The main airport servicing the city of Nagasaki is the Nagasaki Airport located on the nearby island of Omura, around 11 miles from the city center.

If you have not booked a private transfer with us then you have a few options. Transportation options from the airport include ferries, buses, taxis and car rentals.

Buses are the main form of transportation from the Nagasaki Airport which is located on a small island. There are three bus routes that travel to the city and the bus stops can be found outside of the arrivals hall on the first floor. The buses run from 9:15 am until 9:25 pm and depart every 20 minutes and the journey to the city center takes around an hour, the cost is about ¥900.

Rental cars are available at the airport and include companies such as Nissan, Toyota, Nippon, and Orix. The car rental desks can be found on the 1st floor inside the arrivals hall and inside Terminal 2, floor 1F. The desks are open from 8 am until 9:30 pm.

Ferries can be caught from the airport and the terminal is located by a connecting passageway past the Nagasaki Airport Office Building. The journey to Togitsu takes around 25 minutes and the cost is approximately ¥1,400.

The Omura Railway station is situated just 2 ½ miles away from the airport where trains can be caught to the Nagasaki Stations. The journey to the train station is about a 20-minute ride by taxi from the airport. The train ride does take longer than the bus.

There are several taxi companies that can be found outside the arrivals hall, the taxi stands are labeled with a number six and the color purple. The journey to the city center takes around 35 minutes and costs about ¥9,560.

The Nagasaki Station is the main railway station in the city located about a mile from the city center. The station is the terminus for the Nagasaki Main Line from Shin-Tosu Station which connects with the Kyushu Shinkansen to Kagoshima. It also connects to Hakata Station in Fukuoka by the Kamome Limited Express and serves local JR trains to other destinations. The station is a stop for Nagasaki trams, you can reach the tram station by pedestrian bridge or take the elevator and the Ken-ei Bus Terminal which is located across the road. There are plenty of transportation options from the station including multiple taxis found outside the station. How do I get around using public transportation?

The main form of public transportation in Nagasaki is the tram (or streetcar), which is operated by Nagasaki Electric Tramways. The trams run four lines in the city, providing easy access to its main attractions. The trams run from 6 am until 11 pm and depart around every 10 minutes, costing approximately ¥120 to travel anywhere in the city.

A day pass can save passengers money and costs approximately ¥500 for adults and ¥250 for children. The pass gives you unlimited rides within a day on all trams (and some busses). The passes can only be purchased from the Tourist Information Center at the Nagasaki Station or in hotels around the city. Trams are entered through the rear door and exited through the front.

The trams are color-coded and route numbers are 1, 3, 4 and 5. #1 blue line covers the most distance with roundtrips between Peace Park in the north and the Shianbashi district in the city center, #2 black line and #3 red line cover similar routes but only make one way trips and #4 yellow line and #5 green line connect at Nishihamanomachi the main station which is the main transfer point and connects the blue and black lines and line #4 and #5.

Nagasaki is serviced by a number of city buses that run all over the city and cover a wider area than the trams do, however they are not user-friendly for non-Japanese speakers.

You can rent bicycles at the JR Nagasaki Station from Eki Rent-a-Car which are electric powered bicycles which makes it easier to explore the hills in the city. The city of Nagasaki features many rolling hills and can be hard to navigate on a bike unless you are used to a vigorous uphill terrain. The city center is mostly flat terrain and is easiest enough to navigate on a bicycle.

The city is a great place to navigate on foot with the city center and many of the tourist attractions situated on flat terrain. The city center runs north to south on almost a straight line that borders the Urakami River and then borders the east side of the harbor. The size of the city makes it navigate-able on foot with an easy layout providing a good layout for exploring the heart of the city and other popular attractions. The tram stops are located all around the city and it is a short walk from any tram stop to get to most anywhere else in the city.

Nagasaki is a safe city to visit with friendly residents; there are certain precautions that you should follow in order to ensure a smooth trip. Travelers should use caution and exercise their street smarts when exploring the city. Pickpockets are not uncommon in the city especially in and around busy tourist attractions, shopping areas and on crowded public transportation. Keep your belongings secure at all times and don`t wander into unpopulated areas, especially at night.

