Hirado Dutch Trading Post (Hirado Oranda Shokan)

Published: Jun 1, 2026

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Dutch trading postVOCHiradoreconstructiontrade history

Hirado Dutch Trading Post (Hirado Oranda Shokan)

Before Dejima, the Dutch East India Company maintained its Japan headquarters in Hirado from 1609 to 1641. The reconstructed Hirado Dutch Trading Post (2011) is a red-brick warehouse built on the original foundation using period construction techniques documented in VOC archives. The interior contains artifacts from the Hirado period — trade ledgers, navigation instruments, and personal items of Dutch merchants.

Hirado's advantage over Dejima is the landscape — the trading post sits on a harbor hillside with unobstructed views of the strait that allowed monitoring of arriving ships. The combination of reconstruction accuracy and dramatic setting makes this the more evocative of Nagasaki's two Dutch heritage sites.

Opening Hours

8:30 AM – 5:30 PM | Evening illumination visible until 10:00 PM

Closed: Open year-round

Entrance Fee

¥310 adults | Combined ticket with Hirado Castle: ¥820

Best Season

Year-round | Evenings for the red-brick facade illuminated over the Hirado Strait

Visit Duration

45–60 minutes

Getting There

Access Information

1110 Sakikata-cho, Hirado City. 10-minute walk from Hirado Port. Hours: 8:30–17:30. Admission: ¥310. Combined ticket with Hirado Castle: ¥820.

Insider Guide

Premium

**Why the Dutch left Hirado:** The museum's second floor explains the 1641 forced relocation to Dejima — the Tokugawa shogunate's suspicion of Christian influence (the Dutch were Protestant but associ