Dejima
出島
A fan-shaped artificial island where the Dutch trading post stood during the Edo-period sakoku era. Dozens of trading-post buildings have been reconstructed, telling the story of more than 200 years of Japan-Dutch trade.
Dejima was a fan-shaped artificial island built in 1636 by the Edo shogunate to control the Portuguese. From 1641 it served as the trading post of the Dutch East India Company. For more than two centuries afterward, it was Japan's only window onto Europe, and Western medicine, astronomy and rangaku (Dutch Learning) entered Japan through it. After the Meiji era, the surrounding waters were reclaimed, and Dejima at one point disappeared into the city. Since 1996, Nagasaki City has been restoring the island. More than ten buildings have been rebuilt, including the chief's residence, warehouses and kitchens, and in 2017 the Dejima Omote-mon Bridge leading to the island was reconstructed. The exhibits display trade goods, scenes of Dutch daily life and a 1/15-scale model of Dejima, offering a direct view of cross-cultural exchange during the sakoku period. Adult admission is about 520 yen, and it is usually open 08:00 to 21:00. Getting there: take Streetcar Line 1 to the Dejima stop, and it is a short walk. Shinchi Chinatown and Nagasaki Port are 5 to 10 minutes on foot, so it pairs well with Chinatown and Meganebashi.
Opening hours
08:00–21:00
Nearby sights
- Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum & Mizubenomori Park
- Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown
- Dutch Slope & Higashi-Yamate Western Houses
- Tojin Yashiki Site
- Nagasaki Confucius Shrine
- Meganebashi Bridge
- Oura Church
- Glover Garden