Blogs from Nagasaki, Japan, Asia - page 5

I'm really liking this town, it surprises me how much I can get accomplished here. I'll just say it's my Southern charm, though that's doubtful too. :) I finally have the time to get to know the guys who work for me a little better, so I decide to roll the dice. Am I ready for this? Probably not, but I'm always up for a challenge. Care if I tag along for dinner? "Sure Ma'am, come on." Lots of eyebrows raised. Can L.T. hang? I don't know, the looks just seem to scream at me. These kids have no idea the things I could do in college. It's on!!! They settle on fried rice for dinner, so we go to a nice little restaurant that boasts great gyoza, noodle soups and fried rice. They're not ... read more

Finally made it to Sasebo, Japan. This place is such a culture shock and difference from anything I've ever experienced. It's beauty, racism and efficient work all rolled into one. I guess I'll take the good with the bad though. I heard so many mixed reviews of Japan, but most seemed to agree that they didn't like Sasebo. So, I tried to go in with as much of an open mind as I could muster. We pulled in on a Monday morning, getting to the pilot pick up point at about 8am. For anyone who doesn't know, I'm supposed to go up to the bridge to make sure the guys put up the flags at the right time. Honestly, I'm not needed by any stretch of the imagination, but it's really neat to watch the dance ... read more

24th Feb While steaming away from Brisbane we thought that it was about time-as we had a couple of days at sea- to become domesticated and properly unpack and place all those empty cases under the bed. Judi enjoyed watching the sea whilst ironing- made it almost a pleasure. 25th Feb Early rise as we were to be sailing through the Whitsunday islands. We were quite excited at the imminent visual delights; however we sat next to a strange Australian man during breakfast who nattered constantly so we missed most of them. He was a poor soul! With a Foo-manchoo beard, he claimed to be a scientist who was out to save the world. Even though he had a broken back from tumbling off a motorbike in the Australian outback at age 18, he said he ... read more

After a busy 24 hrs with Chihiro in her lovely MANSON flat in Saitama prefecture, I planned to head southwards to Kyuushuu, on　Sunday morning. The trip to Nagasaki was fast! Not a patch on some other trains in the world, the Hikari shinkansen whisked me from Tokyo central to Nagasaki via Shin osaka and Hakata, the terminus of Fukuoka station at the northern most part of Kyuushuu. The trip of 900km took about 8 hrs, that is including some stops of up to 40 mins where I felt it a good to fix the cock up of getting the incorrect adaptor plug for my digital camera. So　I got an adaptor for an adaptor!! Apart from a big PHEW! at getting on the remaining train to nagasaki in a hairs breadth at 5pm after grabbing some what ... read more

Ever wonder what a Dutch village would look like if constructed in Japan? ...Well, a Dutch village of course, packed with Japanese tourists! There are windmills, tulips (in spring), wooden shoes, Japanese restaurants, canals, tall ships, museums highlighting the Dutch-Japanese history, classic European cars, and little Japanese kids running around yelling "Sugoi!!!" ("Wow!!!"). It is quite the site! This past Saturday I was down in Nagasaki watching a friend play baseball and decided that while I was in the area I would check out Huis Ten Bosch ("House in the Forest"). With beautiful blue skies and a temperature of around 25 C, it was the perfect day to 'escape Japan' and travel to the Dutch-inspired grounds. Constructed in 1992, this reconstruction of a Dutch village offers everything from beautiful gardens, bicycle rentals, and cute riverside cafes ... read more