May 1-2, 2008,
Arrival in Nagasaki
I arrived after 12 midnight at the Nagasaki bus stop on May 2. I was a bit disoriented, so much, so that instead of the bus pass, I groggily handed the calling of the Japanese guy I met on the airplane to the bus driver instead of dropping the bus pass into the slot. *Blush*
Joy took pity on me and ushered his wife Benjie and I and my luggage into a taxi. Although usually its not bad to walk as their place is not that far away, I think at half past midnight and with my again empty stomach howling protestingly, Joy made a wise choice.
My embarrassment went away at the sight of the dishes that Benjie had prepared for me.What a lovely midnight dinner and opportune welcome to the city!
I had wonderful fresh salad greens and fruit (topped with that deliciously nutty taste..sesame seeds were they?...was it called goma?), a variety of sushi which I dug into like the tamago, slices of vibrant orange salmon of which I was the first to taste, fluffy and shining, tempting Japanese rice, a dessert where we debated about if it was pudding or custard or ice cream...In fact I think I inhaled the food...
After unpacking and talking about the events of the day, added with some apology of having to make them sleep later due to my delayed flight, I finally clambered up the ladder and into the softly beckoning futon on the loft-bedroom. Ang CUTE! "KAWAII" as the Japanese would say.
The next day, since I had to work to cover Europe since my teammates were having a holiday, and so my hosts waited for me to finish my emails and other work before we went out for a whirlwind of short sightseeing. It was a bummer being the supposed beginning of my vacation but oh well, as long as I could still finish cleaning up the other queues before 5 pm there could still be some time left for me to go around or eat something.
I am so lucky to have Benjie and Joy as my hostess and host respectively..not only did they patiently wait for me to finish (and they didn't eat lunch too as they promised we'd eat together). However, due to the amount of emails I had to contend with, I could only let go of my laptop after merienda time..so consequently our stomach pets got starved as a consequence..and we didn't eat at all until we finished visiting Glover..luckily it was an eat all you can place for dinner...but then...*considers* I had to rush back to the house for the phone conference with my team and another's...and that was another funny story...
Most of the time, I got food pushed at me from all directions...from breads, to chocolates, castelle and all kinds of interesting edible stuff (we couldn't read the kanji) that Benjie found at the Himawari Market located directly across the apartment.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Nagasaki doesn't have a castle or hot spring spas or a famous garden.
But it IS charming. In fact, I heard that many people in Japan, both local and foreigners consider this city as one of the country's most beautiful cities. How wonderful that this would be the first city I would visit in the company of people I've known for a long time and who I've broken bread with so many times already.
Recall that only Nagasaki was allowed to be opened to the world in the 200 years or more of Japan's self-imposed isolation from the outside world. This city reminds me of the Philippines in the sense of intermingled cultures. The harbor of Nagasaki is very active, home as it is to the Mitsubishi shipyards.
GETTING TO NAGASAKI:
Aside from the usual airplane trip from other parts of Japan which I will not elaborate anymore, you can go by bus like I did last night from Fukuoka airport, or you can also depart from Hakata Station in Fukuoka since they have trains going to Nagasaki twice every hour. This train trip from Fukuoka takes about 2 hours.
If you come from Tokyo, just take the Shinkansen to Hakata Station and change trains. Total time would probably be 9 hours all in all (budgeting time for the transfer, timing etc.) including the trip from Fukuoka to Nagasaki.
If you come from Osaka, again take train. JR Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen from Osaka to Fukuoka's Hakata Station and then do a train transfer. I had used JR's Kamome (limited express train) when I went from Nagasaki to Fukuoka so it must be the same thing. Osaka to Nagasaki may take 4.5 to 5 hours depending if you are using Nozomi or Hikari trains and if you can make the timely transfer work for you.
GETTING AROUND:
Use the streetcars or use your feet :-) If you go for buses, unfortunately destinations are in Japanese only at this time, but..gambatte (you can do it!) if you are willing to try!
The streetcars cost 100 yen to ride no matter how far you go. You pay at the front of the tram when you get off. You can transfer to another line (they have four lines) only at Tsukimachi Station.
You must tell the driver you want a transfer ticket (noritsugi) at that stop upon disembarking from the first streetcar, otherwise you must fork out money again for another ticket each time you board. Streetcars run from around 6:30 am to 11:30 pm.
Check out official website link for Nagasaki City: http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/index_e.html
SOME OF THE PLACES YOU OUGHT TO SEE:
Oura Catholic Church -
Declared a National Treasure as it is the OLDEST wooden church of gothic architecture existing nowadays in Japan. Built in 1865 by French missionaries.
