Nagasaki, Japanese city influenced by Europe
Nagasaki has a unique historical and cultural background in Japan by its various international influences. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century, Nagasaki was one of the main ports of call for Europeans most of whom were coming as explorers. Among them were the Portuguese, perhaps the most influential in Nagasaki. They docked at the port of Nagasaki after trading with China. The Portuguese often bought silk from the Chinese to then sell it to the Japanese in exchange for gold, samurai armor, or fabrics.
In addition to the architecture of these religious monuments, we find a strong Iberian influence in Japan, especially when it comes to cooking. In Nagasaki, you can enjoy a delicious "Kasutera", a cake that can recall a Genoese, which name comes from pão de castela (Castile bread) that was introduced in Japan by Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century. This same period is also at the origin of the Tempura recipe, inspired by a Portuguese recipe, they are fish fritters, shrimps or vegetables that the Japanese often enjoy accompanied by soba (buckwheat noodles). Tempuras are very famous in Nagasaki although they are very popular all over Japan.
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Nagasaki was, in the sixteenth century, the most Christianized city in Japan. The main vestiges of the arrival of European civilization are the churches and cathedrals still implanted in the Japanese landscape. Nagasaki is home to one of Japan's largest cathedrals, the Romanesque Urakami Cathedral, which was built as a tribute to persecuted Christians in Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate. Destroyed during Second World War by the atomic bomb, it was rebuilt again, being exactly the same as the one that use to be. A statue of Mary miraculously spared by the bomb is still there today as well as the bell ring. Near the cathedral is the memorial park where an imposing statue points its finger at the sky reminiscent of the infamous day of August 9, 1945. Not far from the park, there is the "Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum" paying tribute to the victims.
To the south of the city, you will find Oura church, with Gothic architecture built at the end of the Edo period, but like Urakami, partly rebuilt after the war. This church pays homage to 26 Christian martyrs executed in 1597. This beautiful church is one of the oldest in Japan.
In addition to the architecture of these religious monuments, we find a strong Iberian influence in Japan, especially when it comes to cooking. In Nagasaki, you can enjoy a delicious "Kasutera", a cake that can recall a Genoese, which name comes from pão de castela (Castile bread) that was introduced in Japan by Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century. This same period is also at the origin of the Tempura recipe, inspired by a Portuguese recipe, they are fish fritters, shrimps or vegetables that the Japanese often enjoy accompanied by soba (buckwheat noodles). Tempuras are very famous in Nagasaki although they are very popular all over Japan.
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