10 Iconic Buildings and Places in Nagasaki

The Oura Church is also known as the Basilica of the Twenty-Six Holy Martyrs of Japan and it's hailed as the oldest church in the whole country. You'll find it perched on a hill on the south side of Nagasaki, facing up to the cobbled alleys of the heritage district's main drag, Glover Street.

It was raised in the 1860s to honour French missionaries who had been crucified during the isolationist period of Shogun Japan. Unusually, it sported a fully European-style façade – notice the whitewashed frontispieces and the high steeple. The church was heavily damaged in the bombing of 1945 but is now a designated National Treasure and a part of a UNESCO site to boot.

The Former Alt House lays claim to being the oldest non-religious western-style building in the whole of Japan. It's right at the top of the hill in the most historic quarter of Nagasaki, a 15-minute walk up Glover Street from the main cruise ship terminal.

Dating from 1867, the structure recalls the elegance of British Raj architecture from India. It's surrounded by handsome peristyles that give shaded porticoes for strollers and has blooms of wisteria creeping over the apses. Inside, the rooms have been preserved with furnishings and decorations that hearken back to 19^th-century Japan.

Huis Ten Bosch isn't just one building but a whole complex of them, all built with a single purpose – to recreate the look and feel of the Netherlands in East Asia. Named after one of the official residences of the Dutch Royals, the site sits about 1 hour's drive north of the main city, just south of Sasebo.

There's plenty to see inside. Perhaps you'll start by seeking out De Liefde, a replica of a 16^th-century Dutch trading ship? Or maybe you'll go to the mock-up canals that mimic the UNESCO city of Amsterdam? You've also got Flemish townhouses, European-styled theatres, and of course a couple of windmills on the list.

The Sofukuji Temple is one of the best-known Buddhist shrines in Nagasaki. It keeps watch over the town from its place on the slopes of Hamamachi hill, some 25 minutes' walking through the side streets from the main sightseeing quarter of Glover Garden.

Built back in the early 1600s by a travelling monk, the temple is unique in that it makes use of architectural features more common to its founder's native China. They include red-painted overhangs, wooden pillars, and the Ming-esque Ryugumon Gate. There are also other points of interest here, including a large Buddha hall and several other smaller temples.

The Old Walker House, sometimes known as the Former Walker House, is an intriguing western piece of architecture in the historic core of Nagasaki. You can find it amid the churches and old trading buildings of Glover Garden, a short 5- to 10-minute walk from the cruise terminal.

A little more modern than its next-door neighbours, this one was built in the 1890s for a local shipping magnate, the namesake Robert Walker. It sports a white-painted exterior terrace and chimney stacks reminiscent of American suburbia. The interiors have been restored to mirror the look and feel of their contemporary age.

The Wakamiya Inari Shrine is one of the lesser-known religious sites in Nagasaki. It's hidden between the woodlands on a hill just above the Nakashima River, a couple of minutes on foot along from Kazagashira Park. You can't miss it – the entrance is a staircase that's marked by a snaking line of Torii gates.

The shrine is mainly known for the performance of the so-called Bamboo Acrobat, who comes by during the autumn festival to mark the changing of the seasons with a strange fox dance on stilts. The building, meanwhile, is a red-hued wonder of curled gables flanked by stone lanterns.

The Kosuge Ship Repairing Dock is a real piece of history and one of the first western-style shipyards to be made in the country. Naturally, it's located on the waterside. Travel down the 499 Highway from the centre and take the turn off for the marked heritage site – the trip from the cruise terminal is less than 3 minutes in the car.

It was first developed by Thomas Blake Glover in conjunction with members of the local Satsuma clan. He imported a steam-powered ship slip from Scotland, which still happens to be the main attraction – you can see the old powerhouse in a brick building at the back of the ramp.

The Suwa Shrine is arguably the most famous Shinto religious site in Nagasaki. It has a prime position, up on the low ridges of Mount Konpira. Be prepared to work a little to reach it, though – there are nearly 300 steps leading the way.

Officially, the Suwa Shrine has a history going back to 1614. However, the place didn't really rise to importance until the 1630s, when it became a focal point for Shinto believers in the face of a big Christian population. Later, the site notably survived the 1945 Nagasaki bombing. It's now the home of the Nagasaki Kunchi, one of the most enthralling local festivals that sees dragons dancing through the streets.

The Higashi Yamate 13 House is one of many historic buildings that string down the hillside in what's colloquially known as the Nagasaki Dutch quarter, or the Hollander Slope. In fact, it's one of the first you come to as you begin walking that winding lane through the Low Countries-inspired homes.

It dates from the 1800s, when Nagasaki was a major port for both British and Dutch traders from the west. Notice the timber-carved porches and the wood-panelled exteriors – they're typical features of 19^th-century colonial architecture. Inside, there are old-school furnishings and a lovely, hardwood staircase that's been wonderfully maintained.

The Former British Consulate in Nagasaki is exactly what it says it is – the old home of the British ambassador in the country. It's located smack dab in downtown, between the shopping walks of Tokiwamachi and always-bustling Holland Street.

It's not easy to miss the building – it stands out with its stark redbrick exterior and symmetrically placed windows. In fact, what you see is only a fraction of the original complex, a one-time dormitory for employees. It was built by William Cowan in 1906 but was abandoned immediately after Japan joined World War II following the attacks on Pearl Harbor.