JAPAN | Star Navigator Cruise Shore Excursion Nagasaki Tour
Monday, October 27, 2025
It took almost two full days to cruise from Keelung City in Taiwan to Japan’s Nagasaki. It was gonna be our first stop for our 6D5N StarDream cruise aboard the Star Navigator. En route, we spent our time exploring the nooks and crannies of the ship, enjoyed the onboard entertainment, and pigged out on its food offerings—both at the free inclusive restaurants and those worth splurging on.
Nagasaki calmly slid across my room’s balcony as I awoke on the third day of our voyage. A peaceful welcome to our first destination in Japan.
| STAR NAVIGATOR NAGASAKI SHORE EXCURSION TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ WHAT’S INSIDE? |
BOOKING A STAR DREAM CRUISES TOUR
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| A TEMPLE IN NAGASAKI |
StarDream Cruises is the new branding for Resorts World Cruises. It has since reverted back to its classic names, Star Cruises and Dream Cruises.
Star Cruises offer one of the most affordable cruises in Southeast Asia. It has two ships, the Star Voyager and the Star Navigator—which we are currently on.
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| VISITING NAGASAKI’S DUTCH SLOPE ON OUR OWN |
Booking a cruise isn’t as complicated as one would probably assume. Here are the steps:
1. Head over to the Star Dream Cruises website.
2. Click on “Deals”, then choose “Current Deals”.
3. Choose a ship you want to cruise on.
4. Click “Any Destination” or any specific destination you want to go to.
5. Choose your preferred departure port.
6. Choose the month you want to cruise.
Note that they also have numerous promos that you can avail right before checking out—like a free or discounted booking for the second person joining the cruise. Rates start at USD 379.00.
You can also get an additional discount by using my discount code: lakadpilipinas (small caps, case-sensitive).
One of the things I really like about their cruises is that there is absolutely no need to get a Japanese or Korean VISA (except for their Busan cruise) to join their Japan and Korean cruise.
➤ CHECK OUT: STAR NAVIGATOR CRUISE REVIEW
NAGASAKI CRUISE TOURS
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| WALKING AROUND IN NAGASAKI’S HILLY STREETS |
Star Navigator has numerous tours, or in cruise terms, shore excursions, you can choose from. You can see these on the Japan Destination page of the StarDream Cruises website.
Note that each tour has additional fees apart from those you paid for when you initially booked a cruise. Nevertheless, you may also do a DIY tour and explore on your own, if you don’t want to pay the tour fees.
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| A VIEW OF NAGASAKI’S MOUNTAINOUS AREA |
Currently, Star Navigator offers these Nagasaki tours:
The Essence of Nagasaki: Adult NTD1,300 / Child NTD1,300
Unzen Jigoku Park & Hot Springs: Adult NTD2,600 / Child NTD2,300
Nagasaki Historical Tour: Adult NTD1,900 / Child NTD1,600
Nagasaki Family Adventure Tour: Adult NTD1,700 / Child NTD1,600
Huis Ten Bosch Day Tour: Adult NTD2,000 / Child NTD1,800
➤ BOOK NAGASAKI DAY TOURS HERE!
THE NAGASAKI HISTORICAL TOUR SHORE EXCURSION
Not all tours are available for cruisers; this actually depends on how many people are interested in a particular tour. If only a few guests choose a particular tour, then it might get cancelled, and you have to choose another one. We were booked on the Nagasaki Historical Tour, which, as its name implies, touches upon historical sites in the city.
SHORE EXCURSION PREPARATION
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| CHINESE BREAKFAST AT STAR NAVIGATOR’S THE DREAM DINING RESTAURANT |
We arrived in Nagasaki very early, and assembly for the shore excursion was scheduled at 7:00AM. So, just before the appointed time, we made sure we’d already prepared our day bag and had already eaten breakfast. For such days, the inclusive or free restaurants aboard the ship open an hour before the tour. I had a quick breakfast at The Dream Dining restaurant, then quickly headed to the Zodiac Theater, where the assembly for the tour was set.
