Nagasaki - First Impressions

Nagasaki is a hilly town on the sea on the western side of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s large islands.  As I rode the bus into town from the airport, I was struck by small clutches of typical tile-roofed Japanese homes nestled in the valleys next to rice fields, lying in wait for the spring planting.  Nagasaki, with a population of about 500,000, is more urban and modern, though with not very interesting architecture. 

Dejima

What does distinguish Nagasaki is its history of diversity.  It was the first place that westerners were allowed to stay, in this case the Dutch, who were confined to a small, man-made island just off the coast.  Today, that island, Dejima, has been absorbed by additional landfill as the city expanded out into the sea and up the surrounding hillsides. Dejima has been reclaimed as a historic site and it was interesting to see the rebuilt or restored homes: tatami mats on the floor, western tables and chairs, and hand stenciled wallpaper with a somewhat Japanese feel.  The best exhibit was of archeological finds – china, pipes, and various tools from both Japan and the west.

Kasen-ji

The Portuguese followed, bringing bread and castella, a pound cake still made here.  They also brought Christianity, which was fine for a while until the area shogun, fearful of its influence decided to ban all Christians, killing 26 to make his point.  Other westerners came, some marrying Japanese and founding companies, whose homes cluster in Glover Park and other areas on the south side of town. The Chinese also had a presence – Chinatown is on the list of places to see – and they, too, influenced Nagasaki’s eating.  Today I had a wonderfully tasty, hearty soup/stew called “champon” made with udon noodles (think thick spaghetti).

Fukusai-ji

Nagasaki has a number of Buddhist temples, and on my first full day here I went to a few near my ryokan (Japanese inn).  One, Kasen-ji (above), had beautiful carvings of elephants in its wooden gate.  At the other end of the spectrum is Fukusai-ji (left), a temple that was destroyed by the atomic bomb and rebuilt in what looks like aluminum.  The goddess Kannon stands tall on top of a giant turtle, so says The Lonely Planet.  I spent a lot of time at Shofuku-ji (below), whose temple grounds had many buildings, some painted Chinese red.  It had a cemetery in back that extended up the hillside, which offered great views of Nagasaki.  

 

Nagasaki from Shofuku-

In case you are wondering, yes, that is snow on the temple roof.  We had a brief snowstorm, which apparently is rather unusual for Nagasaki, with its palm trees and some spring bulbs already in bloom.  The snow was minimal here, though created havoc further north on western Honshu.  It brought cold temperatures, freezing some pipes, and prompted me to add double layers of tights and tops underneath pants and two sweaters.   It’s been cold!!