Nagasaki

Very few posts on Nagasaki in this forum. Even more difficult to find now with the "search" feature not working.

Most ports often have a crowd of taxi drivers/tour guides waiting for passengers when the ship disembarks. I know the city is relatively close and easily done on your own but we have often experienced very good tours with these operators. Has anyone witnessed this in Nagasaki or actually taken one of the tours offered?

We are in port from 10am-6pm in April and will be DIYing via Nagasaki's tram system that goes near important sights.

FYI, here is a link with a great map of the tram lines:

http://www.at-nagasaki.jp/foreign/english/pamph/pdf/welcome_nagasaki_English_front.pdf

If I see any taxi/tours at the pier, I'll post back after we are home from the cruise & post-cruise China land tour!

I read that tram day passes aren't available on the tramcars, only in major hotels and the JR Railway station. Would there be places to buy that near the port? (Thanks in advance)

We are in port from 10am-6pm in April and will be DIYing via Nagasaki's tram system that goes near important sights.

 

FYI, here is a link with a great map of the tram lines:

http://www.at-nagasaki.jp/foreign/english/pamph/pdf/welcome_nagasaki_English_front.pdf

 

If I see any taxi/tours at the pier, I'll post back after we are home from the cruise & post-cruise China land tour!

I read that tram day passes aren't available on the tramcars, only in major hotels and the JR Railway station. Would there be places to buy that near the port? (Thanks in advance)

I did a bit more research and learned that it might be less yen to just purchase single rides for 100 each time. There is a tram stop close to the pier on the Green Line, which comes by infrequently from what I've read. Just pay the 100 yen on exiting. There is a possibility Tourist Info will have a booth inside the terminal and that tram passes would be available through them, since they can be bought at the TI at the train station.

Here is another useful PDF I found for Nagasaki:

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/pdf/pg-703.pdf

I only printed pp 1-3 for our use.

Glover Garden & Oura Catholic Church are about a 10 minute walk from the cruise terminal.

When we were there last year, the Tourist Info people had set up desks in the terminal with maps, info etc. They were selling the day tickets at their desks and it was easy to pick one up there then go out to the tram stop.

Depending on how often you intend to use it, you might be cheaper buying individual tickets but a change of line is needed to get to the Peace Park. This can only be done at one stop where the lines merge and you can also get the transfer ticket needed for the second tram to complete your journey. If you forget to ask the bus driver for a transfer pass (which you show the second driver) you will need to pay on the second tram too. The Tourist Info people will tell you the Japanese word you need to use as I have forgotten it.

In some ways it is simpler to buy the day ticket.

There were also souvenir shops set up in the terminal.

Transfer ticket is "norikae-ken" but in Nagasaki they are only issued for transfers at the stop called Tsuki-Machi (because you never need to transfer anywhere else if you plan correctly).

You can search Cruisecritic with Google. Just use a query like "Nagasaki site:boards.cruisecritic.com" (without the quotes) and you'll get the previous threads on Nagasaki.

In addition to the links posted earlier, http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2162.html is a good introduction to Nagasaki. Transportation is here http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4410.html

If you are interested in history, the Glover Garden and Oura Church are right opposite the cruise port, and Dejima is a just a couple of stops (with a transfer) on the tram.

Awesome information, thanks so much! Dejima looks interesting...

When we were there last May, we did not see taxi drivers or tour operators waiting for the passengers as there aren't many ships that calls on Nagasaki. We went to the usual sites, but we enjoy ourselves the most when we wandered around the shopping areas and, especially, along the river where we marveled at how clean everything was and that there were schools of fish swimming in the river. We had a lunch at a ramen shop where we treated rather well despite not being able to communicate with each other. Actually, a rather enjoyable day despite the fact that it was raining on and off and a low expectation of things to do. You can easily wandered around Nagasaki on your own because the ship will be docked in the middle of one side of Nagasaki and if you ever get lost, go downhill towards the harbor and you could always see your ship. Use the tram to get around to the outlying sites, but walk around the center of Nagasaki.

Very few posts on Nagasaki in this forum. Even more difficult to find now with the "search" feature not working.

 

Most ports often have a crowd of taxi drivers/tour guides waiting for passengers when the ship disembarks. I know the city is relatively close and easily done on your own but we have often experienced very good tours with these operators. Has anyone witnessed this in Nagasaki or actually taken one of the tours offered?

If you don't mind scrolling through 10-15 pages, you'll see some scattered posts about Nagasaki in this forum...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1633552&page=50

Start at the end and work backwards. It's very doable on your own. That's what we're doing. Within a few easy blocks of the port are ATM, trams passes, and a tram stop.

In my research, it appears 1-day tram passes are available at the Crowne Plaza Ana Nagasaki Gloverhill hotel, about 2 blocks from the port. Just search it on Google Maps. If they're out, the Hotel Majestic next door is suppose to have them too. 500 yen (US$5). Alternately you can pay 120 yen for each tram trip you make, but even if that saves a dollar or two I'd personally rather have the pass. You never know if you'll get on or off the wrong tram or the wrong stop. Plus it's easier just to flash a pass when getting off than messing with exact change (which you may not even have with you) and dealing with the Japanese-speaking tram driver.