{I didn't go inside as the entrance fee was I think 600 Yen, but had a souvenir pose in front of it}
Peace Statue at Peace Park (Hirano-Machi) -
A picture of the statue is in one of the links I posted which came from Benjie's site. The right hand points upward and the left hand points to the..uhm...left. The upward direction warns of the atomic bomb threat, while the left hand stretching is a symbol for eternal world peace. The statue's closed eyelids express consolation for the war's dead.
{I wasn't able to visit *sigh*}
Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum -
At August 9, 1945 11:02 am, the world's second atomic bomb exploded above this hypocenter and it was three times more powerful than the bomb dropped in Hiroshima. It missed the main city and fell on a village on the outskirts of town. Around 150K people (representing more than 3/4 of the population) of Nagasaki died.
{I missed this too although I have seen the pictures...in a way I am glad I didn't have to see it as I would feel depressed at the many lives lost as a price of war}
Sofukuji Temple -
This is Nagasaki's most famous temple. Chinese residents founded this in 1629. Main Hall and first gate are designated as National Treasures. A fascinating thing to see would have been the temple's gigantic cauldron..said to be built by a priest during the 1680's terrible famine to cook enough "lugaw"..este porridge to feed more than 3K people per day.
{Waaah, I missed visiting this due to lack of time}
Site of Martyrdom of the 26 Saints -
The 26 Christians were crucified on Nishizaka Hill on February 1597 since they were still practicing their religion despite the ban on Christianity at this time.
{I'm just not good at being enthusiastic about sad events so I missed this too}
Glover Garden -
Designated as an Important Cultural Asset. The houses overlook Nagasaki Harbor. Glover House is the oldest western-style wooden house existing in Japan. {Shots in the next album I will post...the gardens and views were a sight for sore eyes accustomed to staring at laptop screens}
Spectacles Bridge (Megane-bashi) -
This is one of the city's most photographed bridges as it is the oldest stone-arched bridge in Japan and...funnily enough is named after the reflection of its arches on the water. Benjie and I were laughing on how they tried to see how it came to be called Spectacles Bridge as you cannot always see the reason (meaning you cannot always see the image of the spectacles).
Site of the Former Dutch Trading Post on Dejima -
Dejima was a tiny man-made island built in 1636. This is where Europeans where to live in the attempt to control the spread of Christianity. It was Japan's only open gateway to Europe for approximately more than 200 years.
Arrival in Nagasaki
I arrived after 12 midnight at the Nagasaki bus stop on May 2. I was a bit disoriented, so much, so that instead of the bus pass, I groggily handed the calling of the Japanese guy I met on the airplane to the bus driver instead of dropping the bus pass into the slot. *Blush*
Joy took pity on me and ushered his wife Benjie and I and my luggage into a taxi. Although usually its not bad to walk as their place is not that far away, I think at half past midnight and with my again empty stomach howling protestingly, Joy made a wise choice.
My embarrassment went away at the sight of the dishes that Benjie had prepared for me.What a lovely midnight dinner and opportune welcome to the city!
I had wonderful fresh salad greens and fruit (topped with that deliciously nutty taste..sesame seeds were they?...was it called goma?), a variety of sushi which I dug into like the tamago, slices of vibrant orange salmon of which I was the first to taste, fluffy and shining, tempting Japanese rice, a dessert where we debated about if it was pudding or custard or ice cream...In fact I think I inhaled the food...
After unpacking and talking about the events of the day, added with some apology of having to make them sleep later due to my delayed flight, I finally clambered up the ladder and into the softly beckoning futon on the loft-bedroom. Ang CUTE! "KAWAII" as the Japanese would say.
The next day, since I had to work to cover Europe since my teammates were having a holiday, and so my hosts waited for me to finish my emails and other work before we went out for a whirlwind of short sightseeing. It was a bummer being the supposed beginning of my vacation but oh well, as long as I could still finish cleaning up the other queues before 5 pm there could still be some time left for me to go around or eat something.
I am so lucky to have Benjie and Joy as my hostess and host respectively..not only did they patiently wait for me to finish (and they didn't eat lunch too as they promised we'd eat together). However, due to the amount of emails I had to contend with, I could only let go of my laptop after merienda time..so consequently our stomach pets got starved as a consequence..and we didn't eat at all until we finished visiting Glover..luckily it was an eat all you can place for dinner...but then...*considers* I had to rush back to the house for the phone conference with my team and another's...and that was another funny story...
Most of the time, I got food pushed at me from all directions...from breads, to chocolates, castelle and all kinds of interesting edible stuff (we couldn't read the kanji) that Benjie found at the Himawari Market located directly across the apartment.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Nagasaki doesn't have a castle or hot spring spas or a famous garden.
