Nagasaki Trip - Chinese Temples, Glover Gardens, Stone Bridges, Dutch Slope, and Dejima Wharf

This weekend, I booked a solo trip down to Nagasaki (in the Southwest of Kobe on Kyushu). I hadn't traveled alone for quite some time, and Nagasaki was as place that I really wanted to see. The best parts about traveling alone is the time to yourself, and the freedom of wandering around with no need to have any real schedule. The worst parts are definitely meals (boring!) and trying to use the "self-portrait" technique to get yourself in some of your own pictures.

(The first day, I saw a fellow gaijin traveler at one of the Chinese temples. My plan was to - "selflessly" - offer to take her picture in front of the temple, with the hope that she would reciprocate. Her response - "No thanks. The picture looks better without me in it." And so my grand plan failed miserably. I would have far better luck throughout the weekend taking the more direct approach of simply asking people to take my picture - I became a pro at my newly learned phrase - shashin o totte kuremaska? (Can you please take my picture?))

Nagasaki is a fascinating place, because it was the only place in Japan that was open to foreign trade during the Edo Period when Japan was "closed." During that time, a Dutch trading post was established in Nagasaki, and, over the years, other Europeans came to influence this city. Similarly, Nagasaki was open to trade with China since the 1600's, so there is a lot of Chinese history and influence. Before the Meiji era, when Japan rapidly modernized in response to the incursions of the West, both the Chinese and Dutch were relegated to their respective ghetto's - in the Chinese Settlement on a hill and the Dutch Settlement, on a small walled-in island called Dejima.

When I arrived, I decided to check out China Town and some of the classic Ming-style Chinese Temples from the early 1600's- Sofukuji and Kufukuji. Nagasaki has a terrific streetcar system (100 Yen takes you anywhere in the city), but its also small and walkable.

Friday afternoon was dead quiet. So I headed out on foot, staring with the old Chinese Settlement, making my way to the two temples. Both were neat. Sofukuji was more impressive looking - and had rooms of buddha statues and terrific grounds that climbed up the hill leading to a huge cemetery. Kufukuji was more zen, complete with tatami rooms and a table with tea set up overlooking a little garden.

The same monk who founded Kojukuji, built this Chinese-style stone bridge, dubbed Spectacles Bridge (because, with the reflection, it looks like eye-glasses), which is one of a number of stone bridges in the center of town. Nice area.

After walking along the water for a while, I eventually hopped a Streetcar in pursuit of lunch. I wanted to check out the local (Chinese-influenced) dish, called Champon (ちゃんぽん). It is a hearty noodle and broth based concoction that includes veggies, meat, and seafood. I am a fan. While looking for a certain restaurant in my guidebook, I randomly found my hotel. (I had no idea where my hotel was, so this was fortuitous.) I had booked what I thought was a fairly cheap package that included airfare, hotel, and breakfast, and I was pleasantly surprised. The hotel was (1) fancy (it was on the site of the former Bellevue Hotel); and (2) in a great location near the scenic cobbled slope that wound its way up to the famous Oura Catholic Church (the oldest church in Japan) and Glover Gardens.

After lunching at Shikairu (the place that apparently invented Champon, and which also has a really nice view of Nagasaki harbor), I explored Glover Gardens. Very beautiful place on a hill overlooking the harbor (and, in true Japanese fashion, outdoor escalators whisk you up the hill), containing a whole bunch of Western style homes from the 19th century.

I'm telling you, this guy Thomas Glover is on the short list for the favorite gaijin ever award. Glover was a Scotsman who married a Japanese woman (whom it is said was the inspiration for Madame Butterfly). He financed and ran shipping yards, ran an export business, and brought the first steam locomotive, asphalt roads, bowling, and tennis to Japan. He was one of the business partners who founded the company that is now known as Kirin Brewery. This guy was the real deal. They sell Scotland hats in the gift shop. In Japan. Enough said.

