Glover Garden Tickets

Glover Garden spills down a hillside above Nagasaki harbour, preserving the mansions of the foreign merchants who settled here when Japan reopened to the world in the 1850s. At its heart stands the former Glover House, home of Scottish trader Thomas Glover and reckoned the oldest Western style wooden building in Japan, surrounded by gardens, fountains and some of the finest harbour views in the city.

Walking the garden

Covered escalators carry you to the top of the site so the visit flows downhill past a string of relocated colonial era residences, each furnished to its period. The houses tell the story of Nagasaki’s extraordinary role as Japan’s window to the West, from shipbuilding and trade to the beginnings of industrialisation that Glover himself helped bankroll. Views over the working harbour and the giant Mitsubishi shipyards below connect that history to the present.

Around the garden

The garden adjoins Oura Cathedral, Japan’s oldest surviving church and a World Heritage site tied to the story of the country’s hidden Christians, and the Dutch Slope’s cobbled lanes are nearby. Together they make a half day of the city’s international quarter. Legend links the garden to Madame Butterfly, and statues in the grounds nod to the opera connection.

Getting there

Take tram line 5 to the Oura Cathedral stop, then walk five minutes uphill past the church to the entrance. From JR Nagasaki Station, change trams at Shinchi Chinatown; the ride takes about 15 minutes. Nagasaki connects to Fukuoka by the Kamome shinkansen and relay service in around 90 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a visit take? Around 90 minutes, more if the history grabs you.

Is it steep? The site is hilly but escalators do the hard climbing.

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