Nagasaki: Day 2a

The second day of our trip began at a children's book museum. Although the museum was small (and the books almost entirely incomprehensible to me), it still was an enjoyable experience. Several "famous" (though I had never heard of them) Japanese authors' works were featured, including the original paintings from a book about a runaway egg. Unfortunately (and a bit bizarrely) the book wasn't sold in the adjoining bookstore. I would have loved a copy as it reminded me of a story that my daddy used to read to me as a child. Another neat aspect of the museum was to find some of my favorite stories including Arthur and the Magic Pebble, Where the Wild Things Are, The Gift of the Magi, and Alexander and the Wind Up Mouse (to name a few) reprinted in Japanese.

the outside of the museum featuring Pooh and Christopher Robbin

One thing that that I love about my LOLs is that on our very first trip, they told me that whenever they travel, they always eat "soft cream" (i.e. soft-serve ice cream). Since our first delicious sakura cherry blossom version in Kyoto when it was freezing cold outside, I have thoroughly enjoyed their tradition (and if they didn't have it, would have most likely started it myself!) I have also discovered that each area in Japan has different flavors according to the season, which cannot be found anywhere else. Nagasaki for example is famous for biwa (see Biwa It May post) and so our flavor of choice was biwa/banira swirl. (The poor Japanese -- the b/v and l/r combinations gets them every time!)




It was then time to head for Holland, I mean, Dejima! During Japan's period of isolation, Nagasaki was only open to Dutch and Portuguese traders. However, when Christianity began to seep into the country, the Japanese decided to build an island to keep the Christians (and their religion) from infiltrating the country. Thus, the creation of Dejima. Although, the city was completely destroyed in the war (and the area is, in fact, no longer an island because of recent land reclamation), it is in the process of being rebuilt as a historical museum. Because Dutch traders were the primary residents, the city looks like it should be in Holland (and is supposedly gorgeous in the spring with all of the tulips). I should also mention that it was here in 1877 that Japan's first Protestant Seminary was built. Unfortunately, I learned this after the fact and so failed to take a proper picture of the blue two-story building. Below though is a random picture I snapped of its windows.

Here I am in front of the flagpole. I really wanted to climb it, alas, it was closed to monkeys like me!

From the Dutch district we headed to Chinatown for lunch and then back to the hotel for Portuguese cake and a Nagasaki delicacy castilla. (Are you noticing yet that Nagasaki is very internationalized?)




Then it was time to head for Unzen -- a hot springs resort up in the middle of the mountains. During our 1.5 hour car ride we passed through Obama, Japan (directly translated as "Big Water") Although the city existed way before the current US president, it has now become a pilgrimage site for Obama fans all over the world. I am probably the only American who has ever traveled through Obama (in this current term) without stopping, desiring to stop to snap pictures. In fact, I also probably the only American who slept almost the entire way through the city!

We finally arrived at our amazing hotel. Built in the early 1900s in the style of a Swiss lodge, the hotel was designed to cater to any traveler's desires. I felt like a celebrity stepping out of the taxi into a 1920s Grand Hotel. The staff was so courteous (and so cute in their Swiss bellhop uniforms and gloves!) After a relaxing massage, and a soak in the aforementioned hot springs in true Japanese-style communal bathing (no pictures here let me assure you!), we took an evening stroll before our assigned dinner time.

Our walk lead us by the local fire department where the men were practicing drills. I couldn't help by exclaiming how "cute" their fire trucks were, which my LOLs thought was absolutely hilarious. "Cute," they exclaimed, "why cute?" I then explained that back home our fire trucks are at least 2.5 times bigger. (What I didn't tell them was that the entire entourage reminded me of when I was a student at Stetson and felt a little wary about the "public safety" official's competency when I saw them driving around in golf carts and Segways). My LOLs decided it was important to pass on their new-found knowledge regarding the size of American fire trucks to the Japanese Fire Marshall. I think he might have felt a little defensive because he proudly showed us their "big" fire truck. It probably didn't help his ego when I giggled at the size of this vehicle, too!

Then it was time to head back to the hotel for a dinner I will never forget...