Nagasaki

If you're going to visit Japan there are a handful of absolute "must-sees" and Nagasaki is one of them. Everyone knows of the tragedy it suffered in 1945 and that is reason enough to pay a visit, but there is much more to it than just that.

Geographically it is interesting. Perched in a bay in the very far west, it is protected to the north by mountains and the south by sea. It is really isolated. Historically, too, it is significant. It was the only place in Japan where westerners were allowed to live during the 200 years when Japan was largely closed off to outsiders. There was a small man-made island called Dejima where this handful of traders could stay. This island has been recreated and we enjoyed the visit there immensely.

Then, of course, there is the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb museum. Both moving, informative and somewhat disturbing. We spent 2 nights in Nagasaki in order to have the full day to explore and will do so on future tours.