Greetings arise naturally
in a narrow alleyway.
The Minamiyamate area,
located to the south of the city centre,
was a place where foreigners were permitted to reside
after Japan opened its doors to the outside world.
With limited flat land in Nagasaki, the population grew alongside industrial development,
and people moved higher up the mountains
in search of residential land.
The slopes came to be known as the Hill of Humanity.
The landscape of Nagasaki, known as ‘the city of hills’, is defined by its characteristic sloping streets.
During the Meiji period, when Nagasaki was home to a foreign settlement, the city was lined with hotels, bars, and billiard halls, creating a landscape that felt more like a foreign country than Japan. Before the war, terraced fields once spread across the slopes, but with the post-war period and rapid economic growth, people gradually moved in, and the fields were transformed into residential areas.
From the top of the hill, the sound of ship horns echoes across Nagasaki’s harbour.
At Tsukurutei, a 75-year-old traditional house that has been opened to the public, visitors can view photographs collected from across Japan that depict the daily lives of the people of Nagasaki, offering a glimpse into the town’s historical transformations. While enjoying tea made with a teapot or brewed through cold infusion, which is distinct from the traditional tea ceremony, and accompanied by Japanese sweets, guests can engage in conversation with two locals who live in Nagasaki.
Tsukurutei, a traditional house built on a hillside, has become a place that connects visitors to Nagasaki with the local community. While enjoying a cup of tea, guests reflect on life in the hillside areas, immersed in the everyday experiences that define the town’s unique way of living.
Tsukurutei, a renovated 75-year-old traditional house, operates as a community space. With its stunning view of Nagasaki Port, it showcases the unique charm of hillside living, offering visitors an authentic experience of Nagasaki’s distinctive way of life.
Haruna Nishida was born and raised in Nagasaki. She runs Shuka, a Japanese tea shop near the Megane Bridge, and is a Japanese tea instructor who holds classes across the country. Through her work, she shares the beauty of Japanese tea and the ability it has to bring people together.
Photographs from the past collected from across Japan on display at Tsukurutei.
Many narrow alleys which were once fields and are impassable by cars still remain.
From the 1960s onwards, houses gradually expanded up the narrow farm paths of the hillside. With the mountains and sea in close proximity, the homes are clustered around the harbour, creating the stunning nightscape that has earned recognition as one of the New Three Great Night Views of the World. However, with the ageing population, the number of vacant homes has been steadily increasing.
Originally from a rural farming community in Oita, Iwamoto was living alone in an apartment in Nagasaki when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. His involvement in volunteer work following the disaster made him realise the importance of community connections. As he was contemplating moving, he happened upon an empty house in the hillside area of Minamiyamate, and decided to settle there. From his new home, he can watch ships crossing the harbour. In the narrow alleys, a simple greeting is exchanged as neighbours pass by. Iwamoto continues his work in the community today, determined to share the charm of hillside living in which the traces of human life are so apparent with as many people as possible.
Tea brings moments of relaxation and encourages conversations.
Tsukurutei
Address: 13-24 Minamiyamate-machi, Nagasaki
Parking: None
