Unzen-Shi, Japan

With regards to dining and drinking, Nagasaki may not be in the same group as some of the larger Japanese cities like Tokyo, but there are still plenty of great places to eat and drink the night away. Just remember to pace yourself! After a night of eating and drinking, the city's many steep hills can pose a formidable challenge to even the most fit.

Hamanomachi

For a wide range of casual dining options, the Hamanomachi Arcade is a great place to start. This strip and Kanko-dori, which crosses it, has dozens of restaurants, coffee shops, diners and cafes. You should not hesitate to wander down the side streets here, as many are packed with tastes to explore. Geographically the heart of the Nagasaki, this area is especially convenient for those who are staying near the city center.

If you want to forget manners and get a little greasy, try an iizakaya, a Japanese-style pub. Kyabetsu is a popular place for this style of Japanese bar food; however, there are many others. Just enter any store with red paper lanterns hanging outside. Or if the lounge-type environment is more to your liking, the Nagasaki Building at the edge of the Hamanomachi region has a number of recommended places. Cocktail Bar Joy is the most popular of the several lounges in the building, but Bar g Soul is more likely to attract youth, while the Suntory Jigger Bar on the second floor is appropriate for just about anyone.

One street to the north, Bar 10c , is popular amongst those who like sipping elegant cocktails, and one street beyond that, there are two other drinking spots of considerable popularity: Fanfan and Panic Paradise . If you are in your 20s, you may want to keep going north a couple of streets. Along this strip lies the legendary Ayer's Rock , where local youth gather to drink and dance to hip-hop sounds.

Shianbashi

An area popular among adults is a strip that runs through Shianbashi called Gourmet Street . This area is interspersed with many bars, snack stands, and a number of Japanese restaurants, many of which stay open late. For traditional local cuisine, Ryotei Kagetsu is one of the nicest Japanese restaurants in the city. You will need a reservation and money to burn here but the ambiance and presentation of the food is as excellent as the cuisine itself. Alternatively, an excellent quasi-Japanese restaurant is the Steak House Okano . This highly regarded restaurant is renowned for both the quality of the food and wine and its pleasant interior.

But dining isn't the only thing to do in this popular district. Many people head here after dinner for the nightlife at places like Piano Bar Zucchini and the exceptional Inaka .

Shinchi-machi

The most well-known area to dine in Nagasaki is China Town . Many visitors come to Nagasaki with dinner here at the top of their agenda, and for good reason. Along the crisscross of the streets that define China Town, you will find a dozen or so restaurants, some quite luxurious, others rather cheap. It was the Chinese who introduced Nagasaki's nationally famous staple dish, champon. This is a soup and noodle dish, also well known because sumo wrestlers consume it in large quantities. Another popular Chinese dish is the ubiquitous gyoza. You will not find a Chinese restaurant that doesn't have these on the menu. If you want to try one of the more formal, expensive (though still not exorbitant) restaurants then Kyokaen is a good place to start, with Pink Bloom Garden being another option for fine Chinese dining. Shinwaroh on the corner is fairly good, too, as is Kohzanroh, and for as casual as Chinese gets, visit Sanseigo .

There are many places to see and explore in Nagasaki, and a tour is the perfect way for travelers to see as much as possible in a short timeframe. A stop at the Nagasaki Tourist Information Center as soon as you get off the train at Nagasaki Station in Daikoku-machi is a great idea, which can get you going as soon as you get into town.

Glover Garden

Offering fantastic views of Nagasaki City to the North, the 30,000-square foot Glover Garden , home of the oldest wooden building of Western design in Japan, is a beautiful place to start any tour of Southern Nagasaki, particularly in the Winter during the Glover Garden Winter Festival , when the property is dressed in lights, making it an exceptionally romantic destination. While there, you can get something to eat at the Glover Garden Tea House , the first Western-style restaurant to open in Japan in the early-1900s. From there, continue on to the historic Dutch Slope , whose path, lined with ivy-covered stone and concrete walls, offers picturesque scenery throughout this historic area.

Hanamanomachi Arcade

Hamanomachi Arcade , Nagasaki Prefecture's largest shopping arcade, is great place to start any tour of Nagasaki, with a wide variety of stores and restaurants to choose from, and many attractions nearby. Try the nearby Kyabetsu izikaya for cheap, delicious food and something to drink. Then, for even more shopping and eating, head south to the famous Shianbashi Gourmet Street , which is buzzing with activitiy well into the night. Looking for the finest in traditional Japanese cuisine? Check out Kagetsu , which has been operating since 1642.

Also nearby is the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum , a visit to which is an essential part of any trip to Nagasaki.

Temple Row

Temple Row gives visitors the opportunity to become exposed to a huge amount of Nagasaki's cultural and spiritual life all in one place. Located in the part of the city known as Tera-machi or Temple Town, and comprised of eight different temples all located along one path, including Kofuku-ji, the oldest Chinese-style temple in Japan, this row is as scenic as it is spiritual. There are many more religious sites in this area as well, such as Fukusai-ji , with its 18-meter/59-foot tall statue of the Buddha sitting on the back of a turtle, and the much revered Suwa-jinja Shrine , which is host to the yearly Nagasaki Kunchi Festival . Also nearby is the Spectacles Bridge , one of many bridges that cross over the Nakajima River, which runs paralell to Temple Row.

Nagasaki Bay

Those with limited time and a penchant for oceanic vistas, may enjoy a jaunt to Iojima . Located ten kilometers from southern Nagasaki Bay, this island has a highly recommended hotel, the Renaissance Nagasaki Iojima, and other attractions, including fine beaches, and the unmanned Iojima Lighthouse , from which spectacular views are possible. Ferries from Nagasaki run to the island regularly.

Nagasaki Prefecture is actually home to a few hundred islands, though many of them are uninhabited. One of the more famous islands (or island clusters in this case) is Gotah. The name Gotah literally means five islands, and is renowned for its waterside scenery, as well as historic churches and buildings, unforgettable lodgings and onsen (hot springs).

Northeast of Gotah are two islands of special historic significance: Hirado and Ikitsuki . Not only are they historic but particularly scenic as well. Hirado was once a Dutch trading post, and vestiges of that cross-cultural history still persist in the charming town found there. Cross a bridge to the west, and you are on Ikitsuki, a small, incredibly rural island (expect beast-drawn carts) that records the tragic period of Christian persecution in Japan.

Even farther north, to the northernmost part of the prefecture, in fact, lie the two islands of Tsushima and Iki . Both are popular resort islands famous for their seafood and decent lodgings. Many people in the area remark that summer is the time to go to these two islands, but they really provide an appropriate getaway any time.

Walking Tours

Dejima History Course for Grownups (+81 95 821 7200/ http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/dejima/index.html)
Nagasaki Saruku (+81 95 823 3631/ http://www.sarukuhaku.com/e/index.html)
Curious Ku Nagasaki (+81 95 811 0369/ http://www.saruku.info/)
Nagasaki Prefectural Tourist Federation (+81 95 826 9407/ http://www.nagasaki-tabinet.com/course/)

Guided Tours

JAPANiCAN (+81 35 796 5759/ http://www.japanican.com/index.aspx)
Big Step (+81 80 3954 5015/ http://bigstep.seesaa.net/)