7/5/2004 8:50PM, at a starbucks near the Nagasaki ferry terminal. Nagasaki has overall been a disappointment, but from the ashes of that disappointment a pleasant surprise as well. With the sun bearing down on my head at 11am, the 32 degree heat felt incredibly oppressive. I don’t think I enjoyed any of the traditional tourist sites under those conditions, the Tojin yashiki (original Chinese settlement) included. But after a recuperative nap at the minshuku (and the aircon set to 23 degrees) I discovered that at twilight the sea breezes bring a marvelous coolness to the city. The harbor walk along fishing boats, cargo ships, tugs, and ferries was well maintained and pleasantly lit. Families were fishing, kids were launching fireworks, and I followed the bay until I reached a convenience store. 700 yen bought me a salad, a small bento, and Calpis Water®. If I were staying here longer, I would run the harbor walk every evening.
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Did a strenuous walking loop today that hit Suwa Jinja, Kofukuji, Sofukuji, Megane bashi (eyeglass bridge), the remains of the tojin yashiki, a lovely Kyushu style ramen restaurant, and the partially reconstructed Dutch trading “factory” of Dejima. I have to say, most of Nagasaki is not really ready to go primetime. Construction obstructs proper views of meganebashi, many of the shrines and temples, especially in the tojinyashiki, are unkempt and deserted, and the streets are too narrow for sightseers and taxis to comfortably share. There were some historical signs that would require considerable time for even Japanese to read, but were placed right on a busy thoroughfare where there weren’t even any sidewalks. Between passing cars, I tried to take a picture of them so I could analyze them later. Like I said earlier, very disappointing.
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Two chance encounters today: a snake at Sofukuji, and a self-proclaimed “opinionated” American named Tom who teaches at Ryukyu University. (oh wait, one more! I walked into kofukuji and they were in the middle of inducting a new abbot. quite a fortuitous window into the workings of a zen temple.)
Chinatown is rather small here, and is not actually situated on the site of the old tojinyashiki. Instead, it’s located on the “shinchi” (new district) warehouse zone that was built some time in the 18th century, and some 50 years after the original tojinyashiki was built. Likewise, the so-called “dutch slope” (oranda zaka) is rather far from the original trading settlement of dejima. The dutch slope in fact was the site of the later, post-1859 trading community, but was probably confused in the minds of local residents. It’s all rather confusing to me, but perhaps that’s one of the particular characteristics of Nagasaki. I’m drawn to the hypothesis that the local people were never that clear about the specifics of their foreign visitors, just like Japanese tourists today pay little attention to the specifics of Nagasaki’s cosmopolitan past. The “international” aspects of Nagasaki’s past draw tourists in, but not as specific historical consciousness, but rather as a vague exoticism.
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Kyushu express trains are fabulous. I arrived from Hakata/Fukuoka on the “kamome” limited express, which was about as wide and spacious as a shinkansen, had polished wood floorboards, and plush black leather (synthetic perhaps?) seats. I’ll be leaving on it tomorrow morning as well, at 9:50AM. The other trains heading for different destinations were all unique in color and shape. I’ll try to get some pictures of them tomorrow. Reminds me of the rather cute purple “super yakumo” express that departs from Okayama bound for the sea of Japan.
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what’s the speed record for doing one lap of Honshu by shinkansen?