The day day started, as usual…6.30am despite only getting to bed after midnight. I don’t know why my body doesn’t want to sleep any longer?! Could have also been the alcohol from yesterday? I laid in bed for another hour, contemplating life and travels and how good it is to be outside my comfort zone for an extended period. I also looked ahead for Monday and where I would go next after Nagasaki and I was sure now that doing some island hopping was for the best to skip past urban areas and also use some Kyushu ferries.
I got up around 8.30, shower and ready to descend onto the nearest Starbucks for some coffee and blog writing. I strolled up into town to get to the mall where I’d surely find a Starbucks. Before that I had Japanese breakfast in a nearby Izakaya-style restaurant which did some amazingly good and affordable food. For ¥1,200 I had a huge piece of fish, miso soup dumplings rice. That was just the est and filled my up for the next 8h! Then I went to the get coffee and I don’t know what it is but I order the same thing and the prices fluctuate between ¥540 and ¥585, even though Starbucks doesn’t have different prices across Japan, I think. After some blog writing I was excited to check out Nagasaki Museum of History & Culture, a must see if you’re ever going to Nagasaki.
As I strolled to the museum, I spotted a small barber shop and and decided to get a haircut. I’ve never had a haircut in Japan and it was a great experience. The barber asked for ¥3,000, pretty much the same as I’d pay in London. We went through some pictures on the internet as he needed to know what I wanted. We agreed on short sides and a trim on the top. I was wrapped into multiple layers of towels and covers so no hair would fall down into my shirt, a hot towel wrap for my head to get things started and a shave to finish off. That felt really good and I was set to continue my hike up Nagasaki’s hilly side streets.
The museum was nothing short of spectacular, if you’re into museums... The exhibits covered lots from around the time of Nagasakis encounter with the West (the Portuguese got here in 1543, by accident blown off course on their way to China), to covering the period that ensued, in particular Nagasakis role in being the portal to the West and also to China. It’s culture, advancements in medicine, technology, science, construction and so much more flourished through these exchanges. At the same time, these influences also brought with it different religions, both from China and from Europe. In both cases, Japan’s rulers were aiming to control the movement of religious ideas and people, often confining them to specific quarters like the Chinese quarter in Nagasaki and also controlling where these new religions could be taught. The first Christian missionaries arrived in 1549, leading to the first warlords being converted to Christianity. Eventually, this led to various power struggles in regional domains as the converted elite would then convert or even burn down Shinto or Buddhist Shrines in favour of their new-found religion. But eventually, Christianity was repressed under Hideyoshi and the succeeding Tokugawa Shogunate, leading to the well-documented torture and crucifixion of the “26 Martyrs” in 1597 to discourage Christianity. After that in 1638, an estimated 37,000 were killed in the Christian-led Shimabara rebellion. In the 50 years that followed, the shoguns pretty much eradicated Christianity from Japan. It took until the 1840s and 50s, the opening of Japan to the West, when Christian ideology would return to the country, along with huge Western influences again across various domains, from science to food to technologies. The museum had exhibits on a great variety of relics from the past and Nagasaki’s role as the only Japanese port open to trade with the West.
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| Communication technology came to Japan |
The highlight however was a role play enacted by local volunteers, dressed in old style clothing and hairstyles, re-enacting a quarrel between a few locals during the kite flying session, which led to a number of people being brought before the local magistrate to arbitrate the case. This was a 10 minute play in Japanese that had the museum visitors in stitches as it was brilliantly enacted and so funny.
After the museum I hiked some more uphill to see Suwa Shrine and local parry and viewing platform, whilst having a call with one of my best friends (Hey Anne!!!). Gosh, Nagasaki is really hilly!!!
This was then followed by a visit to a pharmacy to buy some big plasters to cover the sore areas of my bum tomorrow so they wouldn’t get worse or ideally heal, and dinner: Ramen time!!! I had an extra helping and extra egg as I was starving after not eating for 8h.
From the ramen place I went back to the hotel, had a short rest and then went out to explore some local bars. This time I started in a craft beer bar where I met a fellow traveller, an American guy who’s in the Army. We chatted for a good 2 hours, joined in by the staff and other travellers. This was fun, I do enjoy human contact and speaking English when I’m otherwise just left to my own thoughts. As the bar was very pricey, we decided to go to another bar for a ‘last drink’. We found a cool little jazz bar where we did indeed have …one more last drink, or two…or 4? I can’t remember but eventually we parted ways after midnight as I headed back to the hotel, very tipsy and also very happy.
Overall, Nagasaki is a really friendly, welcoming place with a historic international community and a good number of things to do and see. Very highly recommended!
My tear soaked sleeves
are like rocks in the offing.
Even at low tide
you never notice them,
nor can they ever dry.
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