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| STARTING OUR NAGASAKI GUIDED TOUR |
A tourist bus was provided for us, and after disembarking, we went up the bus and were told to leave things that we won’t need. It turns out our first destination was just walking distance away from the Matsugae International Wharf where the Star Navigator was docked. So, we went back down and followed our guide for a quick walk towards our first destination in Nagasaki.
GLOVER SLOPE
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| IT IS QUITE HOT IN JAPAN DURING THE SUMMER |
Our first stop was the oldest Christian church in Nagasaki, the Oura Cathedral. And to get there, we traversed Glover Slope—an uphill street paved in cobblestones. It was not the Japan that I expected.
On both sides of the streets, Western-style structures dominated the uphill climb, and right at the end of the street, a tall steeple with a cross punctuates the scene. It felt more European than Japanese. This was due to Nagasaki being a trading post with foreigners during the olden times.
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| GOING UP THE GLOVER SLOPE |
The old structures around the area have been converted to shops and eateries catering to tourists visiting the area. One particular shop was beckoning us, with an old lady calling out, “Siopao! Siopao!” She obviously knows we’re Filipinos and offered us a free taste of kakuni manju, or Japanese pork belly buns. It did indeed feel and taste like our very own asado siopao!
➤ SEE: BEST SIOPAO IN METRO MANILA
OURA CATHEDRAL
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| THE OURA CATHEDRAL ALONG THE GLOVER SLOPE |
At its center, the Oura Cathedral stands tall. The Gothic Revival-style church was built in 1864, after the end of Japan’s Seclusion Policy, which prohibited foreigners from entering the country. Its official name, the Basilica of the Twenty-Six Holy Martyrs of Japan, was dedicated to eight European priests, one Mexican priest, and seventeen Japanese Christians who were crucified in 1597 by a Japanese daimyo when Christianity was still being persecuted in the land.
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| THE OLDEST CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN JAPAN |
The church is part of the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region, a collection of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Nagasaki.
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| A VIEW OF THE OURA CATHEDRAL FROM ABOVE |
Roaming around the area and outside the gates of the church is free of charge, but they do collect fees if you wish to enter the church itself.
Oura Cathedral is a modest-sized church, and if ever you wish to climb its seventy-step staircase and enter, you can marvel at its vaulted ceiling, French stained-glass windows, and white marble statue of the Virgin Mary from France.
GLOVER GARDEN
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| YOU CAN DRESS UP IN GLOVER GARDEN |
A few steps from the cathedral is one of Nagasaki’s main tourist spots, the Glover Garden. A paid ticket is required to enter the garden, and our tour guide distributed one to us as part of the tour fee.
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| A TYPICAL WESTERN-STYLE STRUCTURE INSIDE THE GLOVER GARDEN |
Located on the hill facing the Bay of Nagasaki, the garden is a collection of restored Western-style structures used by Thomas Blake Glover, a Scottish merchant, during the 1800s.
Glover’s claim to fame was his contribution to the modernization of Japan, particularly in shipbuilding and mining. He also helped establish the early Mitsubishi Corporation and, more interestingly, the Kirin Brewery Company—the maker of that same Kirin beer you probably guzzled during your Japan trips.
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| THE TOP-MOST AREA IN THE GARDEN |
The estate is huge, and it took about an hour for us to fully explore everything on our own: the colorful gardens and the historic structures—most of which you can enter. It’s so huge, I actually got lost and found myself immediately at the exit gate. So, backtrack I did, and finally found my way to the top of the hill, where a two-story wooden building overlooks a koi pond and the rest of Nagasaki.
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| A VIEW OF NAGASAKI FROM GLOVER GARDEN’S HIGHEST PEAK |
If you’re not into old houses and history, the view of the surrounding area more than makes it worth your while to visit.
➤ GET DISCOUNTED GLOVER GARDEN TICKETS HERE!
HAMAMACHI SHOPPING ARCADE
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| A TRAM IN NAGASAKI |
Finally boarding our tour bus, we proceeded to the Hamamachi Shopping Arcade for lunch and shopping time.
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| HAMAMACHI SHOPPING ARCADE |
The shopping arcade is typical of Japan’s shopping streets, which are roofed—protecting shoppers from the elements. This one at Nagasaki is almost half a kilometer long and has almost 200 shops to spend your yen on. It has the popular Don Quijote shop, so most of my companions headed straight there. I also spotted a couple of 100-yen shops.
