Dejima was an artificial island constructed in the port of Nagasaki in 1636 to segregate Portuguese residents from the Japanese and control the spread of Christianity.
The Portuguese acted as liaison between Japan and China and their ships would return laden with silk while sugar was the main commodity imported by the Dutch later on. It is thought that this sugar is why Nagasaki’s local cuisine became famous for its lavish use of sugar.
Dejima trading post has been recreated and is most interesting.
AloJapan.com