Trip to Nagasaki (3) - Oura Church and Glover Garden

Next morning, we relaxed at the hotel until 9:00. They provided a great breakfast buffet, including local specialties such as saraudon. It is deep-fried noodles with thick sauce including vegetables and seafood on top. In the hotel, noodles and the sauce were provided separately, so I took some noodles and vegetables in the sauce. The noodles were very thin and crispy, reminding me of snack confectionaries. I wanted to have them at home and wondered if they were sold separately in stores, not with the sauce.

After eating substantial breakfast, we went to Oura Church near the hotel. It is the oldest existing church in Japan established in 1865 and dedicated to the memory of 26 martyrs who were executed in Nagasaki in 1597. It was originally intended for French people living in Nagasaki, because Christianity was still forbidden in Japan.

On March 17, 1865, a group of Japanese people came to Oura Church. They were hidden Christians from Urakami, about 4 km from the church. When Father Petitjean let them in and prayed, one of them came to him and confessed their faith, saying “We have the same hearts as you do.” Then she asked, “Where is the statue of Virgin Mary?”

This is known as “discovery of believers” after more than 250 years of suppression of Christianity. The next year, believers in Urakami donated a great sum of money they had saved in poverty, saying that this was for the God and Virgin Mary. Father Petijean ordered a statue of Virgin Mary to France, which is now at the entrance of the church, as a memory of discovery of believers.

Though I’m not a Christian, I was moved by this history of Oura Church. In 2018, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of “Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region.” It’s a pity that it was prohibited to take pictures inside. As it was a fine day, light coming through stained glass made it more beautiful, and the atmosphere was cozy and warm. This is the entrance ticket of the church with a picture of the alter.

As you see, the admission fee is 1000 yen. It includes entry to the museum outside. In the museum, you can learn about the 26 martyrs and the history of Christianity in Japan and see a short film of the life of Jesus Christ. There is also a shop where you can buy some souvenirs. My mother bought three cans of kompeito, a kind of sugar candy.

The museum was informative. However, I still thought the admission fee was too expensive. It was also unreasonable that you had to pay 1000 yen even if you just wanted to go inside the church itself. I wondered if it was suitable for a church to charge so much money in such a case because I had imagined that churches were open to everyone regardless of his/her economic situations.

After that, we went to Glover Garden adjacent to the church. This area was established as a foreign settlement in the second half of 19th century, and you can see several old Western style houses in the garden. The main residence is that of Thomas Blake Glover, a Scottish merchant who contributed to modernization of Japan. Unfortunately, it was impossible to go inside the house because it was under repair. But it was not so cold outside, and we could enjoy the view toward the port. The weather was fine and refreshing.