... and the same could be said of these distinctive peach doors, with Chinese reds rather than Japanese vermillion or muted colors. This is a great city to wander around and explore - be sure to give yourself a few days to do it justice. A final note: not all of Nagasaki's Chinese culture is visual. Most people head to Chinatown at mealtime to sample chanpon, a delicious mixture of meat and vegetables in broth (the word has now come to mean a mixture, generally of languages). When it's good, there are few things more delicious... so be sure to have it in a restaurant that's famous for it - the extra cost will be well worth it.

A-bomb history, Christianity and trading ships would be enough to make Nagasaki a special place... but to me the most distinctive thing about the city is that, in so many parts of it, you simply don't feel like you're in Japan anymore. This side wall in one of the temples is a perfect example: it's much more reminiscent of Southeast Asia than anything in Japan...