Usual hours and prices, checked 2026-10-04 against the sources under “What this place is”. They can change for holidays and events — confirm before you go. Official site
Our guide
Glover Garden, on the Minamiyamate hillside overlooking Nagasaki harbour, is built around the house of Thomas Blake Glover, a Scottish merchant who helped modernise Japan's shipbuilding, coal mining and more. The Glover Residence, completed in 1863 by Koyama Hidenoshin of Amakusa, is the oldest surviving Western-style house in Japan and an Important Cultural Property. It was where Glover met rebel samurai from the Chōshū and Satsuma domains, and because the house and its setting recall Puccini's opera it is also called the “Madame Butterfly House”; statues of Puccini and of the singer Miura Tamaki, famous as Cio-Cio-san, stand nearby.
Ōura Cathedral Station is about 250 m away in a straight line. Dejima and Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown are both about 1.1 km off. We have not checked opening hours or fees.
Written by japan-spots.com (2026-09-22) from the sources credited on this page. Distances are straight lines between map positions.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence — see credits
- Nagasaki glover 16835805 886671322b o d — Flickr user: Kanko* from Nagasaki, Japan · CC BY 2.0 · source · resized
- Glover Garden Nagasaki Japan38s3 — 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · source · resized
- Glover Garden Nagasaki Japan37s3 — 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · source · resized
- Glover Garden Nagasaki Japan36n — 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · source · resized
- Glover Garden Nagasaki Japan34s3 — 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · source · resized
- Glover Garden Nagasaki Japan31s3 — 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · source · resized
- Glover Garden Nagasaki Japan28n — 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · source · resized
- Glover Garden Nagasaki Japan27s3 — 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · source · resized
- Glover Garden Nagasaki Japan26s3 — 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · source · resized
- Glover Garden Nagasaki Japan19n — 663highland · CC BY 2.5 · source · resized
What this place is
Glover Garden (グラバー園, Gurabāen) is a park in Nagasaki, Japan, built for Thomas Blake Glover, a Scottish merchant who contributed to the modernization of Japan in shipbuilding, coal mining, and other fields. In it stands the Glover Residence, the oldest Western-style house surviving in Japan and Nagasaki's foremost tourist attraction. It is located on the Minamiyamate hillside overlooking Nagasaki harbor. It was built by Hidenoshin Koyama of Amakusa island and completed in 1863. It has been designated as an Important Cultural Asset. As the house and its surroundings are reminiscent of Puccini's opera, it is also known as the "Madame Butterfly House." Statues of Puccini and diva Miura Tamaki, famed for her role as Cio-Cio-san, stand in the park near the house. This house was also the venue of Glover's meetings with rebel samurai, particularly from the Chōshū and Satsuma domains.
Visitor information checked: 2026-10-04 · Official visiting information (1) · Official visiting information (2)
Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What to expect at this type of place: Museum
Nearby station
Nearby station: Oura Cathedral, about 250 m from the spot in a straight line.
Worked out on 2026-09-14 from this place’s map position, using HeartRails Express station data and station names from Wikidata. The distance is a straight line, not a walking route, and says nothing about buses, transfers or timetables — plan the trip on Google Maps.
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