While I would happily roam around and look for second-hand shops selling Evangelion Asuka and Rei figures, we have other things on our mind—ramen.
CHINATOWN & THE NAGASAKI CHAMPON RAMEN
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| THE NAGASAKI SHINCHI CHINATOWN, THE OLDEST OF ITS KIND IN JAPAN |
And that brought us to the nearby Chinatown.
The Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in Japan, and it also houses some of the most notable shops offering champon ramen—Nagasaki’s very own noodle soup. This type of ramen was originally made by a Chinese immigrant, hence its location in Chinatown.
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| QUEUEING UP FOR LUNCH AT THE OHZURU RESTAURANT |
Upon finding Ohzuru restaurant—a 65-year old restaurant serving champon—we immediately queued up and waited to be served. After what seemed like forever, two huge bowls of ramen were slid across our table. But wait, is this really ramen?
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| NAGASAKI’S FAMOUS CHAMPON RAMEN |
The soup was milky white; there are bits of meat and seafood on top along with strips of veggies. It does not look like your typical Japanese ramen at all. The taste is a cross between Filipino sopas and chop suey. It does taste how it looked—milky with a distinct vegetabley aftertaste. And there is this certain crunch with every bite due to the bean sprouts.
While it may not make the list of my most favorite ramen in Japan, it certainly ranks as the most unique one I’ve had.
➤ SEE: MERCURE HIDA TAKAYAMA REVIEW
NAGASAKI PEACE PARK
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| THE NAGASAKI PEACE PARK |
Nagasaki is infamous for being one of the two cities in Japan bombed by a nuclear bomb during the Second World War. And the highlight of our Star Navigator shore excursion to Nagasaki was a visit to the actual area where the bomb dropped.
The Nagasaki Peace Park, which opened in 1955, is a commemorative tribute to the 73,884 killed and 74,909 injured when the second atomic bomb was dropped in Japan. It also aims to spread and inspire peace throughout the world and stop countries from developing and using atomic weapons.
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| THE NAGASAKI ATOMIC BOMB HYPOCENTER |
The park has numerous sculptures, fountains, and most importantly, the actual hypocenter or ground zero of the atomic bombing—marked by a simple black stone pylon.
NAGASAKI ATOMIC BOMB MUSEUM
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| THE NAGASAKI ATOMIC BOMB MUSEUM ENTRANCE HALL |
What made its mark on me was a visit to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, where artifacts and stories from the bombing are displayed.
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| METAL PAPER CRANES ON DISPLAY SYMBOLIZING A WISH FOR A NUCLEAR WEAPONS-FREE WORLD |
The concentric entry hall of the museum is architecturally stunning, but if you really want to deeply appreciate everything the museum has to offer, you must enter its halls.
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| A REPLICA OF THE “FAT MAN” BOMB DROPPED IN NAGASAKI |
There is a minimal entrance fee, but a visit is very much worth it. I actually left the museum teary-eyed.
➤ BUY NAGASAKI ATOMIC BOMB MUSEUM TICKET HERE!
FREE TIME
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| LOVELY AFTERNOON WALK AT THE DUTCH SLOPE |
We were all herded back to the port where the Star Navigator was docked. But there were still a few hours left before the call time to board the ship, so we decided to explore on our own.
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| A CONFUCIAN SHRINE IN NAGASAKI |
We checked out the Dutch Slope, where more Western-style old houses stand. And just before boarding, I went for a quick trip to a local grocery to get some unique beer cans for my collection, and of course, packs of Japanese instant ramen!
➤ SEE: TRAVELODGE NAGOYA REVIEW
BACK ON THE STAR NAVIGATOR
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| BARBECUE PARTY ON THE TOP DECK OF STAR NAVIGATOR |
We departed Nagasaki with a barbecue party at the top deck of the Star Navigator. It was a buffet of grilled shrimp, crabs, mussels, sausages, and steaks—all for free! We paired everything with cold beer and watched from the top deck as the lights of Nagasaki faded into the horizon.
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