Glover Garden, on a hill in the Minamiyamate district overlooking Nagasaki harbour, is an open-air museum of Western-style residences built by the foreign merchants who settled here after Japan opened to the world in the mid-nineteenth century. Its centrepiece is the former home of Scottish trader Thomas Glover — the oldest Western-style wooden house in Japan — a graceful bungalow whose owner played a key role in Japan’s rapid modernisation, from shipbuilding to industry. Around it, other relocated Meiji-era mansions of merchants and diplomats sit amid landscaped gardens, ponds and terraces, furnished to evoke the elegant lifestyle of the era, with sweeping views over the harbour and city. Escalators help visitors up the slope. Romantic and scenic — and long linked in local lore to the opera Madame Butterfly — Glover Garden is one of Nagasaki’s most popular sights.
🗓️ At a Glance
| Location | Minami Yamate, Nagasaki |
| Hours | ~8:00–18:00 (later in season) |
| Admission | Paid (low) |
| Time needed | 1–1.5 hours |
| Best time | Year-round; spring flowers |
What to See
- Glover House, Japan’s oldest Western-style wooden home.
- Elegant relocated Meiji-era merchant mansions.
- Landscaped gardens, ponds and terraces.
- Sweeping views over Nagasaki harbour and city.
Combine Your Visit
- Combine with the Dutch Slope historic street nearby.
- Pair with the Siebold Memorial Museum close by.
- Read our Nagasaki overview .
Getting There
- By tram: to Ōura-Tenshudō stop, then uphill.
- On foot: in the Minamiyamate hillside district.
Tips
Use the escalators up the hillside and start at the top, then wind your way down through the houses and gardens with the harbour views. Take time inside the furnished Meiji-era mansions and look for the heart-shaped stones set in the paths, and combine your visit with the nearby Dutch Slope and Ōura Church for a half-day exploring Nagasaki’s foreign quarter.
