2 posts tagged “nagasaki”
Last February, a new-to-Sasebo couple we're all now quite familiar with (read: the Hub and I), dreamed of going to Nagasaki to take part in some sort of lamp party but were thwarted by "come-with-us" friends who bailed on them the day of the planned trip. Heartbroken, but determined, they swore that in the next year, nothing would prevent them from finding that lamp shindig.
Fast forward a year, and Hub and I are now professionals at the travelling business, although we still like the handiness of letting other people plan things for us from time to time. Knowing that February was approaching, we stalked the employees watched carefully for the announcement and pounced as soon as we saw it: an overnight trip to the Nagasaki Lantern Festival. We knew, vaguely, that the celebration was in honor of the Chinese New Year, but otherwise, we were rather clueless as to what the fuss was all about (but were told multiple times to make sure we didn't miss it).
On a clear, and extremely cold, Sunday morning, we met the bus with a small suitcase of essentials, a messenger bag of snacks and electrical gadgets (the necessary mp3s, DS games, and camera), and grins for the two-hour trip to downtown Nagasaki. Our guide explained she'd be taking us to a garden dedicated to a famous shipbuilder and a rebuilt church; after exchanging quick glances, we explained we'd already visited those places (total lie, but forgive me for that little one) and asked if we could go straight to the festival itself. Our guide handed off our maps with her blessings and instructions for meeting up the next day. Excited, we stashed our luggage upstairs in our cute, European-esque room and dashed out onto the streets in search of Minato Park, said to be just a few minutes away.
Following a trail of pumpkin-shaped lanterns said to guide the route between park festivities, we came across the tail-end of the Emperor's Parade, with a float "borne" as if it were a rickshaw by painted characters and guarded by a fierce warrior. Cheering, we allowed ourselves to be swept by the enamoured crowd through a gate guarded by a regal phoenix and into Minato Park. Hailing as one of the two central locations for the festival, we found ourselves surrounded by lanterns of all shapes and sizes, not yet glowing in the daylight, and a stage where a group of beautiful Japanese ladies dressed in ceremonial fineries waltzed across to the introduction of their pageant-esque titles ("Ms. Saga!" "Ms. Okinawa!"). In the center of it all stood a mammoth lantern proudly displaying this year's astrological host: the Rat. A sign of new beginnings, I found it very apt for the start of a year where we have so many new adventures planned and blessings prayed for.
Squealing delightedly, we snapped pictures of dancing lions, flying koi, and gigantic, peaceful pandas, following our nose to a vendor who smilingly exchanged our yen for two steamed buns filled with fatty, shredded barbeque pork. We stopped, watching the parade of "festival ladies," and polished off our treats before continuing down the lantern-lined street.
As we moved closer to Chinatown, the air directly above us filled completely with more of the pumpkin lanterns, and our noses were treated to all manners of delicacies--steamed pork buns, mochi balls, roasted chestnuts, and a sweet bread braided and twisted into a thick rope and stacked into minature temples. We laughed and moved along, following our lantern guides across the bridge and around the corner until we crossed Tetsu-bashi Bridge and found our way into Cyuo (Central) Park. We paused to have our picture taken by a magnificent horse and another of a gorgeous koi before going to the stage and watching a magic show. Looking at our schedule, we ducked into a coffee shop to warm up and wait out the quickly approaching sunset. As the sunlight faded, we crossed the bridge again, and while waiting for the crossing light, we heard gongs and cheers behind us. Turning, a brightly-dressed stream of Japanese people flooded onto the bridge pushing large gongs, hoisting drums, and supporting two dragons whose bodies easily flowed 20 feet behind the heads. When the light turned green, we raced ahead, running to get to the Park before they did so we could see the dance. Though the pictures didn't turn out well that showed the dance movements, the red dragon, hosted entirely by a female troupe, stopped directly in front of us, almost as if inviting a snapshot. Following our cheer-leaders into a rousing chorus of chants meant to draw the dragons out of hiding, we shouted and danced as the night closed around and the cold grew sharper teeth. Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel so we could start the next morning again.
