The days started annoyingly early again at around 6.30. I could have totally slept some more but I just woke up and couldn’t get back to bed. I tried sleeping again and rested for another hour or so before I got up, same as usual, some water +Magnesium and because I was in a hotel, some nice English breakfast tea. As the cusps were so small, I shuffled my tea bag between 2 cups of hot water (wouldnt want to waste this precious good). After tea I checked out the route for today, pretty straight forward with around 60km to Nagasaki. I was excited to see this town after I heard so many things about it. The most obvious one that large parts were destroyed by the atomic bomb that the US dropped on the city in 1945. I just couldn’t imagine what a city looks like that had to endure such a catastrophe, from the loss of life, cultural capital and infrastructure. I also heard it was a very friendly port town with many influences coming together. I booked another 2 nights in a cheap hotel ¥6,000 (£38) to give my body some more rest and a break from cycling.
The day before I dropped some laundry with the hotel and knew that I could get it back at 11am, but I went down to ask if it could be ready any earlier. The friendly staff at reception said that they will try but also that it was with an outside company nearby. This meant I would most likely stay here until then. A good time to completely unpack ALL my stuff, evaluate how to re-pack, throw some stuff I no longer needed, there wasn’t much, just a small cardboard box and the contents were distributed elsewhere. I’m still contemplating whether to leave my “The Buddha and the Badass” book somewhere as this is probably something like 400g and any weight I can save is weight I don’t have to carry around with me. I decided to keep it. I then repacked my bags, ready to go.
I checked todays route to Nagasaki and it didn’t seem too bad with 60km, of which I carefully chose only the coastal routes, needing to navigate using mainly Google maps for pedestrians, but staying on main roads vs any shortcuts it’s gonna suggest. Next up was breakfast. I knew the hotel did all you can eat buffet style breakfast but I balked at the ¥3,300 price tag (£20). I tried looking for a cheaper place nearby but nothing was open and I still had another 2h till eleven, which made me just go “what the hell, you only live once”! Breakfast was AMAZING, just like dinner, there was so much choice. I went for grilled fish, veggies, miso soup, rice and then lots of fruit. I definitely felt like I got a good deal by the end of it :) and I didn’t need to stop anywhere and can just focus on cycling.
I left the restaurant at 10.30 and strolled to reception. Luckily my laundry was already there and I could go ahead and grab my things and check out. This was by far the most expensive stay so far ¥24,800 (£155) with room, dinner, breakfast and laundry and I knew that this was a one off. Totally over my budget. But given the circumstances, the best decision regardless.
A friendly staff member showed me to my bike, which had its own parking spot in front of the hotel. As I couldn’t leave from here, I had to take the bike through the main lobby and leave from the back entrance and back onto public roads as everywhere else was theme park and no public access. No problem, as I left and turned around I could still see the staff member waving. What a goodbye.
I felt great and got onto my bike and off to Nagasaki. After a few kilometres I could feel that I could no longer sit comfortable. Bad images of cycle sores came to my mind as it could only be this. It’s something that afflicts my cyclists on longer distance rides but I’ve never had it before. I blame the less than optimal trousers I had to buy before the trip as my proper cycle gear got “tidied up somewhere”. I didn’t think it was poor hygiene, even though in hindsight I knew that my shorts needed cleaning and I also didn’t have any antibacterial creme (chamois creme) that would have been the thing to remember. Oh well.
The Kilometers flew by, stopping occasionally for water, the usual helping of strawberries, cucumbers and a tuna riceball and mocha (rice cake stuffed with red bean paste). Eventually the roads got busier and sadly also narrower with lorries blasting last me. I stopped to turn on my regular rear light and re-attached an additional rear y outer bag, all flashing in alarming red hoping that cars would take more distance. It seemed to work.
After about 3h I got to Nagasaki, which gave me an average cycling speed of 20km/h and much better than I thought considering the many hills that often bring me to close to standstill but with the downhills making up for it where I must be doing around to 50km/h. I had lost about 3-4kg already at least judging from yesterdays weighing in at the Onsen. This feels pretty realistic as I think my daily calorie intake is below my calorie spend, leading to an active daily calorie deficit, alongside the sustained daily exercise. I wonder how much I would lose by the end of the trip. Again, every kilogram I can lose is one I don’t have to carry. My body feels pretty good overall, getting much more toned all round.