On the way down from the Gardens, I stopped and sampled Castella, another local delicacy - a light spongy cake of Portuguese origins. I also saw this door. (I did NOT go inside, since I have a standing rule never to walk through doors that look like mouths. Hey - it got me this far.)

After some cool-down time at the hotel, I headed out again to explore the cobble-stone area known as Hollander Slope (Oranda Zaka). This is another area with well-preserved Western style houses of the 19th century - houses with big rooms, wrap-around porches, made of wood or brick. The term "Hollander" is used to simply refer to foreigners, since the original foreigners were Dutch. Now to a "Westerner" all these "Western Houses" may not seem so impressive, but the fact that it was in Japan, interspersed among the Japanese (and Chinese) architecture made it really interesting.

Afterwards, I walked along the outskirts of Dejima to the Dejima Wharf, a little area on the Bay, with restaurants, bars, a little boardwalk, and a view of the boats in the harbor.

While I did say earlier that meals were the worst part, tonight I was lucky enough to have a truly fantastic meal at an Italian restaurant in Shian-bashi called Obinata. Shian-bashi, billed as "the entertainment district" of Nagasaki, was just that - and pretty sleazy at night. But this quiet candle-lit grotto-ish restaurant with dark wood exposed beam, classical music playing, a great wine list, and an amazing English-speaking owner, was just what I needed, after my days travels. The home-made bread, a glass of Chianti, and risotto did me very well.

Managing the Heat

OK, we are swinging into some serious heat and humidity here. That warm still damp air really does a number on me on my walk from the apartment to the train station.

On the bright side though, with heat comes (some small) enlightenment. Maybe it's just all of that water loss, but I think I am finally starting to understand some previously puzzling and distinctly Japanese things:

• Convenience Stores - Yes. The Konbini are a way of life here in Japan. But only now am I starting to appreciate this every corner phenomenon. Drinks and air conditioning make this a welcome way-station on your way anywhere. The air-conditioned oasis that is Sunkus or Lawson's makes even more sense now, and helps explain why this is the common scene pretty much any time of day. I don't think its just the manga. If Apu (of the Simpsons) were ever to encounter the rampant treatment of convenience stores as "lending libraries" of manga and magazines, he would go ballistic!
  

• Umbrellas - Another thing that I just couldn't get used to was the fact that more people carry umbrellas on the non-rainy days than the rainy ones. Never being one for umbrellas, even in the rain, I just couldn't come to grips with this parasol-toting culture. Until the other day in Nagasaki, when the sun was beating down on me, and I had this fleeting moment where I thought - "An umbrella would be kind of good right now."
  

• Fans - I always was of the school that any cool air that it provides is outweighed by the energy you expend by waving a fan up and down. Not true. Mind you, I did not buy a fan. But I was given one as a gift - a slick little accordioning jobby - and I have used it once or twice.
  

Back "Home" - Florida Trip and Maplewoodstock

Sticking to the "One World One Blog" concept (um...or something), here is an update on Ilena and the kids' adventures back home, while Mike was in Nagasaki for the weekend (that post coming next).

Ilena, Jacob, and Lauren spent the past week in Florida, visiting Ilena's parents.



They all had a terrific and relaxing time together, and spent plenty of time in the pool. Along the way, Jacob and Lauren became masters at the game of Mexican dominoes.

Here are some shots from down in Florida:

Back up North, the highlight of the weekend was heading back to Maplewood to attend Maplewoodstock.

As has become tradition, StarFish, the uber-talented group that Ilena manages rocked the place, and Ilena and the kids got to visit with so many of their old friends from town, all while shakin' what their momma (and papa) gave 'em!

Ilena, Jacob, and Lauren stayed until the very end, with Jacob and Lauren staying up late playing with friends, and Ilena getting to catch up with people and enjoy the music.

Mike's Weekend Trip to Tokyo

Back in Golden Week, we had taken a family trip to Tokyo, and we had a blast. Since I had a work-related meeting in Tokyo on Monday and had been trying to find a weekend to visit our friends Bob and Maho in Tokyo again, a second trip to explore Tokyo and spend time with friends worked out quite nicely.

