9 Best Sights in Kyushu, Japan

This garden contains an impressive assortment of 19th-century Western houses. Greco-Roman porticoes and arches, wooden verandas, and other random elements of European architecture adorn the structures, which are often crowned with Japanese-style roofs. The main attraction is the 1863 mansion of Thomas Glover, a prominent Scottish merchant who introduced steam locomotives and industrial coal mining to Japan. Escalators whisk you up the steep hillside to the gardens, where you can admire the views of Nagasaki and the harbor.

This bright-red shrine was built in 1893 by the Chinese residents of Nagasaki. The small Historical Museum of China displays artifacts on loan from Beijing's Palace Museum of Historical Treasures and National Museum of Chinese History.

When the government deported foreigners from Japan in the mid-17th century, Dutch traders were the only Westerners allowed to remain—but they were relegated to, and confined on, this artificial island in Nagasaki Harbor. Here you can see a 450-year-old mix of Dutch housing styles that is popular among Japanese tourists.

This cobblestone incline is a good place to wander on the way to Chinatown and Glover Garden. Dutch residents built the wooden houses here in the late 19th century. Many become shops and tearooms in summer. To get here, follow the street on the southeastern side of the Confucius Shrine.

This small island of Hashima, 12 miles southwest from the Nagasaki Port, was a coal mine with bleak concrete apartment blocks for 5,000 workers. From the sea, the industrial development made the island appear like a giant battleship. In 1974, when the mine closed, the entire island was abandoned. From April 2009 the island became open to the public. Yamasa Shipping offers Gunkanjima Landing & Cruise twice-daily at 9 and 1. Gunkanjima was featured in the James Bond movie Skyfall, where it appeared as the headquarters of Bond's nemesis Raoul Silva.

One of Japan's famous romantic night views, the Mt. Inasa Observation Platform provides panoramic views of Nagasaki City, the local mountains and the coastline. Accessible by the 1-km (½-mile) Nagasaki Ropeway with departures every 15 minutes.

The spiral staircase of this museum takes you down into a dark, thought-provoking collection of video loops, dioramas, and exhibits that demonstrate the devastating effects of the bomb detonated in Nagasaki. English audio tours are available, though what you see is already a lot to handle. The continuous, unblinking film footage is absolutely nauseating at several points, and a melted and blasted wall clock, as surreal as any Dalí painting, sears its way into your consciousness.

This church below the entrance to Glover Garden survived the bomb that leveled much of the city. It was constructed in 1865 to commemorate the death of 26 Christians crucified in 1597, victims of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's gruesome message of religious intolerance. It's the oldest Gothic-style building in Japan.

Nagasaki's Peace Park was built on the grounds of an old prison that was destroyed in the atomic blast. In the middle is a large statue of a godlike man sitting with one arm stretched to the sky and one to the land. A short distance down the hill, Hypocenter Koen marks the bomb's hypocenter. A solitary pillar was erected to mark the exact epicenter. Curiously little distance separates the pillar from anything else. In contrast to the looming Hiroshima Bomb Dome, when you come upon this spot you might not immediately recognize its significance.