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| The coast was dipped in heavy clouds all day, so beautiful! |
My first stop was the Nagasaki peace park, established to promote world peace and to warn of the dangers of atomic bombs, especially now when threats of nuclear war between Russia and The West were already making head,Ines in English tabloids. I arrived at the top entrance of the park and left my bike and all my luggage in a hidden corner. I came in from the north and immediately came upon the main statue. A man pointing up to the atomic bomb that was dropped and sideways, towards peace (according to the sculptor), the sign explains it better. I could see some Japanese standing in front of it and folding their hands to prayer. I was overcome by a strong emotion about what happened here nearly 80 years ago and a few tears rolled down my cheeks. 73,884 people lost their lives, 74,909 people were injured and 120,820 people were left homeless, out of a population of 240,000 people, on that fateful day of 9th August, 1945 when the US American B29 bomber „Bockscar“ dropped its deadly cargo over the city with the bomb exploding 500m above ground, razing structures to the ground and a blast zone of 4 Kilometers, levelling buildings across a radius of 7 square Kilometers or 1300 football fields..
Emotional and thoughtful I continued through the park towards the fountain, past many donated sculptures from around the world, even one from the East German Democratic Republic (GDR). It looked like a sculpture that was easily recognisable amongst the many socialist sculptures I had seen growing up in East Germany, esp. in larger cities like Dresden or Berlin.
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| What’s left of the old prison walls, razed to the ground by the blast. |
After the park I continued to my hotel, which was in downtown Nagasaki, close to the food and entertainment districts Doza-machi and Shianbashi.
The hotel staff were great and locked my bike in the office as I wouldn’t be using it till Monday. I was looking for an Onsen but at ¥1,800 I decided to just use the hotel bath. After that I went out to get some food and explore the area. I eventually settled on Ramen, something I hadn’t eaten since getting to Japan (on the night). As someone who doesn’t eat meat, Ramen is a bit controversial but …when in Japan, we‘ll go with the flow a little bit and Nagasaki Ramen is famous so I had to try. I was super delicious and I had an extra helping of 2 fermented eggs and extra noodles. The person next to me suspiciously slurped his ramen quietly, leading me to believe that he’s a foreigner. I said hello and my suspicion was confirmed, he was from Malaysia and visiting Kyushu for 1 week, speed trip across the whole island only stopping in mayor cities. We had a good chat and it felt nice to talk to someone again. I then walked around the district a bit, enjoying the bustling atmosphere of locals and foreigners. There were soooo many bars, restaurants and shops. I wonder what this place must have been like back in the 1800s. I decided to by a „one cup sake“ glass, literally a small glass of sake for ¥160 or £1 and enjoying it whilst talking to one of my best friends from back home. I then stumbled upon a foreigner bar almost opposite the ramen shop. Immediately upon entry a friendly Japanese local started chatting to me and welcoming me to the bar. The bar was owned by a Kiwi and super friendly with all drinks costing around ¥500 or £3, whether beer or cocktail. I decided to stay and had a few Gin Tonics and chat to the many people that came in. Gosh, this was a bit overwhelming as I hadn’t talked so much in a week. I talked to people from Kazakstan, Fiji, India, Japan, Norway and Italy, all having a good time here in Nagasaki, whether they were studying, working or just passing through, like me.
One memorable chat was with a Doctor in Marine biology from Fiji who’s been a Japan resident for many years. We talked about life goals and that he wanted to retire in his 50s and that you don’t need much for that if you’ve got a house somewhere we’re you can grow your own food, like he can in Fiji or here in Japan. He told me about this trend here with people buying up derelict or old houses for next to nothing (£10K) and doing them up. With Japans aging population, more and more old houses are coming available in all regions of Japan. Gosh, I’d love to have a house here somewhere in the countryside with access to a city and come here once every year…
I left the bar around midnight, just as it got really busy. I was well beyond my bedtime, keeping barely awake. Before I left, the friendly guy from Fiji helped me with my onward travels, as I didn’t want to go through 2 days of cities but stay in nature. This will mean using 2 ferries to keep going south. This was perfect as I didn’t know where I was going to go next, after Nagasaki.
This was a great day and I slept like a baby. Tomorrow, exploring Nagasaki and giving my bum a rest to heal plus doing some more laundry, eating and exploring.
As evening draws near
in the field before the gate
the autumn wind visits,
rustling through the ears of rice,
then the eves of my reed hut.
Was für ein toller Tag für dich
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