After arriving on Friday night, and while on my way out of Shinagawa Shinkansen Station, I asked the JR ticket worker (in Japanese) where to find the taxis (takushi wa doku deska?). He responded - in perfect English - "Please go to the left and down the stairs, then walk to the left and you will see the taxis there." This is one huge difference between Tokyo and Osaka.

One of the best things about Tokyo is its variety. Many areas have the crowded bright-lights- big-city feel of a New York. Huge billboards, blaring pachinko parlors, masses of people shopping, tons of restaurants. Early in the day on Saturday, we walked around some of these areas, like Akihabara (the electronics district - it has about 40 types of any electronic item you could want) and Kabukicho (a seedy love-hotelly pachinkoey kind of spot).

But, as I learned this time, the real charm of Tokyo are the shitamachi (downtown) neighborhoods. These old Tokyo Edo period areas feel light years away from the busy blaring modern Tokyo, even though they are just a few train stops away. They have winding alleys with little shops, restaurants, and bars neatly tucked away. There are older buildings and temples and shrines. Many of these alleys have a quiet (really quiet - totally un-city-like) almost sleepy feel. And each of these neighborhoods has a shotengai (old fashioned main shopping street), in which there are small shops, street vendors hawking beer or yakitori, and lots of folks just strolling or slowly riding bikes throughout.

We spent most of Saturday afternoon exploring the Yanaka/Sendagi/Nezu areas. These neighborhoods have such a charming down-home slow-down feel to them. It was a nice place just to stroll through, peaking in at the many shops and looking around. Here are some pictures of store-fronts and old bicycles that I hope somewhat capture this:

While wandering, we checked out an art gallery where one of Maho's friends was putting on an exhibit. She does abstract-ish black and white wood-block prints, and is quite talented. It was a teeny tiny studio with whitewashed walls. Her work was really interesting. We also walked by the famous Bath House - an old Onsen that has been converted into a gallery. As we passed, we noticed that the very famous (but somewhat weird) Japanese photo-artist Araki was there giving a lecture, wearing his trademark sunglasses and suspenders. (Actually when I say we noticed, I mean that Bob and Maho noticed, and then explained to me who Araki was. But you get the picture.)

We also went to the Asakura Choso Museum, which is housed in the unique old house/studio of the famed realist sculptor Asakura Fumio. He does really excellent work with cats. The museum has a great roof deck too. In the museum, we had to do a footwear swap that would have put Mr. Rogers to shame. When you enter, you had to exchange our shoes for slippers. Then you walk down a hallway, where a staircase allows you to access the roof. Before heading up to the roof, you have to exchange your slippers for sandals. Then you do the whole thing in reverse on the way out!

We also checked out the nearby Nezu Jinja, a shrine that was highlighted by two long corridors of Torii gates.

The highlight of Sunday was a visit to Yasukini jinja, a famous (and controversial - see the link) shrine that is dedicated to Japan's national war heroes. The museum and historical account of Japan, from its Samurai roots to its imperialist conquests (and ultimate defeat) in the 20th century is really well done and absolutely fascinating. But it certainly makes you realize that there are very different perspectives (and spins) on war.

Tokyo also has really terrific, beautifully manicured parks. Old-style Japanese gardens and huge grassy fields are juxtaposed against the nearby modern skyscrapers. The shots below are from Shinjuku Gyoen, where Maho and I wandered around on a sweltering Saturday morning, before finding a shady spot to relax in and get away from the heat and humidity. The funniest part of Shinjuku Gyoen is that you have to buy a ticket to get in from a large automated ticket machine, which spits out a plastic credit card-like ticket. Then you walk two steps to your left and put the card in the slot in the electronic turnstile and it lets you in. Maybe you have to be there, but the whole thing felt completely ridiculous. The blatant over-use of tickets and ticket machines is legion here! And this was but one silly example.

