Nagasaki (unknown date)

The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (left) and the Nagasaki Hotel on the Oura-Sagarimatsu Bund in Nagasaki, Japan. Early 20th century postcard.The Nagasaki branch of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank was closed in 1931. The Nagasaki Prefecture purchased it in 1940 and converted into a police station. Later it became a museum. It still stands today and is a National Important Cultural Asset. The Nagasaki Hotel was built in 1898 and considered to be one of the best Western-style hotels in the Far East. The hotel was forced to close in 1924 when the number of visitors to Nagasaki sharply declined as a result of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905 and the economic depression of the early 1920's. Soon after, the building was demolished.An ad for the hotel in a 1903 edition of 'Murray's Handbook for Travellers in Japan', at a time when the hotel was managed by B. Bay, boasts that its is 'delightfully situated and commands a fine view of the beautiful Nagasaki Bay & Harbour." The rates were acceptable according to the ad, "Tariff Moderate, Special Terms allowed for a prolonged stay."