A man-made island of about 15,000 square meters, Dejima was ordered built by the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1636 to house the Portuguese residents of Nagasaki as a way to help stem the spread of Christianity. Later in its life the island also served as the headquarters of the East India Trading Company in Japan. For over two centuries the island served as Japan’s only gateway to Europe of western technology. Unfortunately in the late 19th century, in order to reclaim land in Nagasaki Harbor, the island was merged into Nagasaki. The harbor reconstruction ended up obscuring the islands originally location. In 1922 however, the island was labeled a national historical site and reconstruction was started. Now for the first time in 130 years the stone bridge that used to connect the island to Nagasaki will be rebuilt. The new bridge will cost ¥560,000,000, be 38 m long, and weigh about 50 tons. The design of the bridge will include a wooden floor and handrails with lights lining the bridge. It is planned to be finished in November. Nagasaki City is hoping tourists will enjoy the feeling of entering the island the same way it was done back in the Edo period. Source: Asahi Shinbun, 2/27
Dejima official website: http://nagasakidejima.jp/en/#
Video on official fb: https://www.facebook.com/nagasakidejima/
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