Blogs from Nagasaki, Japan, Asia - page 6

For one and a half day i visited nagasaki. The city with a rich history as a trading city but also with its fate as the second atomic bomb target. the first day i visited my roots, the dutch slopes. This is the area where the dutch traded with japan. It's funny to know that the dutch where the only one trading with japan for many years. In the evening i traded also something, my book, wich i had finished was traded with another book, 'de vliegeraar'. the second day i visited the hypocentre of the a-bomb, the peace park and the memorial museum. This was very impressive and i found out that i didn't know a lot of these tragic history. the whole area was very impressive and it makes it even more impressive that ... read more

Nagasaki... some facts... it grew to become an international port city in the 16th century and still retains Portuguese, Dutch and Chinese influences. During Japan's 200 years of national isolationism (17th-19th centuries), it was Japan's only window on the rest of the world. In 1945 it was the site of the second atomic bomb during WWII. We had a sombre afternoon at the Atomic Bomb Museum and Memorial Hall. It's really very weird standing at the hypocenter, the exact spot of the blast. We wandered around the streets of sleepy little neighbourhoods and cafe-hopped to warm up. It's still really really cold! We visited some of the sites. Oura Cathedral - oldest Christian church in Japan, built by French missionaries; Spectacles Bridge - because, well, see the photo; Dejima Wharf - former foreign settlement and trading ... read more

It is amazing how quick a week can pass when you are out enjoying yourself. It was with mixed emotions that I checked out from the room which had been my base for the past week, knowing that from this day on the trip would shift into high gear, as I would stay in no less than five cities the coming week. I was also a bit torn about leaving Fukuoka in the middle of the Kyushu Basho, but on the other hand I was also looking forward to seeing a little bit more than half naked men tugging at each other's nine meter silk belts (Liar! Heresy!). The first destination on my list was Nagasaki. Although I at first considered going to Hiroshima I instead opted for Nagasaki as it was a much closer location ... read more

Maybe the #2 most beautiful place in the world, second only to Canada. ... read more

It all started as a telephone conversation on a cold and dreary Tuesday evening, when Lisa and I realizing we didn’t want to stay in Hiroshima for the long winter weekend. Our disposable cash flow was running low, putting us in quite the predicament. Times like this we wished we didn’t live in one of the most expensive countries in the world. Reviewing a map, our list of places to still-visit was short, and most locales were quite a distance away, involving lots of yen to get there. We made up our minds to go to Nagasaki, but how in the world would we get there without breaking the bank? Do as Jonathan would do- hitchhike! Indeed it was on my list of ‘Things to do Before Leaving Japan’ and would be a great adventure for ... read more