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Historic Ruins & Heritage

Higashiyamate No. 12 Building

📍 3-7 Higashiyamate-machi, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 850-0911, Japan
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★★★★☆

Quick Facts

Location
Japan, Nagasaki
Category
Historic Ruins & Heritage
Duration
30-40 min
Address
3-7 Higashiyamate-machi, Nagasaki, Nagasaki 850-0911, Japan
Coordinates
32.7326, 129.8700

Introduction

Higashiyamate No. 12 was built around 1868 and is the oldest surviving Western-style house in Nagasaki's Oura and Higashiyamate districts, designated an Important Cultural Property in 1998. It served in turn as the Prussian, Russian and American consulates, then as a Methodist missionary residence; Kwassui Gakuin acquired it in 1941 and gave it to Nagasaki City in 1976. The single-storey timber house is an early Japanese example of weatherboard cladding, with a broad veranda across the front, decorated colonnade posts and, unusually, a Japanese tiled roof. Inside, the Former Settlement Private School Historical Museum displays missionaries' furniture and sideboards and traces the cluster of Christian schools that grew up in Higashiyamate in the Meiji era, among them Kwassui, Chinzei and Kaisei. Admission is free, and it is a short uphill walk from the Dutch Slope.

✨ Highlights

1
Oldest Western House
Built around 1868, the earliest such structure in Higashiyamate.
2
Important Cultural Property
Listed in 1998, restored and opened as a museum in 2005.
3
Three Consulates
Used by Prussia, Russia and the United States in turn.
4
Weatherboard and Japanese Tile
Early Western cladding under a tiled Japanese roof.
5
Missionary School Archive
Missionaries' furniture and records of Meiji Christian schools.
6
Veranda toward Oura Church
Upstairs windows frame the National Treasure Oura Cathedral.

🛈 Practical Info

→Time Needed：30-40 min inside; 1.5 h with the Dutch Slope and neighbouring houses.
→Cost：Free admission, no booking for individual visitors.
→Parking：No car park and narrow steep lanes; come by tram.
→Combine：Walk on to the Higashiyamate houses, Dutch Slope and Oura Cathedral.

Opening Hours

Opening Hours
Monday09:00-17:00
Tuesday09:00-17:00
Wednesday09:00-17:00
Thursday09:00-17:00
Friday09:00-17:00
Saturday09:00-17:00
Sunday09:00-17:00

Closed Dec 29-Jan 3; individual visitors need no booking

Ticket Information

Ticket Information
Free AdmissionFree admission

Groups should phone ahead for a guided visit

Transportation

Tram

6-8 min from the Medical Center tram stop

Bus

Or walk up from Ishibashi via the Dutch Slope

Driving/Parking

No car park; the surrounding lanes are narrow and steep

FAQ

What are the opening hours of Higashiyamate No. 12 Building?

Monday: 09:00-17:00; Tuesday: 09:00-17:00; Wednesday: 09:00-17:00; Thursday: 09:00-17:00; Friday: 09:00-17:00; Saturday: 09:00-17:00; Sunday: 09:00-17:00; Closed Dec 29-Jan 3; individual visitors need no booking

How much is the admission for Higashiyamate No. 12 Building?

Free Admission: Free admission; Groups should phone ahead for a guided visit

How long should I spend at Higashiyamate No. 12 Building?

A typical visit takes 30-40 min.

How do I get to Higashiyamate No. 12 Building?

tram: 6-8 min from the Medical Center tram stop; Bus: Or walk up from Ishibashi via the Dutch Slope; Driving/Parking: No car park; the surrounding lanes are narrow and steep