Seemingly before the rest of the group awoke, we were out the door in the morning, making our way into the local shopping arcade which served as another party path. Along the way, I got to indulge in my Pokemon fandom while the Hub and I took turns taking pictures with the characters from one of our favorite Japanese movies, Our Neighbor Totoro. We continued through, looking at the different shops and enjoying the area. We stopped so Hub could take a picture with his favorite gorilla lantern (yep--that's a lantern too), visited a pet store where we ooh-ed and aah-ed at the puppies, and then moved on to another section of the city. Where different lanterns displayed all of the Chinese astrological signs in order. I found my horse while Hub found the ram, and we found ourselves in a more historical side of Nagasaki with stone bridges crossing the stream where people once washed clothes and drew water in ancient times for the nearby line of temples. Stopping at one bridge, named Spectacles Bridge because of the shadow it throws across the water, a local man pointed the routes to find the 5 nearest holy Japanese temples peppered the landscape with 2 Chinese holy sites scattered in between. We bowed and thanked him, making the decision to visit those at a later time; our trip was quickly coming to a close, and we still needed to return to the hotel. Moving quickly down the now-familiar path, we took last looks at the lanterns, bought a few snacks and gifts along the way, and reboarded the bus headed for home until next year when the festival returns again with its new host, the Ox.
A bit late, but I'm determined to get this post in before our baseball adventure tomorrow and big city journey next week!
Last Sunday, with our friend Lauryl and her daughter Brianna, we again boarded the MWR bus and headed out to explore another section of our little corner in Japan. Although Hub had been to the airport several times, he had never entered Nagasaki proper; I hadn't ventured to travel in that direction at all yet, so the ride was completely new for me.
Eriko-san is now familiar with our faces and waved cheerfully, explaining that along the way we'd be stopping at a rest area for snacks and bathroom breaks. Grabbing my favorite Japanese treat, a box of thin cracker rods called Pretz, I munched contendly as I watched the road fly by. Hub and I watched for signs along the road and giggled at what we debated was either a giant tomato or a giant pumpkin (it was a fruit stand, so either could be correct) until our bus pulled to a point mid-way up a hill where scores of Japanese tour groups, led by cute, slender women with stylish bobs or neat buns, dressed in pink and navy 60's stewardess attire led picture-snapping nationals around with a small, neon flag held just in front of them along a wall, up steps, and around a corner beyond my sight. Without a flag in hand and dressed much more casual than our Japanese counterparts, we followed our neat-but-casually attired leader along the same path. Walking quickly to keep up with the amazingly swift steps of our shorter guide, I noted the worn look of the half-wall next to us and briefly glanced at a plaque professing that the wall was part of the remains left from the Nagasaki prison that had once stood there.
Rounding the corner, a great lawn of well-kept spring-green grass stretched in front of us; to the left stood an enormous statue while to the right lay smaller versions of the wall I'd seen prior. While the less mismatched tour groups used a set of portable benches to get the "perfect" group picture before the statue, Eriko-san explained to us that the statue pointed up to signify from where death had come and east where they believed lay the passage of souls into the next realm. Just next to the statue, slightly overshadowed by the enormity of the adonis-like man, was a small triangular shrine of sorts, filled with peace chains. Pointing to the golden origami-shaped crane on top, Eriko demonstrated that each chain is made up of 1000 of the origami cranes with 70 chains hanging within the "shrine" to symbolize the 70,000 people immediately killed in the blast of the atomic bomb.
With goosebumps rising on my arm on a warm day, we walked further on, looking at various memorial statues given from other countries to Nagasaki and her people to pay tribute to the wounded and dead. Along the way, a brick column stood alone, forlornly out of place with the surrounding modern-day Nagasaki; upon approach, we were told that this was all that remained of the cathedral that had once stood proudly for Japanese Christians to practice their faith. When the United States deployed with the intent to bomb, Nagasaki had not been her first choice, but because of poor weather conditions elsewhere and her strong sea ports and weapon factories, the city was selected as the most ideal location; however, when the planes flew overhead, they mistook the prison, nearby school, and cathedral for the factories they sought and dropped the atomic bomb. The bomb, being atomic in its design, did not hit the ground leaving any sort of mark, but instead blasted in the air; because of this, the Japanese have marked the hypocenter with a marker and a statue showing a mother (Japan) holding her wounded child (Nagasaki and her people) with the date and time forever immortalized: 11:02 am, August 9, 1945.
