Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture

Built on the former site of the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office, this museum examines how centuries of international trade, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, and Chinese, shaped Nagasaki and, by extension, Japan. One wing recreates the magistrate's courtroom with reenactments of historic trials. Another covers the Hidden Christians who maintained their faith through the centuries of national seclusion. Additional sections trace the Namban trade with Portugal, the Dutch relationship through Dejima, and how Western technologies like the telegraph and photography entered Japan via this port city. The museum's traditional white-plaster and stone facade reflects the site's original architecture.