Glover Garden

Must visit if you have extra time after Peace Park and the bomb museum. It is basically an estate converted to a museum/exhibit garden. Details the time after Japan's period of isolation and its rapid industrialization. There is a great showcase of boat floats near the gift shop, don't miss it.

We visited Glover Garden during our trip to Nagasaki, and honestly, it felt like stepping back into a romantic chapter of history. Set on the hillside of Minami-Yamate, the garden is full of charming Western-style buildings from the Meiji era, including the famous Glover Residence—the oldest Western-style wooden house in Japan. Walking along the cobblestone paths lined with seasonal flowers, I loved how the architecture blends Western design with Japanese roof tiles and beautiful gardens. Inside the Glover House, the period furniture and sunlit rooms really made it easy to imagine life back then for foreign merchants living here. The views over Nagasaki Harbor from different spots were absolutely breathtaking—the crisp air, distant mountains, and sparkling bay made for some of my favorite photo moments. One fun surprise was finding the “Heart Stones” hidden along the paths—there’s a local legend that couples who find and touch them will stay together, which added a cute, romantic touch to the visit. What I really appreciated was the peaceful vibe of the whole place. It wasn’t overcrowded, so we could take our time exploring and just soak in the atmosphere. The garden is easy to navigate with escalators and plenty of benches to relax on, making the visit comfortable and leisurely. If you’re visiting Nagasaki, I’d definitely recommend Glover Garden. It’s a beautiful mix of history, architecture, and nature that makes for a really memorable experience.

Props to the guy in TripAdvisor who gave this advice/hack: “take the tram to the terminus of Line 5 at Ishibashi; it's only a short walk from there (150m) to the Glover Sky Road where you can ride the funicular/elevator to the upper entrance/exit (Gate 2) of Glover Garden. Once in the Garden itself, it's much more of a gentle downhill stroll to take in the various properties on your way down to the lower exit near Oura Cathedral.” Trust me this is the way to do it otherwise you will be hoofing it uphill and a lot of stairs. There are escalators taking you up to various parts of the garden but it is MUCH easier to start at the top and work your way downhill. I was super chuffed :) Our ship docked just a quick walk to the tram station, and it’s only 150¥ pp to ride (you can pay cash). They do sell day passes at the information center by the cruise port - which will give you access to all over Nagasaki if you want to visit the Peace Park or Atomic Bomb museum. The garden itself was lovely - not the most amazing place I’ve seen in Japan - but definitely worth a visit. You can enter the homes which are very neat to see but nothing life changing if you’ve seen western style colonial homes before. Also FYI the vending machines just outside of Glover Garden are much cheaper than the ones inside. No sweet potato machines but there’s a very cool massive capsule machine when you exit the gift shop! Upon exiting there is a little street running downhill full of amazing shops, a lot selling the famous Nagasaki cakes - but my favorite was the glass shop (you can’t miss it) - so much beautiful jewelry and glass souvenirs!

A beautiful historical site showcasing well preserved European style houses from the late 19th century. This landmark offers a glimpse into Nagasaki’s international past, highlighting the influence of foreign merchants during Japan’s period of modernization. The entrance fee is ¥620 as of March 2025. With fewer crowds on weekdays, it's a pleasant place to explore at a relaxed pace. The gardens and scenic viewpoints add to the charm, making it a great spot for history and architecture enthusiasts alike.

This garden suggests a toute that takes around 40 minutes to do, you will go from historical houses to other historical houses. Each house can be visited (some small ones are closed but it's barely a tatami). You will also find various flowers / plants (including cherry trees) along the route. There's a tea house and a coffee (sells snacks too) in the middle of the route. I did really appreciate this place, and so will you most likely. The place is mostly accessible the first house has a 2F with stairs, but maybe there is an elevator somewhere, I didn't see one

Scenic, lots of old buildings to see. I learned a lot ablut the history of port city Fukuoka. Although, some of the buildings were closed due to renovations. The way up here was hilly, but beautiful, filled with small cute shops.

A blast from the past! Opened in 1863, Glover Garden was built for Thomas Baker Glover. He was a Scottish Merchant who contributed to much of Japans modernization. These grounds have a rich history and beautiful architecture and to this day many of the rooms and even furniture have been preserved in mint condition. It all seems so grand walking about the property and the many stairways involved though there is an escalator entrance for any weary wanderers. The views are spectacular from the Glover house overlooking Nagasaki Japan. From the foot paths to the staircases, all of its architecture was absolutely gorgeous in its own right. Parking is separate from admission and can be found around the main entrance or you can pay for the valet parking. The valet was set for 3 hours at a rate of ¥500. There was ample time to see the property and even got to enjoy some coffee and snacks along the way at a little shop called the Glover Cafe. It’s a great look into Japans already amazingly rich history, most of the exhibition pieces are even translated to English. It was a wonderful trip to get a glimpse of the life of society in the 1800s, fun for all ages!

Beautiful calm sanctuary, even on a cold ❄️ winter's day. Lovely views and gardens. Lots of uphill steps! But also a couple of moving walk ways. But a reasonable level of fitness required! Plenty of immaculate public toilets .... with heated seats 😉 I can only imagine how beautiful it will be in spring and summer.

Kirin Beer. The Glover family who was involved in the start-up of that famous company. I felt that I was working hard for Japan. It makes me sad to know the life of that son who committed suicide on suspicion of being a spy in the midst of the war.

I went to Glover Garden on an excursion through our cruise. I didn't know this was on the itinerary but I'm glad it was. The view is spectacular and the history is fascinating. The main house overlooks the Mitsubishi shipyard which is pretty awesome to get a look at. The grounds are clean and the staff are wonderful (which seems to be common throughout Nagasaki-I have more cities to visit in Japan). My absolute favorite part, however, (and this may sound weird) is leaving the grounds. Going back down the path, there are a ton of neat shops along the way and some delicious cafes, too. Overall, this was a great visit. I don't know if I'd do the gardens again but I will definitely go back to the shopping area (there's a Totoro shop)!

I've lived in Kobe(where I spent my childhood) where has this sort of architecture. Also visited mansions in Newport RI many times. Therefore any of them didn't feel anything new to me. But considering the historical aspect, they, indeed, have values and it is definitely worth a trip if you weren't exposed to this kind of things. Admission wasn't that pricey - 600yen. It has nice view from the top of the hill. And also they have escalators that goes to the top. Quite an elderly friendly place.

If you are a cat lover (like me), do not enter the garden from the main entrance, but go straight to the SECOND GATE at the top of the hill by taking a tram to Ishibashi terminal and take a ride on Golver Sky Road https://www.yelp.com/biz/グラバースカイロード-長崎市 . You will meet several cats before reaching the second gate. 猫が好きな人なら正面の入り口じゃなくて第2ゲートを目指そう．電停で石橋まで行って，グラバースカイロードで頂上を目指してね．

Located on Minami-Yamate Hill in Nagasaki Pref, Glover Garden has nine Western buildings including the Glover's Residence built in 1863 by a Japanese carpenter Koyama Hidenoshin. This mansion is Japan's oldest wooden Western-style building, which is generally believed to have been the scene of Puccimi's opera, Madame Butterfly. Inside the park is the life-size statue of the famous opera singer, Tamaki Miura, who received international acclaim for her performances as ChoCho-San in Madom Butterfly .

Spectacular view. A lot of history here and good place to get a good view of Nagasaki! Wow..Me and my wife love this place. We took the side street from Sasebo to Nagasaki. This is the best way to see the beauty of Japan! The view by the water side and house by the water.. We love it! Will be back here.