The Nagasaki Station area includes a number of key sights that are all within easy reach of the train station. It's a busy nexus of shops, skyscrapers, streets and alleyways not far from the harbor. Of most interest are the 26 Martyrs Memorial, with info and relics from a crackdown on Christianity; Shōfuku-ji, with its lovely gardens; and Fukusai-ji Kannon, a turtle, a goddess and a pendulum.
The 26 Martyrs Memorial features reliefs commemorating the six Spanish and 20 Japanese crucified in 1597, when authorities cracked down on practising Christians. The youngest killed were boys aged 12 and 13. Behind the memorial is a simple Christianity-related museum .
The gardens of the temple Shōfuku-ji contain an arched stone gate dating from 1657. It's worth the significant uphill climb to reach the palm-filled inner court and main building, dating from 1715. Also note the interesting onigawara (ogre-covered wall) and sacred kiln used for the ceremonial burning of disused Buddhist scriptures.
Fukusai-ji Kannon is in the form of a huge astral turtle carrying an 18m-high figure of the goddess Kannon. Inside, a Foucault pendulum, demonstrating the rotation of the earth, hangs from the top.
