Monday October 26, Nagasaki, Dutch Dejima Erea

Monday October 26

Gray, but later real sunny and nice weather. No more rain and jacket today! :-)

Nagasaki, Dutch Dejima Erea

The Japanese breakfast is mainly rice with some flavor and tea. Its enough, we will buy some food later anyway. We first walk to the former Dutch district, Dejima. An island build by the Japanese, when they closed all contact with the external world, except for the Netherlands. For more than 2 centuries the Dutch were the only one trading and sharing knowledge of the Western world with Japan. The Dutch helped laying the foundation of today's modern Japan. This island shows the former Dutch buildings and the way they were used. Also historic artifacts found are displayed and explained. Very interesting area and, as a Dutch, kinda proud on what has been achieved here. Much VOC influence. I even see a real cannon from 1640, build in Amsterdam, my native town. Cool thoughts to see that here.

Nagasaki, Atomic Bomb Museum

We take street car number 1 and get out near the memorial park. We watch the sober park with some statues. There are here, just like in Hiroshima, many school children in groups visiting this site. More than in Hiroshima, you see the paper folded crane bird hanging near monuments. Also in the Atomic Bomb Museum, you see both the paper birds as groups of students. The price is 200 Yen (Hiroshima was 50 yen) for entrance fee. The museum has some more movies here in Nagasaki than Hiroshima. Horrifying pictures and film are displayed of the scenes after the blast and the victims in those days, weeks and months after. The bomb used on Nagasaki was much more powerful, no wonder it was called the fat one. 1/3 of the town was wiped out in 1 blast. The biggest Cathedral in Japan, build in 30 years was wiped out in 3 seconds. In this museum they do explain a bit more about the Japanese having many wars for many years with multiple countries (Korea, China, US, UK, etc). The museum makes you a bit sad, of course. They end the tour with the programs where they try to get rid of atomic bombs and nuclear testing in the world. You can sign up to request Barrack Obama to pay a visit to Nagasaki, so he sees what atomic bombs do with a city, country, people, so he speeds up fulfilling his promise to get rid of atomic weapons in the world. I signed up for it. Hope Barrack reads this ;-)

We go back to the hotel to get rid of some stuff we carry (bags, photo and video gear) and rest a little. Around 6pm we head towards the China Town here in Nagasaki, an 1 hour walk. We take some little side streets and where I see Japanese eating in a Chinese restaurant, we hop in. It turns out to be a lucky shot, the food is delicious! Sweet & Sour pork, garlic oiled chicken, vegetables, rice and more. We are stuffed and we roll back, downhill to the hotel. During our walk back, we bump into Mister Donuts and buy some cool flavors for tomorrow in the 4 hour train ride towards the East side of this Island, Oita, near Beppu. Alarm will ring at 7 tomorrow to catch the trains.

Greetings, Marcel mailto:PhotoKingH@gmail.com