Blogs from Nagasaki, Japan, Asia

First steps into Kyushu see me in the largest city namely Fukuoka and trying to navigate my way out of the world's (seemingly) largest train station. Find my way out I did and was even able to find my hotel successfully even though there were three buildings of the same name on the same street!!! The temperature was notably higher here than I had experienced previously which made it an effort to do anything but I mustered up some energy and took myself off to hunt out the nearby shrines and temples as well a strange game going on in the park that looked like a cross between golf and croquet. It got so hot by the middle of the afternoon that they had started handing out free ice lollies near to the station and I ... read more

Dag 4 alweer! Wat gaat dat toch hard! vaak een dag voordat de rest hem ziet - dat komt omdat wij ieder commentaar eerst moeten accepteren om spam te voorkomen. Allereerst iedereen bedankt voor jullie commentaartjes! Wij kunnen ze allemaal goed lezen, al duurt het bij dit blog. Vandaag moesten we om 8 uur 's ochtends bepakt en bezakt klaarstaan om door te trekken naar Nagasaki. Onderweg zouden we Okawachiyama en Hirado aandoen. Er stond een bus voor ons klaar die ons de hele dag zou brengen naar waar wij wezen moesten. Over onze koffers hoefden wij ons dus gelukkig niet druk te maken. Wat vooral geweldig was aan deze dag, was dat de plekken waar wij kwamen totaal niet toeristisch zijn. Wij waren dus de enige buitenlanders en dat is heerlijk. We zien wat van ... read more

From outside the restaurant seems small and intimate, like the entrance to a house. A rectangular pond has been dug flat into the pavement. There are goldfish in it and little else- orange flames on the surface, flickering slowly over weeds. There is a fat stone slab for a bridge. A Sushi menu hangs by the door. The writing is red; Japanese characters on laminated white. Some are black, and when you look closely the black ones are in fact scratchy drawings: big fish, small fish, eel, octopus, squid, shrimp, and a prawn. I have to duck to get inside. The first room is dark and buzzing with excitement. From somewhere I can hear laughter- a roar, high pitched screams, clapping and singing. From the kitchen comes the hot waft of a deep fat fryer. I’m ... read more

When entering Nagasaki, you almost feel as though you are back in Europe. The port and thickly-wooded hills provide the backdrop, as trams effortlessly slide through the streets and exposed wires hang down bustling side alleys. Cafe culture thrives. Lisbon, San Francisco and Naples are all cities that come to mind, and are referred to proudly by locals as points of reference. It is therefore hard to believe that just 65 years ago, 4 square km of this vibrant city was flattened, and pain and sorrow brought to so many in an incident that changed warfare forever. At 11.02am on the 9th of august 1945, the 'Fatman' nuclear bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, the second bomb to be dropped on Japan after Hiroshima's only days previously. Ironically, it was only by a twist of fate that ... read more

After a frantic race across Shanghai, I boarded my flight to Fukuoka, and eagerly anticipated the arrival. I had recently read 'Hokaido Highway Blues' by Will Ferguson, which had given me a fascinating insight into the Japanese psyche.I have always been intrigued by Japan; it has always seemed to be a country that has it's own unique culture and mentality, and I couldn't wait to experience it for myself. I was therefore a little surprised to be subject to a thorough inspection at customs, with my bag emptied out onto the conveyor belt and dissected for the world to see. However, the official looked as embarrassed as me to see a wet towell, novelty boxer shorts and a champagne cork come tumbling out, and hastily sent me on my way! I arrived at my hostel, and ... read more

I don't know exactly how big Nagasaki is, but it has to be quite big for taking us two hours from NGS airport to the place we were going. Our hotel was the Victoria Inn, just a few steps away from China Town. After our two minutes taxi ride from the bus stop to our hotel we finally were at our final destination. There, we were to meet another MCI engineer who had checked in at the hotel sometime before us, the same day. We already had a reservation, so it was just a matter of checking in. The people at the counter were very helpful and courteous, and they spoke English well enough, they offered us to carry our luggage but we refused, we just wanted to get the day over with. We thank them ... read more

When our train arrived at Nagasaki station the only bit of history we knew about the place was that the second atomic bomb was detonated there on 9 August 1945. At the time I was two months short of my second birthday and Kev was a babe in arms at not quite six months old. Now that we are about to leave we know a lot more about this fascinating city. Arriving at our hotel around midday, since our room would'nt be ready until 3pm, we left the bags there and headed off to discover a little bit of Nagasaki. It was perfect weather for walking, around 22 degrees with a slight breeze and hardly a cloud in the sky. After a short stroll around the dock area not far from the hotel we caught a ... read more