Hirado

Hirado, once the departure point for Japan's missions to Tang Dynasty China, is also the birthplace of Zheng Chenggong of the Ming Dynasty. It is one of Japan's earliest ports to witness the history of the Age of Exploration. In 1550, Portuguese ships first arrived in Hirado, followed by the establishment of trading posts by the Dutch and the British, until Japan closed its borders in 1639. Hirado was the origin of Japan's first sweet potatoes, bread, tobacco, paint, Western medicine, and beer🌊