Hilly Nagasaki

---

Nagasaki is bustling when I arrived on a train from Beppu. They have a tram system and I just have to figure out which to take for my hostel. I found tram #3 and soon enough I found myself crossing a stone bridge and Akari GH is just on the other side, very easy to find. Reception was friendly and it seems busy, my room is full of backpackers. I need dinner and they directed me to a Chinese restaurant nearby to try out champon, a ramen featuring seafood, pork and veggies in a white salt based broth. Boy what a disappointment, I did not like it! So now I marked it, never try it again even it is a famous dish here.

Sleep came quickly as I was tired and the next morning it was freaking raining! I cant just stay in the hostel, i decided to go downtown and head to the attractions of the city like the Nagasaki Bomb Hypocentre park,around it are also attractions related to that fatal time when the atomic bomb was dropped in the city. The Urakami cathedral, the memorial museum, the atomic bomb museum. The Atomic museum was quite moving, it gave me goosebumps just looking at the photos some people fighting back tears. The museum was packed and am just happy to get out of there and into the rain, walked around aimlessy and then walked back to the centre, I saw a sign uphill leading to the 26 Martyrs memorial, the hike up was tiring and then I get there and its not free to get in so I left!

Walked around the area and then downhill and followed the main road to the train station, I remember a brochure given to me at the hostel about a really nice, posh sento up on the hill, and I thought why not, I deserve some pampering and relaxing, I asked around where the pick up place is and sure enough the shuttle van came and up we go to the top of a hill. I cannot remember the name of the sento but it is very popular, very crowded and I don't know how the hell I get started, I just followed the crowd, the men really as they will lead me to the men's section.



This place was fabulous you can have massage and treatment like a spa and make use of the wet, steam saunas, and hot baths of different temperatures, the funny thing is the dry sauna is huge, like a small theatre and they have a tv set, the boys watching baseball as they sweat away! But the highlight for me was the outdoor facilities, the hot water baths outside with amazing view of the city downhill, wow, here you are butt naked staring at Nagasaki from the top of the hill. It was busy lots of guys chillin' and of course they have a television screen above the baths to entertain you, but they are watching Japanese telenovela so I moved back in. Then before leaving I bought some delicacy, I think it's a bowlful of seaslug meat in wasabi, I know yuck, but it tastes good so I decided to buy some.



Back in the hostel I met 2 Japanese travellers, befriended them and before you know it we are drinking the night away in the hostel, I brought out the slugs and shared it with them, goes down nicely with Asahi! One dude is from Tokyo and we agreed to meet up when I get back there. Oh yeah I also went to the harbor and found some tall ships, on their last day in Nagasaki, they are all departing and crowds cheering them and sending them on their way. Then it rained again so I went back to the hostel. I wish the weather was better because I like Nagasaki, I will make sure to come back here if I ever go back to Japan!

---

Photos

Nagasaki
high tech loo