JPN: Nagasaki Chinatown

10-13 Shinchimachi, Nagasaki, Japan

Nagasaki Chinatown is the oldest among the three designated Chinatowns in Japan. Most of the Chinese members there are of Fuzhounese descent. In 1980, Nagasaki and Fuzhou established ties as sister cities to recognise the historical connections between them and Fuzhounese immigrant community.


---

---

The town was home for many Chinese sailors and traders from the 15th to the 19th century.



Dragons are certainly inseparable from the Chinese culture.
The district stretches over approximately one city block, now housing a variety of shops and restaurants. It was pretty quiet for most of the parts when my BFFs and I were there.

Known as Shinchi (lit. New Land), Nagasaki Chinatown was initially a reclaimed island,
but it's no longer the case now due to land reclamation.


In the Chinese mythology, phoenix is the king of all brids, a symbol of high virtue and grace.


I suppose quite a number of restaurants there are closed between lunch and dinner hours.



Bubble tea, anyone? It can be found in many places in Japan now.
We did window shopping at a few shops.


Have you tried almond-flavoured soft serve ice cream? It's good!


It's surely much more lively when you're around during Chinese New Year as the area is the centre of the annual Nagasaki Lantern Festival.


After spending less than half an hour there, we went out to explore the surrounding area.


There was a Christmas decoration near one of the gates.

What image do you see?
Our feet brought us to the nearby Former Chinese Settlement.


The Chinese people were forced to stay in the area during the Edo period.
Those found outside of the town at certain times would be arrested.



Shoes, anyone?
We came across a Fukken Kaikan Hall.

While that structure remains, the main hall was unfortunately destroyed by the 1945 atomic bomb.



We also came across a Kannon-do with quite a nice illustration of the settlement in the past at its entrance.



Do share if you've attended the Nagasaki Lantern Festival.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

COL: Avianca VIP Lounge @ El Dorado International Airport

Image
Near Gate 32, El Dorado International Airport, Bogota, Colombia The flagship lounge of Avianca is located on the second floor near Gate 32 of El Dorado International Airport. While it may not measure up to the standards of some other flagship lounges globally, it's fairly spacious and divided into two areas: one for Business Class passengers and Star Alliance Gold members, while the other is open to travellers accessing using programs such as DragonPass.
Read more

AZE: Quba and Khinaliq Tour (Part 1)

Image
Quba District, Azerbaijan After enjoying the half-day group tour to Qobustan by TES Tour, my BFF and I embarked on a full-day group tour to Quba and Khinaliq by the same tour operator on our second last day in the country. On our way to Khinaliq, which is known to be the highest and most remote village in Azerbaijan, we passed by the city of Quba.
Read more

BAH: Qal'at al-Bahrain

Image
Karbabad, Bahrain Daily: 8.00am - 6.00pm Known by many international tourists as Bahrain Fort, Qal'at al-Bahrain is an archaeological site inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was once the capital of the Dilmun civilisation that flourished from around the late fourth millennium to 800 BC.
Read more