Nagasaki

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Arriving around lunchtime after another great experience on the Japanese railway system, we found ourselves on the station concourse enjoying the free entertainment provided by a dancing troupe in colourful (and short) costumes. These girls were like cheerleaders, but I'm not sure who they were cheering for. The public transport system???? Is that why the trains are so brilliant? Is there a show on at every station at lunchtime to boost staff moral??

After the show, we hauled our suitcases up and down the overpass stairs so that we could catch a tram to our accommodation. The hostel is good, however it is slightly more frayed around the edges than other places we have stayed. The staff were excellent, settling us in, and pointed us in the direction of a place to eat lunch. We ate a traditional style soup, which was intereresting but I'm not sure it would be in my top ten meals so far.

We jumped back on a tram to go and spend the afternoon at Peace Park and the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. Along with thousands of paper cranes everywhere, hundreds of school kids on excursion provided a chattering backdrop to the experience. There was a different atmosphere at these places, compared to Hiroshima, and I guess the grey skies did make things feel slightly more gloomy. Artefacts, photographs, videos and lots of information painted a more gruesome picture, I think.

The next day:

Eleanor writes: Today I went to a stinky volcano with Dad. We had to block our noses because Unzen smelt like rotten eggs. We arrived in a parking lot that cost 1000¥ for 5 minutes and dad freaked out!!!! When we were walking a little route we found some bubbling water and smoke coming out of it which was apparently called sulphur (my science lesson for the day was over): ( We also drove to a lookout at Unzen to see Mt. Fugen and the wind nearly swept me off the mountain. We didn't get to walk up the mountain because it was too windy, so the cable cars were broken. When we finally left Unzen we drove with the annoying sound of the GPS speaking and then got lost in a town were there was no food to have lunch, only a supermarket and 7 eleven. So I bought a pork bun with some chicken from 7 eleven because dad ran out of money, luckily he is going to pay me back in Wong for the tram ticket, dad's coffee and my lunch. We kept driving in a unknown city, and then dad spotted a park so we went there and had a look at the park and went in a mini maze.

Jane writes: Dean was still hankering to see a volcano, so he announced this morning that he was going to hire a car and visit one that was only an hour or two away. I knew there would be stinkiness involved, maybe some hill climbing, probably poor food choices and at the very least, some questionable driving. I declined the offer and spent the day relaxing. First up, laundry. Went to a laundromat just down the road and basically wasted a bit of cash there. I could have dried the clothes faster by blowing on them, so I had to bring them back wet to the hostel to hang on the clothes line (which, was on the fifth floor with no elevator). Not having a lot of fun, but managed to peg them down so they wouldn't blow away in the gusty conditions. I walked into Chinatown, the shopping district and around the port area. Despite the sunny skies, it was a little cool because of the wind. I was planning on going on the ropeway (another cable car) but it was closed because of the wind, so I went back to the hostel and had a snooze. When I went upstairs to check on the clothes, I was nearly blown off the roof. The pegs were holding, but just. A pair of Dean's shorts and his new shirt were leaning over the building, ready to jump. On the way back from afternoon tea, I found Dean and Eleanor in a parking lot trying to work out how much it was going to cost to leave the hire car overnight. A happy family reunion.

A traditional Nagasaki meal of Turkish Rice for dinner involved an interesting combination of food groups. An uber helpful passerby assisted us with the ordering process and we ended up eating a dish that I wouldn't normally associate with Japanese food. Nor Turkish either. Not that it was a bad meal but it certainly wasn't what I expected.

We all woke early in the morning for no particular reason, because there wasn't a rush to catch the 10:20 train. Dean had decided to leave the car overnight so we packed our bags in and drove off towards the station at peak hour. Luckily, it must have been an RDO in Nagasaki because there was very little traffic (there are more cars in Laura Street at 8:30 am). We had to go to a petrol station first, so Dean did a sterling job of negotiating Nagasaki's city streets until we had to turn right into the petrol station. The extremely loud honking of the tram indicated that we had better move quickly or (not sure if it's like Melbourne where the possibility of a tram ramming you up the backside depends on how much coffee the driver has had that morning) we would suffer the consequences. Manouvering like an F1 driver, Dean put his foot down (I put my hands over my eyes) and we ended up in the petrol station, without having to make any claims on insurance. He drove up and we were directed to reverse into the spot. Dean had to seek the assistant's help in finding the petrol cap release button and then we discovered the first of what was to become one of many fiscal issues for the day. We couldn't pay by credit card (nothing unusual there, it's Japan) so we pooled together the family's finances and with Eleanor's 1000 yen note, we confirmed to the attendant that we could actually pay for the petrol (despite not being connected to the world's credit card debt, they have the technology to estimate how much fuel your car needs and then calculate the cost for you). Waved off with the traditional greetings and bowings, the next stop was the station. Dean left us there to fnd somewhere that took card for breakfast. The JR Hotel welcomed Mastercard with open arms, so we forked out a small fortune to fill our bellies.

Arriving in Hakata after an uneventful, but rattling, rail trip we found our way to the bus quickly and alighted with not only passengers for the port terminal, but general commuters. Here's a tip, Hakata Bus Company, put on an express bus that takes passengers with luggage to the Port. After what seemed like 100 stops later, we arrived at the port terminal, hoping that the lovely lady in Hiroshima had translated the Ferry Company's page correctly and booked our tickets on the Beetle. Our fears were unnecessary, we had three seats and all was good, until the next fiscal issue. We had paid for the tickets online by card but there was a fuel surcharge of 1,500 yen per person and a Passenger Terminal fee of 500 yen per person (250 for Eleanor). Luckily we could pay the surcharge by card, however the Terminal fee was cash only at a ticket machine. Once again, we pooled our meagre coins and found that we had enough!!! Although, we would have to go without eating. Sad times. But in our darkest and hungriest hour, the poor excuse for a kiosk in the departure area welcomed our Mastercard!!!! Happy times. A few rounds of sandwiches, a packet of chips, some noodles, kit kats and drinks and we had lunch. Not great, I know, but I dare anyone (who can't read Japanese or Korean) to find something in that kiosk that doesn't contain MSG, flavourings, additives, colourings, octopus, eel and who knows what else. The ferry (hydrofoil to be technical) ride was ok. At the ticket desk, there was a sign saying that you had to wear your seatbelt in case it hit a whale or dolphin. Dean commented that the notice wouldn't be there for environmental reasons - the company would be loath to lose a rudder.

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Photos

Peace statue Nagasaki
Arrived just before a large school group. Sometimes I feel like I'm part of a giant school excursion.

Peace fountain Nagasaki
Got one of the cheeky students to take the photo.

Unzen National Park
The windiest day ever!

Playing in a park
After the stinky volcano experience.

Sayonara Japan
On the hydrofoil to Korea

Comments

[jelly andrews]

Wow! That’s quite an experience you have there. I wish I could travel to those places too. FixturesExpress.com