While not as deadly a blast as Hiroshima (killing 150,000 instantly), Nagasaki still suffers radiation diseases to this day, as the pictures we saw inside the chilling museum graphically portrayed. Children with twisted bodies, men and women with horrible scars or missing half a face stared back at us, seemingly pleading for help, from photographs while pieces of walls burned with shadows of humans raising their hands to guard themselves chilled us to the bone. I would love, and yet hate at the same time, to display some of the pieces we found in the museum, but due to the fragility, no pictures were allowed--a request we honored most fervently.
Leaving the Peace Park behind us, I wondered if the mood of the group would liven after such a grim few hours. Driving away, we were a much quieter group than had entered, but as the bus pulled to its next stop, we noticed a group of Japanese girls in the backseat of the bus in front of us. Since Hub and I were in the first seats, we returned their waves and infectious smiles, deboarding the bus while our spirits seemed to rise with the colorful spread of Nagasaki's Chinatown. Drawn along with the crowds, Hub, Lauryl, Brianna, and I got sucked into the crowds, finally making our way to one side so I could try the steamed pork dumplings we had heard about from Eriko. While making our purchase, we came across a group of Japanese teenagers, dressed in the short, pleated plaid skirts, white blouses, and blue blazers that scream school uniform here; anxious to speak with us, they fussed over Brianna and tested their English with us, giggling, sighing, and crowding around to hear our speech. I was surprised at the fuss because Nagasaki is twice the size of Sasebo until I realized that where I live, people are so accustomed to seeing Americans due to the base. Unless tour groups come through, it is likely most people in Nagasaki do not meet Americans very often. We laughed with them, finally separating to eat more lunch and browse a few shops (not only 100 yen stores, but also 300 and 1000 yen ones too!) before meeting back at the bus and moving on.
Just around the corner, we disembarked again in front of a Chinese shrine devoted to Confucious. Rather than the usual dogs or foxes that guard Japanese shrines, the Chinese typically use lions, and the one here was made by an especially skilled craftsman able to chisel not only the lion, but also a ball in the lion's mouth that cannot be removed (it was made of the same stone at the same time as the rest of the figure). Beyond the lion, we encountered our next difference: an incense burner to cleanse the air rather than the Japanese well to cleanse one's self. Inside the gates, we found statues of the priests of Confucian beliefs, each one displaying what the priest was especially talented at or known for.
Our last stop of the day was to the Mt. Inasa Ropeway. When I had seen this listing on our tour schedule, I could only think of the tow ropes used on small hills at ski slopes rather than a lift and wondered how something of that nature would be used in non-snowy weather. While on the bus, however, Eriko advised us that in Japan, a ropeway is a cable car that goes via a steel rope up the side of a mountain in order to bring passengers to the top. According to her, the cars could sometimes be shaky with the wind and quite scary, so if some of us did not feel comfortable going to the top, we could remain behind in the bus for the hour or so. Gulping, I looked at Hub who told me he'd stay if I didn't want to risk it, but I just couldn't pass up the chance to get to the top of the mountain. People with children were allowed to ride first (we had to take two cars due to the size of the group), so Lauryl grabbed us, refusing to ride by herself. Thankfully, the wind was not strong that day, so I enjoyed the ride while trying to comfort a pale Lauryl and shush Brianna when she said things like, "Look, Mommy! It's a long way down to all the rocks underneath us!"
Even with the brief shakiness, Lauryl admitted that there's no way we could've missed that ride; the tower built at the peak allowed a 360 degree vantage of Nagasaki and the ocean stretching out below us. Hub even grabbed me for an impromptu picture of us with the city behind. Definitely worth the scary ride for me! After first stopping again at a rest stop where we bought what we thought was a fried piece of squash (but turned out to be fried fish paste---yuck!) and then chicken nuggets out of a vending machine with a microwave programmed internally to heat them while you wait (shoulda brought my camera for that!), Hub and I reflected on the day and promised to head back via train on our own for more exploration through Chinatown and parts of the city on our own sometime soon.
