Around Nagasaki Part 1

Dejima was built at Nagasaki's coast to limit foreigners from accessing the city and spreading Christianity. The Portuguese were the first European traders here, but were later banned and the Dutch arrived took their place. After Japan opened to the outside world in 1859, the waters surrounding Dejima were gradually reclaimed and are now part of the mainland.
The Chief Factor's Residence was built in the early 19th century and was the living quarters for the settlement's most important resident.
Many buildings on the former island have been restored and re-opened as museums.
Construction of Dejima started in 1634 and was originally intended to be a Portuguese settlement. But Portuguese ships were banned from Japan in 1639. The Dutch East India Company moved its trading post here in 1641.
A large scale model of Dejima gives a sense of how small this settlement was, measuring only 190m long and 70m wide. Historians are unsure why the island was made into a fan shape though.
Nagasaki was a major port for the Chinese trade in the old days even during Japan's period of national isolation. At its peak, some 10,000 Chinese lived in the city, so it is not surprising there is a Chinatown there. The local speciality is champon, a ramen in a pork soup with lots of vegetables.
European-style buildings are quite easy to find in Nagasaki - along the waterfront and up along the hillsides just south of Chinatown.
HSBC's old Nagasaki branch is now a museum.
Oura Catholic Churchwas established in 1865 and features in a prominent hillside location overlooking the city. The original French stained glass windows were mostly damaged in the atomic bombing and have since been restored.
Glover Garden consists of several residences from the Meiji era that were moved to this hillside for preservation. These include the residence of Thomas Glover, the Scottish merchant who built Japan's first railway.