Nagasaki Peace Park
Built near the atomic bomb hypocenter, this park pairs the hopeful Peace Statue (a 10-meter bronze figure) with the sobering Atomic Bomb Museum below. One of the most moving sites in Japan.
2–3 hours
Park free; museum ¥200 adults
Park: always open; Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum: 8:30–17:30 (May–Aug 18:30)
Year-round (quieter outside August 9)
Tram to Matsuyamamachi stop, 5 min walk
Location
Why Visit
- 1
The Atomic Bomb Museum below the park is harrowing but essential — allow 90 minutes inside
- 2
August 9th at 11:02 AM: thousands gather for the annual memorial ceremony
- 3
The Hypocenter Park is a 5-minute walk from the main peace park — a simple black pillar marks ground zero
Local Tips
The hypocenter is 500m south of the Peace Park — a black stone pillar marks the exact point. The museum (¥200) covers the bomb, its aftermath, and the survivors' testimonies with clarity and restraint. August 9th, the anniversary ceremony at 11:02am, is open to the public. The combination of Peace Park, hypocenter, and museum requires 2–3 hours.
Add to your AI itinerary
Let AI build a multi-day trip around this spot.
Advertisement
More in Nagasaki
Dejima Dutch Trading Post
For 200 years during Japan's isolation period, this tiny fan-shaped artificial island was the only point of contact between Japan and the Western world. Dutch traders lived here under strict conditions; their books, clocks, and scientific instruments slowly changed Japan. The island has been meticulously reconstructed to its 1820s appearance, complete with furnished warehouses, a VOC flag, and Dutch gardens.
Glover Garden
An open-air hilltop museum of Western-style residences built by Meiji-era foreign merchants. Thomas Glover's stone villa (1863) is Japan's oldest surviving Western-style house, with sweeping harbor views.
Goto Islands
An archipelago of 140 islands where 30,000 "hidden Christians" (kakure kirishitan) secretly maintained their faith for 250 years under the death penalty. The UNESCO-listed churches, set in fishing villages against a backdrop of spectacularly clear emerald sea, represent one of the world's most extraordinary stories of religious perseverance.