{"id":12895,"date":"2018-05-20T08:00:50","date_gmt":"2018-05-19T23:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=12895"},"modified":"2020-03-27T10:54:29","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T01:54:29","slug":"kyushu-nagasaki-chinatown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/kyushu-nagasaki-chinatown\/","title":{"rendered":"Nagasaki Chinatown \u2013 See the Oldest Chinatown in Japan!"},"content":{"rendered":"
Chinatowns<\/strong> all over the world offer a taste of Chinese culture and cuisine in the most unlikely places. These areas usually hold a long connection to China and the Chinese population residing in them.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Nagasaki<\/strong> has long had a Chinese influence and a small population. As the only port open to foreign trade during the 200 year-long “Sakoku” closed borders policy<\/strong>, which banned foreign traders and travelers from Japan,\u00a0Nagasaki became an important centre for Chinese traders.<\/strong>\u00a0Chinese traders were active in the area as early as the 15th century.<\/p>\n Even though Nagasaki was “open” to trade there were heavy restrictions on foreign nationals, these included a night curfew on Chinese residents preventing them from leaving the Chinatown area. Restrictions on foreigners was circumvented in some cases such as the Dejima<\/a>\u00a0Island<\/strong> on which Dutch traders lived<\/strong>, did business and could not leave.<\/p>\n Today Nagasaki Chinatown (Shinchi)<\/strong> is a shopping and eating area with Chinese architecture and imagery. The town covers a number of blocks and its narrow streets are a pleasure to explore. Gates with ornate Chinese designs guard the entrances to the town.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Nagasaki Chinatown<\/strong> can boast the title of the oldest Chinatown in Japan<\/strong> having been established in the 17th century. The land on which the town rests was originally reclaimed land for building warehouses, mostly used by Chinese traders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are numerous restaurants selling Chinese cuisine and local dishes<\/strong> such as c<\/strong>hampon noodles<\/strong>. There is also n<\/strong>ikuman<\/strong> available, the pork buns popular in Japan<\/strong> and available in most\u00a0konbinis<\/strong>, which are actually Chinese in origin.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n