The port is where the Oura Police Station shows up on Google Maps (also searchable). You can see how close it is to those 2 hotels. You'll see the nearest tram stop (Ouratenshudoshiita) just 2 short blocks from that Ana Nagasaki Gloverhill hotel. Just across the street from that is a 7-Eleven with an ATM.

With yen and trams passes in hand, then it's just a matter of picking what to see from various websites, like this one...

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2162.html

When we were there last year, the Tourist Info people had set up desks in the terminal with maps, info etc. They were selling the day tickets at their desks and it was easy to pick one up there then go out to the tram stop.

 

Depending on how often you intend to use it, you might be cheaper buying individual tickets but a change of line is needed to get to the Peace Park. This can only be done at one stop where the lines merge and you can also get the transfer ticket needed for the second tram to complete your journey. If you forget to ask the bus driver for a transfer pass (which you show the second driver) you will need to pay on the second tram too. The Tourist Info people will tell you the Japanese word you need to use as I have forgotten it.

 

In some ways it is simpler to buy the day ticket.

 

There were also souvenir shops set up in the terminal.

Ooh, if they sell tram passes right at the port, that's even better! I was planning on going to one of the nearby hotels, but that's way better. Thank you.

Yes when we were there they sold the passes along with maps and other information right at the terminal. It was a one minute walk to the tram stop.

We had a fantastic day, seeing the Memorial Museum, going up a tram car to see the city from up high, shopping and having lunch and a quick peek at Glover Gardens.

Thanks for all the information! Very helpful.

We are planning for our first Japan/Korea cruise in August/September. We are totally clueless & don't speak or read a word of either language.

Thanks for this thread!

Very useful in planning for 2017!

Thanks for this thread!

Very useful in planning for 2017!

It had all worked just as stated above. They had a table right in the cruise terminal selling the tram passes and doing currency exchange. Couldn't have been easier. The Tram passes come with a little map too (although certainly it's no substitute for planning your agenda ahead of time).

We walked to the tram stop (2-3 blocks IIRC) and took it to Peace Park, then worked our way back down toward the ship making stops along the way seeing things. We actually ended up walking most of the way back since there were things to see every few blocks.

We really enjoyed the day in Nagasaki. It's a pleasant, safe, clean, quaint city. You also pass under a huge bridge sailing in and out of the harbor, which is kinda neat getting pictures of from the top deck.

Thanks for the update!

Aloha all,

I posted this on 11/18/16 on the roll call page for the Celebrity cruise we're taking in April, 2017, since we had visited Nagasaki in 2014.

We visited Nagasaki back in 2014 and saw Dejima & Nagasaki Peace Park, & I think the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum.

 

My top 3 things to see in Nagasaki during the time available are:

1. Nagasaki Peace Park & Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum entrances are within easy walking (5-10 min) distance from each other.

2. Dejima

3. Mt. Inasa Observation Platform/Nagasaki Ropeway.

 

You should use Google Maps to locate these places & arrange you itinerary accordingly. Nagasaki Peace Park & Dejima should be seen during the day. I would have dinner before going to Mt. Inasa & view it at night before returning to the ship.

 

I would allow 3-4 hours to see Nagasaki Peace Park & Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. Dejima maybe 1-2 hours. Mount Inasa (Inasayama) is a supposed to be one of the top 3 views in Japan at night (assuming a clear night).

 

Near the Nagasaki International Cruise Ship Terminal is Dejima. It is a fan-shaped artificial island first built in 1634 to segregated the Portuguese traders from the Japanese mainland in an effort to prevent the propagation of Christianity by Portuguese Jesuit priests and later Spanish Franciscan arrivals.

 

Since the 1990's the city of Nagasaki has been involved in a reconstruction program at Dejima to return Dejima once again as an island and to restore many of the 19th century buildings. So far the Deputy Factor's Quarters, the Chief Factor's Residence, the Japanese Officials' Office, the Head Clerk's Quarters, the No. 1 Warehouse, which was used to store sugar, No 2. Warehouse, used to store wood, the Main Gate and the Sea Gate have been opened.

 

This is an open air museum that visitors can stroll through viewing the reconstructed buildings. Visitors can also view Dejima's kitchen, a miniature model of the island and the Dejima Museum, housed in the former Dejima Seminary, and in another annex building. The free Dejima Theater is housed in the New Stone Warehouse, a restoration of the original built in the 1860's and shows a film describing the history of Dejima by an actor playing one of the Japanese translators.

 

Mount Inasa (Inasayama) is a 333 meter high mountain about 4.5 miles away from the Nagasaki International Cruise Ship Terminal.

 

For what it is worth, these are my thoughts about Nagasaki. Personally, I travel to sample the great food in Japan & just snack at the different restaurants we find along the way.

One of the problems with trying to catch the trams everywhere is that with 2,000 people from the cruise ship trying to catch the trams, they can be very crowded. We have found that catching the taxi isn't that expensive for a group of 3 or 4. I think from the cruise port to the Peace Park and Museum was about 2,000 yen or less than US$20. Taxis in Japan are not as expensive as some discussions may lead one to believe, especially for trips of less than 5 miles.

Also, remember, you do not tip in Japan! ! So a US$20 taxi fare total is US$20.00

Aloha, rak :D :D :D