But it IS charming. In fact, I heard that many people in Japan, both local and foreigners consider this city as one of the country's most beautiful cities. How wonderful that this would be the first city I would visit in the company of people I've known for a long time and who I've broken bread with so many times already.
Recall that only Nagasaki was allowed to be opened to the world in the 200 years or more of Japan's self-imposed isolation from the outside world. This city reminds me of the Philippines in the sense of intermingled cultures. The harbor of Nagasaki is very active, home as it is to the Mitsubishi shipyards.
GETTING TO NAGASAKI:
Aside from the usual airplane trip from other parts of Japan which I will not elaborate anymore, you can go by bus like I did last night from Fukuoka airport, or you can also depart from Hakata Station in Fukuoka since they have trains going to Nagasaki twice every hour. This train trip from Fukuoka takes about 2 hours.
If you come from Tokyo, just take the Shinkansen to Hakata Station and change trains. Total time would probably be 9 hours all in all (budgeting time for the transfer, timing etc.) including the trip from Fukuoka to Nagasaki.
If you come from Osaka, again take train. JR Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen from Osaka to Fukuoka's Hakata Station and then do a train transfer. I had used JR's Kamome (limited express train) when I went from Nagasaki to Fukuoka so it must be the same thing. Osaka to Nagasaki may take 4.5 to 5 hours depending if you are using Nozomi or Hikari trains and if you can make the timely transfer work for you.
GETTING AROUND:
Use the streetcars or use your feet :-) If you go for buses, unfortunately destinations are in Japanese only at this time, but..gambatte (you can do it!) if you are willing to try!
The streetcars cost 100 yen to ride no matter how far you go. You pay at the front of the tram when you get off. You can transfer to another line (they have four lines) only at Tsukimachi Station.
You must tell the driver you want a transfer ticket (noritsugi) at that stop upon disembarking from the first streetcar, otherwise you must fork out money again for another ticket each time you board. Streetcars run from around 6:30 am to 11:30 pm.
Check out official website link for Nagasaki City: http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/index_e.html
SOME OF THE PLACES YOU OUGHT TO SEE:
Oura Catholic Church -
Declared a National Treasure as it is the OLDEST wooden church of gothic architecture existing nowadays in Japan. Built in 1865 by French missionaries.
{I didn't go inside as the entrance fee was I think 600 Yen, but had a souvenir pose in front of it}
Peace Statue at Peace Park (Hirano-Machi) -
A picture of the statue is in one of the links I posted which came from Benjie's site. The right hand points upward and the left hand points to the..uhm...left. The upward direction warns of the atomic bomb threat, while the left hand stretching is a symbol for eternal world peace. The statue's closed eyelids express consolation for the war's dead.
{I wasn't able to visit *sigh*}
Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum -
At August 9, 1945 11:02 am, the world's second atomic bomb exploded above this hypocenter and it was three times more powerful than the bomb dropped in Hiroshima. It missed the main city and fell on a village on the outskirts of town. Around 150K people (representing more than 3/4 of the population) of Nagasaki died.
{I missed this too although I have seen the pictures...in a way I am glad I didn't have to see it as I would feel depressed at the many lives lost as a price of war}
Sofukuji Temple -
This is Nagasaki's most famous temple. Chinese residents founded this in 1629. Main Hall and first gate are designated as National Treasures. A fascinating thing to see would have been the temple's gigantic cauldron..said to be built by a priest during the 1680's terrible famine to cook enough "lugaw"..este porridge to feed more than 3K people per day.
{Waaah, I missed visiting this due to lack of time}
Site of Martyrdom of the 26 Saints -
The 26 Christians were crucified on Nishizaka Hill on February 1597 since they were still practicing their religion despite the ban on Christianity at this time.
{I'm just not good at being enthusiastic about sad events so I missed this too}
Glover Garden -
Designated as an Important Cultural Asset. The houses overlook Nagasaki Harbor. Glover House is the oldest western-style wooden house existing in Japan. {Shots in the next album I will post...the gardens and views were a sight for sore eyes accustomed to staring at laptop screens}
Spectacles Bridge (Megane-bashi) -
This is one of the city's most photographed bridges as it is the oldest stone-arched bridge in Japan and...funnily enough is named after the reflection of its arches on the water. Benjie and I were laughing on how they tried to see how it came to be called Spectacles Bridge as you cannot always see the reason (meaning you cannot always see the image of the spectacles).
Site of the Former Dutch Trading Post on Dejima -
Dejima was a tiny man-made island built in 1636. This is where Europeans where to live in the attempt to control the spread of Christianity. It was Japan's only open gateway to Europe for approximately more than 200 years.
- May 18, '08 1:23 AM
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ReplyDeletechitoirigo wrote on May 18, ’08, edited on May 19, ’08
More than any other place in the world, I think Nagasaki evokes the most memories, mostly sad, about war and its the stupidity.
