Nagasaki Museum of History & Culture

Name: Nagasaki Museum of History & Culture
Address: 1-1-1 Tateyama, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan
Telephone: 095-818-8366

Written by Jane Pipkin

The Nagasaki Museum of History & Culture lets you explore the city’s rich and diverse past, which served as a window to the rest of the world during Japan’s period of isolation. It is one of the few museums in Japan which focuses on international exchange and history. It boasts an impressive collection of 81,000 items.

Permanent exhibitions

The main exhibition is in chronological order. It begins with Nagazaki’s first encounter with the West and concludes with the modernization of the city during the Edo period. It highlights Nagasaki’s trading partnerships with China, the Netherlands, and Korea. After this section, visitors can explore a replica of the Nagasaki Magistrate’s office and view the Christian artifacts exhibition.

Learn about Nagasaki's rich and diverse history.

Each section features a variety of historical documents, artworks, and artifacts. All information is in both English and Japanese. Video explainers are also available, providing further insights into the history.

Learn To Play the Koto, in Kyoto

Immerse yourself in traditional Japanese culture by learning how to play the koto — Japan's national instrument. In this workshop, you'll learn from a professional koto instructor, in a beautiful wooden house that dates back over 100 years.

Click here for details

Museum facilities

Notable facilities include the museum shop, traditional craft workshop, and a restaurant called “Ginrei”. Since the museum is across three floors, there are plenty of places to sit and rest.

How to buy tickets for Nagasaki Museum of History & Culture

To see the permanent exhibition, you will need to pay an admission fee. It costs ¥630 for adults and ¥310 for elementary, junior high, and high school students. You can buy tickets at the front desk, but if you’d like to be prepared, you can buy them in advance on Klook.

Note: temporary exhibitions have a separate admission fee.

How to get to Nagasaki Museum of History & Culture

There are a few different ways to get to the museum from Nagasaki Station. The fastest way is to take the Number 60 bus from Nagasaki ekimae Higashiguchi to the ‘Museum of History and Culture bus stop. From there, it is a 4-minute walk. The overall journey takes 11 minutes and costs ¥160.

The other way is to take the Nagasaki Electric Tram (Line 3 – Local Hotarujaya) from Nagasakiekimae Station to Sakuramachi Station and then walk for 6 minutes. This method is slightly cheaper, costing ¥140, and takes 12 minutes in total.

If you want to get a better feel of the city, we suggest walking as it is only a 13-minute walk from Nagasaki Station to the museum.

Open with Maps