Friends of Japan Series: There and Back Again…a few times: A JET Story Part 1 B - Laurence Inniss
2021/5/4
Friends of Japan Series: There and Back Again…a few times: A JET Story Part 1 B - Laurence Inniss
Part 1 B: Nagasaki
More than just an atomic bomb site.
Take a trip down south of Japan but not all the way because you’ll end up in the ocean or hopefully on one of the beautiful islands of Okinawa Prefecture, instead you’ll find on the North Western corner of the Kyūshū island, Nagasaki prefecture. Comparable in area to the island of Trinidad and in population to Trinidad and Tobago, Nagasaki Prefecture boasts a beautiful landscape and many cultural sites. If you love the big city life then maybe it won’t be for you but there’s lots to do and see including the one and only robot hotel. Called me biased if you like, but Nagasaki remains one of my favourite places in Japan.
Nagasaki Prefecture has so much culture and history to go with the beautiful nature it makes it hard not to love. Did you know Christianity was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in the 1500s? This Christian influence spread to Nagasaki shortly thereafter and you can still see the evidence of this in by the churches that still stand today. The quaint port town of Hirado was also one of the earliest and major foreign trading posts with the West (Portuguese) starting in the mid 1500’s. It took me by surprise when I found out that it was supposedly the birthplace of the first Japanese English dictionary.
Fun tidbit: If you are familiar with the Shougo Amakusa character from Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X) anime, that story arch and character was loosely based on a real person from the Shimabara/Amakusa Rebellion, which took place on a group of islands to the right of Nagasaki city.
Sasebo, is another port town in Nagasaki. It is home to one of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s bases as well as one of the US Navy’s 5 bases in Japan. This makes the town somewhat more “Westernized” than other prefectures in the Kyushu region. There are many restaurants serving international cuisines available and establishments that are likely, not guaranteed to have English speaking staff.
Visitors should definitely check out Kujukushima (99 Islands). There are many more than 99 but the name is meant to signify “uncountable”. You can book a cruise and tour the islands up close or you can view them from Mt Yumihari which overlooks the islands and its waters. It is most beautiful at sunset. As I mentioned in my previous telling, Sasebo also hosts the very popular Yosakoi Festival which attracts crowds from nearby cities and prefectures.
There’s so much more to this corner of Japan but I hope I have sparked your interest in somewhere new and why I found myself there.
Mini-Series Contents
Part 1: There
1A: The journey, 1B: Nagasaki
Part 2: Back again
2A: Back again – prologue, 2B: Back again
Part 3: …A few more times
3A: Jet Alumni, 3B: And then…
Friends of Japan Series: There and Back Again…a few times: A JET Story Part 1 B (Japanese Embassy Facebook)
More than just an atomic bomb site.
Take a trip down south of Japan but not all the way because you’ll end up in the ocean or hopefully on one of the beautiful islands of Okinawa Prefecture, instead you’ll find on the North Western corner of the Kyūshū island, Nagasaki prefecture. Comparable in area to the island of Trinidad and in population to Trinidad and Tobago, Nagasaki Prefecture boasts a beautiful landscape and many cultural sites. If you love the big city life then maybe it won’t be for you but there’s lots to do and see including the one and only robot hotel. Called me biased if you like, but Nagasaki remains one of my favourite places in Japan.
Nagasaki Prefecture has so much culture and history to go with the beautiful nature it makes it hard not to love. Did you know Christianity was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in the 1500s? This Christian influence spread to Nagasaki shortly thereafter and you can still see the evidence of this in by the churches that still stand today. The quaint port town of Hirado was also one of the earliest and major foreign trading posts with the West (Portuguese) starting in the mid 1500’s. It took me by surprise when I found out that it was supposedly the birthplace of the first Japanese English dictionary.
Fun tidbit: If you are familiar with the Shougo Amakusa character from Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X) anime, that story arch and character was loosely based on a real person from the Shimabara/Amakusa Rebellion, which took place on a group of islands to the right of Nagasaki city.
Sasebo, is another port town in Nagasaki. It is home to one of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s bases as well as one of the US Navy’s 5 bases in Japan. This makes the town somewhat more “Westernized” than other prefectures in the Kyushu region. There are many restaurants serving international cuisines available and establishments that are likely, not guaranteed to have English speaking staff.
Visitors should definitely check out Kujukushima (99 Islands). There are many more than 99 but the name is meant to signify “uncountable”. You can book a cruise and tour the islands up close or you can view them from Mt Yumihari which overlooks the islands and its waters. It is most beautiful at sunset. As I mentioned in my previous telling, Sasebo also hosts the very popular Yosakoi Festival which attracts crowds from nearby cities and prefectures.
There’s so much more to this corner of Japan but I hope I have sparked your interest in somewhere new and why I found myself there.
Mini-Series Contents
Part 1: There
1A: The journey, 1B: Nagasaki
Part 2: Back again
2A: Back again – prologue, 2B: Back again
Part 3: …A few more times
3A: Jet Alumni, 3B: And then…
Friends of Japan Series: There and Back Again…a few times: A JET Story Part 1 B (Japanese Embassy Facebook)