The history of Nagasaki began during the Sengoku period, when the first Christian warlord opened a trading port and, in exchange, guaranteed land and granted freedom for missionary work. Since then, Nagasaki has been developed into residential areas that climb up the mountains around the long, narrow inlet.
Naturally, the area is full of slopes, and many people have posted their impressions of these slopes on social media in an attempt to enjoy the scenery. The most popular place that everyone goes to is Dutch Slope, but if you are coming from Shinchi Chinatown, I recommend crossing the edge of the Chinese residence (“Tojin Yashiki”) and entering Dutch Slope from the middle, as it will make you feel like a resident.
Even more recommended is Aioi Jigoku-Zaka (Hell Slope) near Ishibashi Station on the tram line, which leads to the back entrance on the hill of Glover Garden, and in the entrance there is a sign board that says it is a test of physical endurance. Not confident in my physical strength, I took the inclined elevator (Glover Sky Road, for residents but free for tourists) to the top of the hill.
The view of Nagasaki’s residential areas clinging to the slope from here is breathtaking.
I’ve never been there, but it feels like La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. Apparently, housing at higher altitudes in La Paz is cheaper because the oxygen is thinner there, and the high-end residential areas are at lower altitudes. It’s the complete opposite of the upscale residential areas on the hills of Tokyo, but what about Nagasaki? Young people live at the bottom of the slope or suburbs to avoid the inconvenience, and only the elderly are left at the top of the slope. It’s hard work, but it’s good for their health.
On the other hand, the town has many slopes and is bowl-shaped, making for a beautiful night view. However, it is inconvenient to live there, so the number of vacant houses is increasing, and there are concerns that the night view will become hollow in the future.
Anyway, this time the residential area with the entire slope covered in snow was beautiful, and from here you can also visit the Prayer Slope next to Oura Cathedral, famous for “Hidden Christians” discovered there for the first time in about 250 years, and Don-Don Slope, from which you can see the shipyards of Nagasaki Port, so I recommend you visit both.
Glover Garden is home to many buildings from the foreign settlement at the time, and also has boats used in the Nagasaki Kunchi Festival and dragons from the dragon dance on display, so there is a lot to see. We arrived at a time when it was snowing heavily, so we were able to take our time to look around the inside.
Detour
Nagasaki is famous for sweets that use a lot of sugar, as sugar was brought to the city from Portugal. Castella cake is a prime example of this, and it uses a surprising amount of sugar, so did you know that it’s completely unsuitable for dieting? There are also mysterious sweets that are very hard unless you heat them in the microwave, and are hollow inside. They are really dangerous for people with bad teeth.
However, for drinkers, there is a wide variety of fresh sashimi (raw fish). Even in the station building, they have the most delicious tuna bowls I’ve ever eaten. It’s great to leave a little rice and pour the dashi broth over it at the end to eat it as ochazuke. There are also tuna bowls sold by fishmongers around town, which I’m looking forward to next time.