Another really neat area of Tokyo was Kagurazaka, a quaint neighborhood on a sloping hill near a river that must house 500 restaurants in its various nooks and crannies. We had dinner there on Sunday night.

Ah yes. We haven't even talked about the food yet! In the span of two days, we had a nice tempura meal in a tatami room, went to a delicious (and cheap) yakiniku joint near Bob and Maho's apartment, had a truly exquisite robatayaki meal at a restaurant in Kagarazaka, and snacked at a nearby river-side bar. But the best meal of the weekend, hands-down, was our Saturday night dinner at Fudeya, a teeny and very quaint restaurant in Yanaka that is owned by a relative of Maho's (her Uncle's brother's wife's sister...or something like that!). The food - fresh sashimi, duck, and fish (ayu)- was amazing. And they comped us whole bunch of food and drink, bringing out orders of sake and home-made tofu for the table, as well as other goodies that we hadn't even ordered. It was just a great time.

The below picture was our main course from the robatayaki place. This is the "before" shot. We reduced this handsome guy to a pile of bones in short order:

Finally, as it was Tokyo, we also rode the subway a lot. This was my favorite subway ad. There were lots of contenders. But the "American Meat" ad, which pictures a bunch of huge steaks and three smiling Japanese kids with chopsticks (not a steak knife in sight) - just cracked me up. This ad, for a Japanese day-time drama, was a close second:

Yeah. So that's about it for Tokyo Take Two. Sorry to ramble on, but looking back on it, we packed a lot into a couple of days. Thanks again to Bob and Maho for being such amazingly gracious hosts. It was a great time!

Oh..and Happy Belated July 4th

July 4th didn't really feel like much of holiday here in Japan, since it was an ordinary work day. But I understand that back home there were BBQs, Apple Pie, and parades, and fireworks galore.

I love the unadulterated American-ness of July 4th.

I also understand that, for the second consecutive year, the great Kobayashi was bested in the Annual Nathan's Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest by American Joey Chestnut. Um..."USA! USA! USA!"?

Anyway, in honor of July 4th, here are some classic Americana pictures of Jacob and Lauren from last year's July 4th in Maplewood. I really love these two shots:

Turning back to Japan, I am really looking forward to checking out some of the fireworks (hanabi) here in Osaka at the Tenjin Matsuri Festival later this month. Hanabi literally translates as "flower fire." The kanji for "flower" is 花 (hana), and the kanji for "fire" is 火 (bi). I hear it's really spectacular, and it's very close to where I work.

Meanwhile...Back Stateside

Ilena and the kids have been up and down the east-coast, visiting with family and friends. Here are pictures from Mike's parent's Lake House, Liberty Hill Farm in Vermont (an annual vacation we take with our neighbors - this times sans Mike), and Sesame Place (visiting friends in Langhorne, PA).

Some highlights of the family fun at the Lake House (in pictures below) include an old car parade on July 4th weekend and Jacob taking out the kayak on the Lake all by himself for the first time (He was beaming with pride, and so are we!). Funniest was Jacob saying "domo arigato" to the clerk in Cohen's Bakery in the Catskills, after being handed a couple of pies. The response - "You're welcome." His puzzled reply - "You can speak Japanese?!" The response - "No." (Back in New Jersey earlier in the month, they had gone out for Chinese food and Jacob again tried his language skills. The Chinese waiter sternly informed Jacob that he was NOT Japanese!) Poor confused child.

The week before in Vermont was a time to slow down . . .

. . . and sit in really (really) big chairs.

Although slowing down is sometimes difficult. Actually, let's be honest. With Jacob, its impossible:

Although not with Lauren:

The following week, Sesame Place was a good time!

And this last picture, I'm not sure what to say. It's just plain HOT:

No?

A Humorous Look At Japanese Culture

Enjoy these humorous looks at chopsticks, the sushi dining experience, and origami, by the offbeat Japanese comedy group, Japan Culture Lab:

Chopsticks

The Sushi Dining Experience

Origami

(Shout out to our friend Bob, for turning us on the Japan Culture Lab)