The city of Nagasaki offers visitors a variety of shopping highlights in different areas around the city. One of the main shopping districts in the city is in Hamanomachi, featuring around 700 shops which include the department stores, Daimaru and Hamaya. The bustling area offers a shopping strip offering local outlets, high-street chains that are open from around 9 am until 10 pm (some smaller shops close around 6:30 pm and do not open on Sundays). Areas around the JR Nagasaki Station offer local craft stores and the Amu Plaza which is a prominent mall with plenty of shopping and dining as well as a movie theatre and a Ferris wheel. Chinatown offers about 40 different shops and plenty of restaurants where visitors can stroll around and shop as well as dine on delicious Chinese cuisine.

The Sasebo Morning Market is a refreshingly vibrant experience in the city with open-air markets and stalls that fill the streets selling souvenirs, fresh fish and produces, flowers and pottery. The market opens as early as 3 am and closes at 9 am.

Nagasaki is a popular destination for many festivals held throughout the year. Some of the main festivals in the city include the Kunchi Matsuri (Oct 7-9th) at the Suwa Shrine featuring Chinese dragon dances, fireworks and vibrant costumes. The Nagasaki Lantern Festival is held in February (Lunar calendar) to celebrate the Chinese New Year with over 20,000 lanterns displayed throughout the city. The Shoro Nagashi Festival held in mid-August with hand-made floats in the harbor. The Nagasaki Dragon Boat Competition is held from June to August featuring Chinese-style dragon boat races in the harbor. O-Kunchi is the largest festival in Japan and takes place in early October with floats, sake, and celebration of the city`s patron kami.

The currency in Nagasaki is the yen symbolized with a ¥. US dollars are not accepted. Please be sure to have the correct currency on hand and be prepared to exchange your dollars to yen (¥) upon arrival. Currency exchange desks can be found at the airport and bank locations throughout the city, ATM`s are widespread.

Tipping is not practiced in Japan, leaving a tip for a waitress, taxi driver or bell boy will cause some confusion. At some high-end, restaurants and hotels a 10 - 15% service charge may be added to your bill. For more information, consult our tipping guide in Japan

The cuisine in the city has a rich history with many international dishes, the most famous dish in the city is `champon` a hearty noodles dish with pork broth, vegetables, bacon, shrimp, scallops, and squid. There are many champon and sarudon (meat, vegetables and champon sauce over crispy fried noodles) restaurants located in the city and visitors should definitely check out Chinatown for a wide variety of restaurants and street food and plenty of shopping opportunities.

The Dejima Wharf is an artificial island boasting many open-air, waterfront restaurants, bars, and shops with a boardwalk and scenic views of the picturesque harbor with ships and sailboats.

The `World Foods Restaurant` located in the Dutch Slopes area inside Higashi-Yamate Chikyu-kan and opens on the weekends and features a different chef each weekend that prepares meals from their home country, there are chefs from over 70 nations that prepare food here.

The main entertainment in Nagasaki can be found in the Shianbashi area with narrow streets filled with restaurants, bars, and all night entertainment. The Nagasaki Dejima Wharf area features nice restaurants with harbor views and a boardwalk offering other entertainment including a movie theatre, arcades, and a Ferris wheel. The Glover Gardens area is an enchanting destination at night with sparkling lights that adorn the walkways and gardens. Every visitor should visit Mount Inasa mountaintop at night which has been dubbed as the place with a `10 Million Dollar Night View` and was ranked as 1 of Japan`s 3 best night view destinations. Visitors can enjoy a bird`s eye view over the bay and the city covered in sparkling lights, the summit features an observation deck and a restaurant with spectacular views. The area of Huis Ten Bosch is a theme park replicating a Dutch town with plenty of nightlife opportunities such as a theatre, restaurants, bars, and shops. The area is lit up at night with thousands of fairy lights and also offers a firework display.

Japanese is the language spoken in Nagasaki, but English is widely spoken throughout the country with announcements on public transportation frequently made in Japanese and English, most signs include roman characters or an English explanation. Most Japanese people study English in junior high and high school so you are best seeking out younger people who may be able to help and translate for you.

It is best to have your destinations written down in Japanese so you are able to show this to your taxi driver or people on the street. People are always willing to help whether they can speak English or not.

We recommend you get a good English - Japanese guidebook and familiarize yourself with common phrases such as hello, goodbye, please, thank you, excuse me and numbers 1 - 10.

In case of an emergency dial 119 for fire and ambulance and 110 for the police.

Hospitals:

Nagasaki University Hospital tel. 81-95-819-7200

Nagasaki Minato Medical Center tel. 81-95-822-3251

Nagasaki Zelkova Clinic tel. 81-95-840-5111