Nagasaki is located on the northwest coast of the island of Kyushu ,and Nagasaki is next to Saga. Nagasaki is composed of 971 islands and this is the largest number in Japan. Nagasaki has uniquely interacted with foreign countries from a long time ago and the trace can be seen everywhere in Nagasaki. You can see various kinds of culture and religion here ,expecially Chinese and Christianity. For example, Nagasaki-shinchi Chinatown (長崎新地中華街) and Oura Cathedral (大浦天主堂).
Dejima (出島) was built in 1636 in order for Europeans to live and prevent the spread of Chiristianity. For more than 200 years, Dejima was Japan's only open gateway to Europe and important place for Japanese history.
Nagasaki is one of the most popular sightseeing spots in Japan. Many Japanese come to Nagasaki every year to experience the exotic mood and learn the history of WW2. The most famous spot in Nagasaki is Peace Statue (平和祈念像). This statue is built for expressing consolation for the war dead.
Huis Ten Bosch (ハウステンボス) is a theme park in Nagasaki which recreates a Dutch town. It is one of the most popular theme park in Japan. These days more and more foreign people are coming to Huis Ten Bosch. In particular, Kingdom of Lights is very famous and most of people coming to Huis Ten Bosch are looking forward to seeing it.
Nagasaki Lantern Festival is the most popular event in Nagasaki. During the festival, Chinatown and the center of Nagasaki city are decorated with about 15,000 lanterns. This festival celebrates Lunar New Year and about one million tourists every year. You can feel the dream-like atmosphere and enjoy all day long.
Nagasaki is also famous for its night view. Nagasaki is nominated for one of the three new great night views of the world, along with Monaco and Shanghai. Mt. Inasa rises 333 meters above sea level and You can see a dramatic view over Nagasaki. The view of Nagasaki from Mt. Inasa is called "ten million dollars" night view.
When you visit Nagasaki, you have to eat Nagasaki food. Champon (ちゃんぽん) and Sara Udon (皿うどん) are originated in Nagasaki. These are famous food and some of visitors visit Nagasaki just for these food. Champon is like ramen but the noodle is thick and has many kinds of vegetables. So Champon is healthy and popular among women. On the other hand, Sara Udon has fried noodle and thick soup and many vegetables. It is hard to eat Champon and Sara Udon at the same time, so we recommend you visit Nagasaki at least 2 days.
As you can see, Nagasaki has a lot of attractive things. And Fortunately, Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train will be operation in 2022. So the travel time from Fukuoka to Nagasaki becomes about 30 minutes shorter than before. Fusion between the western culture and the eastern one waits for you.