Glover Garden is an open-air museum on the Minamiyamate hillside above Nagasaki Harbor. It is named after Thomas Blake Glover, a Scottish merchant who moved to Nagasaki in 1859 and helped shape Japan's industry. The garden holds several Western-style houses from the 1860s, including the Former Glover House, the oldest surviving wooden Western-style house in Japan. Walk through the rooms to see the furniture and everyday objects, then spend time in the garden and on the harbor views. Go early in the day for the quietest visit.
Thomas Glover and the port
Japan signed treaties in 1858 that allowed trade with five countries, and foreign merchants came to Nagasaki to set up businesses. Thomas Blake Glover arrived from Scotland in 1859 and built his fortune across several fields. He traded goods, worked in shipbuilding alongside what became Mitsubishi, and ran coal mines on islands near Nagasaki Port. Coal from Takashima and from the Mitsubishi-operated Hashima mine, also known as Gunkanjima, helped fuel Japan's industrialization.
Glover is also linked to the founding of Kirin Beer and to Japan's first modern shipyard. He is known for helping some of the revolutionaries who overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate, and his house was the place where he met rebel samurai.
In 2015 the Former Glover Residence was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the Meiji-era industrial heritage sites tied to iron, steel, shipbuilding and coal.
The houses inside the garden
The Former Glover House, built in 1863, is the oldest surviving wooden Western-style house in Japan. Its design mixes a British colonial bungalow style, with stone-floored verandas, with Japanese craft, including plaster walls and tiled roofs. Inside, the rooms display furniture and daily objects from the period, so you can picture how a foreign family lived here.
The Glover Residence stands with the Ringer House and the Alt House, which are both nationally designated Important Cultural Properties. Ringer and Alt were British merchants, and their houses belonged to traders who lived and worked in Nagasaki. Several Western-style buildings from around the city were moved here, dismantled and restored. Their interiors have been recreated to show the daily life of that time.
Glover is said to have inspired Giacomo Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly. Statues of Puccini and of the singer Miura Tamaki, known for the role of Cio-Cio-San, stand in the gardens of the house.
The garden and the views
The garden sits on a hillside with terraces of seasonal flowers and plants. From the top, the view runs over Nagasaki Harbor and the city. Koi carp swim in the garden, and you can buy fish food on site to feed them.
A small café stand serves shaved ice, ramune soda and soft serve. Look for the heart-shaped paving stone in the grounds, a small wish spot that many people search for.
The exit leads through the Nagasaki Traditional Performing Arts Museum, where dragons and floats used in the Kunchi festival are on display.
Getting around the hill
The Glover Sky Road is an elevator that carries visitors most of the way up the hill from the lower area. Entering through Gate 2, riding up and walking down through the garden is one way to see the site. Moving walkways also link the different levels.
The entrance, seating and parking lot are wheelchair accessible. Parking on site is paid. Cruise passengers can reach the garden on foot in about 15 minutes.
Häufige Fragen
Is there an entrance fee?
Yes. The main museum area charges an entrance fee. You can still walk the outer grounds and enjoy the views of the harbor and the old buildings.
Should I buy tickets in advance?
Buying tickets in advance is recommended. Arriving early in the day helps you avoid the largest crowds.
Is Glover Garden wheelchair accessible?
Yes. The entrance, the seating and the parking lot are all wheelchair accessible.
How do I get to Glover Garden?
Take the tram to Ishibashi stop and walk up, or use the Glover Sky Road elevator to climb most of the hill. Cruise passengers can walk there in about 15 minutes.
Is the garden good for children?
Yes. The garden is good for kids, and the elevator and walkways make the hill easier to manage.
