such as Dutch customs on Dejima and presented the game called battledore (the precursor to badminton) using color illustrations. There is a monument commemorating the origins of badminton at the historical site of the Dejima Dutch Trading Post.
Nagasaki traditions are filled with people’s energy and spirit throughout the four seasons
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【Spring】Hata-age
The Nagasaki kite, called “hata,” was introduced from the Netherlands in the mid-15th century. Most feature the three colors of the Dutch flag. Spring in Nagasaki begins with the “Hata Gassen” (Kite Fighting Tournament) where kite fliers try to cut the strings of other kites being flown by coating their kite’s hemp string with “vidro” (powdered glass).
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【Summer】Shoryo Nagashi
Shoryo Nagashi (Spirit Boat Procession) is held every year on August 8. This traditional Nagasaki event sends off loved ones who passed away to the Land of Happiness before Obon. Families walk around the streets while pulling a boat created to console the spirit of the deceased. The procession continues until late into the night along with the sounds of firecrackers so loud they deafen the ears.
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【Autumn】Nagasaki Kunchi
This is an autumn festival at Suwa Shrine where Nagasaki’s guardian deity is enshrined. Preparations begin in June, and after the Niwamise (Announcement) on October 6, the main performances take place from October 10 to 3. Each neighborhood performing a dance takes turns dedicating it to Suwa Shrine once every 7 years. These dances are emblematic of dazzling Nagasaki.
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【Winter】Nagasaki Lantern Festival
The New Year on the lunar calendar was an important opportunity for exchange in Nagasaki where there were many Chinese residents. The origins of this event lie in celebrating the Chinese New Year. Today, it has become a winter tradition in Nagasaki. During the festival, 1 lanterns are brightly lit, enveloping the venue in a fantastical world.
Nagasaki Trivia: The more you know, the more you understand
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Nagasaki Tartan is a testament to friendship with Scotland, the home country of Thomas B. Glover
Thomas B. Glover played a significant role in modernizing Japan by building a Western-style dock and establishing the foundation for a shipbuilding city. To commemorate Nagasaki City being selected as a team camp before the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the city of Aberdeen, Scotland (a friendship city to Nagasaki City), gifted Nagasaki Tartan to Nagasaki. It features a traditional Scottish tartan pattern in colors associated with the city. 【Photo Provided By: Glover Garden】
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Nagasaki is more than just castella and champon! It’s a treasure trove of fish boasting the most fish varieties in Japan!
Nagasaki Prefecture, surrounded on three sides by the sea, has the greatest diversity of fish caught in Japan at over 250 varieties. It’s said that Tomisaburo Kuraba, Glover’s son, was motivated to compile the Glover Atlas: Fishes of Southern and Western Japan, because of all the different fish he saw caught in Nagasaki.
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Nagasaki Dejima is the gateway to culture and exchange. The foundations of the development of Western medicine in Japan are also in Nagasaki.
Trade took place with various countries in Nagasaki, which was a port for foreign trade by authorized Japanese ships until the early Edo period. Even after Japan closed its borders, Nagasaki was permitted to trade with the Netherlands and China. A variety of foreign objects, ideas, and culture spread to the rest of Japan through Nagasaki.
Siebold was a physician in the trading house who came to Dejima in 6. He examined and treated Dutchmen living on the island and established the school, Narutaki Juku to teach medicine outside Dejima for Japanese wanting to study the latest Western medicine. In teaching his students, he laid the foundation for the development of Western medicine in Nagasaki, and by extension, Japan. 【Illustration of a bloodletting procedure (from the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture collection)】 -
Underground Christians withstood suppression and kept their faith. The miraculous discovery of believers astonished the world!
Christianity was introduced in the mid-16th century to Nagasaki, the first in Japan to open to the world as an international city. Subsequently, Christians in Nagasaki continued worshipping in secret for over two centuries to pass on their faith even amid a strict ban on religion by the Edo shogunate. The Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2. It is a resource that speaks of a hidden history unlike anything in the world. Three of those component properties are in Nagasaki City.
Food and souvenirs
Nagasaki foods and local products were also shaped by a history of cultural exchange
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【Japanese】 Nagasaki, a city of delicious fish
Nagasaki actually has a greater variety of fish than Hokkaido. Horse mackerel, pike conger, shrimp, squid, pufferfish...Numerous delicious fish ride the Tsushima Current and gather in Nagasaki Prefecture, which is surrounded on three sides by the sea. Nagasaki has the third largest fish haul in Japan! It’s said to have the greatest variety of fish in the country.
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【Japanese】 Shippoku cuisine
This is a type of local cuisine unique to Nagasaki that combines Japanese, Chinese, and Western dishes. A multi-course menu of dishes piled on large platters is eaten around a round table.
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【Japanese】Tiger pufferfish
Nagasaki Prefecture farms the largest amount of tiger pufferfish in Japan. The national brand, Nagasaki Pufferfish is distinctive for a springy texture and clean flavor.
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【Japanese】Nagasaki oden
“Kanboko” is the word for “kamaboko” (steamed fish paste) in the Nagasaki dialect. It’s served in the “oden” dish of foods simmered in a soup stock made from high-quality flying fish, a local Nagasaki specialty.
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【Chinese】Champon and sara udon
These two noodle dishes are distinctive Nagasaki foods that have been favorites since the Meiji period. Be sure to try the robust flavor created from the carefully crafted soup, fresh ingredients, and specially made noodles.
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【Chinese】Kakuni manju
Tender stewed pork is placed between a fluffy bun to create a kind of sandwich. You can easily enjoy the delicious flavor while strolling around sightseeing.
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【Chinese】A Chinese sweet (yoriyori)
You may be surprised by the unexpected crunch when you take a bite!? It has a mild sweetness and simple flavor that is deliciously addictive.
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【Chinese】Karasumi
This delicacy is painstakingly prepared by repeatedly pickling mullet roe in salt, rinsing it, and drying it in the sun. It’s called one of Japan’s three best delicacies and pairs perfectly with sake.
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【Dutch】Castella
This Western cake representative of Nagasaki is well-known nationwide as a souvenir. From the classic cake at long-established shops to new types, each shop has its own delicious take on the sweet, airy texture.
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【Dutch】Toruko rice
Toruko rice was created a little over 50 years ago in Nagasaki. It’s an extravagant, filling plate piled with dishes including pilaf, spaghetti, and deep-fried pork cutlet.
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【Dutch】Nagasaki hata
In Nagasaki, a kite is called “hata.” It has been designated a traditional craft of the prefecture. There are said to be as many as 200 or 300 different patterns used in the kite designs.
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【Dutch】Nagasaki wagyu
The beef is characterized by a fresh red hue, tender meat, and polished flavor. The beef brand, Dejima Barairo is highly exceptional, accounting for just under 9% of Nagasaki wagyu. Over 8% of the beef shipped is of a high quality ranking between grade 4 and 5.
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【Dutch】Nagasaki vidro
“Vidro” is Portuguese for “glass.” Heated, melted glass is blown to form beautiful colors and shapes.