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cuh888 wrote on May 18, ’08
chitoirigo said
More any other place in the world, I think Nagasaki evokes the most memories, mostly sad, about war and its the stupidity.
its unavoidable that when one hears “Nagasaki” or “Hiroshima” most people would have images of a horrible explosion flooding their minds…
but Nagasaki now as I see it has recovered beautifully and I am thankful that it is the first city I came to spend my first days in Japan, that it wasn’t Kyoto or Tokyo at all – because it is a very beautiful city, and contrasting this with images of what happened in WW2, I would only like to see the kind of climbing back and standing up that this city did for cities in the Philippines.
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cuh888 wrote on May 18, ’08
I also passed by Hiroshima on the way to Osaka and unfortunately wasn’t able to stop and get off due to my imposed schedule. But I would like to do so some day. If Nagasaki was the second city (and hopefully the last city EVER) destroyed by an atomic bomb…then Hiroshima with its distinction of being the first city is also very historic.
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bubu34 wrote on May 19, ’08
very practical naman yan…
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bubu34 wrote on May 19, ’08
it’s nice Japan with it’s residential houses, usually kasi I only the cities from pics..
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ReplyDeletebubu34 wrote on May 19, ’08
have they not mistaken you for a Japanese woman? Say, are they friendly too?
What about cherries, it must be on season now right?
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cuh888 wrote on May 19, ’08
bubu34 said
it’s nice Japan with it’s residential houses, usually kasi I only the cities from pics..
ah..image ko of Japan is one which matched what I saw in Gion..hehehe…
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cuh888 wrote on May 19, ’08, edited on May 19, ’08
bubu34 said
have they not mistaken you for a Japanese woman? Say, are they friendly too?
What about cherries, it must be on season now right?
well..let’s see…people talked to me in Japanese..but I think thats how they really do it..regardless if foreigner ka (pwera siguro if puti)
there were really times na nag-E-English na ako, tapos sinasagot pa rin ako in Japanese..hehehe…
I think the Japanese are basically courteous and polite…so Nonz, when you ask me about friendliness part..I would say that my answer depends on how you would define it.
I am sure in Europe or the US since people are more direct you would feel they are more “friendly”…in Japan, I think while they are willing to help, they will not approach you directly…coz that may be considered rude to them.
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cuh888 wrote on May 19, ’08
bubu34 said
What about cherries, it must be on season now right?
hmm…di ko nakita…I only visited the grocery during the Nagasaki stint but I didn’t drift off to the fruits section..and while in Tokyo, isang beses lang din ako at ang nakuha ko are blueberries…which wasn’t as sweet as I had hoped it would be..pero ok na rin
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bubu34 wrote on May 19, ’08
cuh888 said
they will not approach you directly…coz that may be considered rude to them.
actually, there are situations here in Europe where they hesistate to extend help, thinking that you might not need it, so they wait that one asks…
I believe that Japanese people have different approaches and mentality…
My friend Kazuko while in the Phils. was so sweet…almost like any Filipina
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cuh888 wrote on May 19, ’08
bubu34 said
actually, there are situations here in Europe where they hesistate to extend help, thinking that you might not need it, so they wait that one asks…
I believe that Japanese people have different approaches and mentality…
ReplyDeleteMy friend Kazuko while in the Phils. was so sweet…almost like any Filipina
yung Jap guy din I talked to sa plane was parang Pinoy…(note my Fantastic Fukuoka post)…he works in govt so I can’t talk much about him..but he was fun..he could understand Pilipino (no wonder he chuckled when I said plaintively my bulati were grumbling)…
two guys I met on the train on the way to Osaka were also helpful…one siguro mga mid-30s, another medyo old na…the latter indicated the hook for the coat, pulled out his timetable, the former pointed to the overhead rack for th luggage and spoke some English to me…so oks na rin…a Jap woman helped me out in Kyoto too…later when I get into those posts and pics…
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oselle wrote on May 28, ’08
ang cute naman dyan
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oselle wrote on May 28, ’08
akala ko nag mu-multiply ka…
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oselle wrote on May 28, ’08
Chi-zu.
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cuh888 wrote on May 28, ’08
oselle said
akala ko nag mu-multiply ka…
I wish! tambak ng emails..e isang araw pa lang yon na di ako nag check..imagine if 1 week or more ka naka-leave….*bug-eyed*
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faitherasmo wrote on Jun 9, ’08
Hanep sa cap. =]
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cuh888 wrote on Jun 9, ’08
faitherasmo said
Hanep sa cap. =]
uhm..mahilig kc ako sa beret..feeling as ze french model, qui?