Huis Ten Bosch

With a coupon we received from Yukiko, Soojeong and I decided to take a day trip out of Nagasaki and visit the theme park called Huis Ten Bosch. This park is an amazing recreation of the Netherlands complete with tulips, windmills, old architecture, and other interesting attractions relating to different cultural aspects of the Netherlands.

We took a bus from Nagasaki and rode for an hour until we reached Huis Ten Bosch. It is strange going from Nagasaki, a bustling Japanese and Chinese culture hub, to a place out in the countryside that looks like a European city. I was amazed with how amazing every thing looked. Even though it was winter, tulips of all colors were in bloom all over the park, there weren't many people there, and it was a peaceful place to spend a day with Soojeong having fun.

During our time there we did everything from go to a teddy bear museum, ride a boat down the canals, walk among the windmills and tulips, rode a ride or two, and watched a couple of short documentaries on everything from old folk-tales to works by MC Escher. With hardly anyone there, we were able to go from ride to ride without any problems at all.

I think that the most impressive of all of the building there was the Huis Ten Bosch Palace. The pictures I have posted only show the front entryway with all of the tulips, but the inside was decorated magnificently, the back gardens were beautiful and full of hedges and fountains, and from the second floor of the palace, you could see all the way out to the sea. The weather became a little cold and rainy, but for me, it was a perfect day spent with Soojeong doing fun things together that I will always remember.

Nagasaki Part 2

The same day that Soojeong and I went to the Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum, we decided to visit the Glover Gardens; the former housing property of prominent entrepreneur, helping to industrialize Japan through coal mining, the building of the first steam railway in Japan, helping to establish the new government after the fall of the Shogunate, and he even helped found a brewery that became Japan's Kirin Beer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blake_Glover)

With the little background information being over, I will now get back to were I left off. We had decided to visit the garden after seeing the beautiful pictures of it in a travel book that Soojeong had brought with us for the journey. Before we could see the gardens, we first had to find the gardens. As we were discussing the best way to get there from where we were near China Town, a woman and her daughter approached and asked us where we were going. We told them that we were off to visit the Glover Garden, and from that point on, she said that she would show us how to get there. I will not forget the kindness this woman showed Soojeong and I, walking with us for at least 15 minutes or more until we were at the entrance to where we needed to be. I find it very special when someone takes time out of their own schedule to help someone in need, and I know that if I can help someone out wherever I am, I will try my best to help them as I have been helped before.

When we reached the top of the hill where the gardens were, we payed our fee, and set off exploring the old homes and gardens of Thomas Glover, and other prominent Japanese and foreign businessmen. It was interesting how the architecture differed from home to home, and it was interesting to see some of the artifacts of the former residents on display. We even saw a 300 year old tree that was given as a gift to one of the owners. Almost every home had a wonderful view of the harbor and surrounding hills. When you see the picture at the bottom of the page of the heart-shaped stone, it is said that when couples touch that stone, their dreams of love will be fulfilled. They had two of them located at different areas of the property, and we had fun searching for them. The weather that day was perfect, and to be able to walk with Soojeong in gardens full of blooming flowers and green trees, is something that I still to this day think about.

There were many types of gardens, fountains, and little waterfalls, and once we had seen most of everything, we began our descent back into the streets of Nagasaki for a night full of looking at lanterns at the Lantern Festival, and eating a famous Nagasaki dish with our friends Yukiko and Yoshito. To be continued in part 3.

The picture of the of the cathedral is that of Oura Cathedral (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oura_Cathedral)

Nagasaki: Part 1- The Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum

Of all the places that we visited during our trip to the island of Kyushu, my favorite city by far was Nagasaki. Nagasaki has everything you could ever want; mountains, the sea, beautiful parks, streets, and churches, temples and shrines that line the streets, and a mixing of cultures that seems uncommon in Matsumoto. Nagasaki for a long time was the only open port to Dutch and Portuguese merchants in Japan, and there are many fascinating locations and museums that tell the story of how Japan came into contact with Western culture. Most of you know Nagasaki for a different reason though, one that some of us (myself included) are kind of embarrassed about; Nagasaki is one of only two city's to have had a nuclear weapon used to kill fellow human beings.


Before I ever came to Japan, I knew that at some point I wanted to visit Hiroshima or Nagasaki, and bring myself a sort of inner peace. I know that the bombs are nothing that I or my family had a part in doing, but knowing that my country used a bomb that killed over a hundred and fifty-thousand innocent people, has always made me feel a little awkward. I will not go into the "millions would have died if we had invaded Japan scenario", if you want to know the numbers and statistics, ask my twin brother Seth, and I am sure he will be able to tell you. With that being said, I will now start the blog entry for the day.

We arrived in Nagasaki where we met Soojeong's friend Yukiko and her soon to be husband Yoshito. They are both former Shinshu University students, and they were incredibly kind and helpful during our stay in Nagasaki. I can't count the times that Soojeong and I were treated to delicious dinners or given coupons to places we wanted to see. I am very grateful for all that they did, and I hope that someday I will be able to repay the favor somehow. They took us to our hostel the first night and out to dinner. It was a wonderful experience. The hostel that we stayed in was INCREDIBLE for a hostel. It has been rated the number one hostel in all of Japan, and number 3 in Asia. For only 25$ USD/night, it was a place that couldn't be beat.

Our second day in Nagasaki, Soojeong and I decided to visit the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum. The park was very beautiful, and the weather that day was perfect spring weather. Inside the park is a giant statue of a man (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagasaki_Peace_Park), paper cranes, and beautiful fountains. It was a very interesting but sad place.

From there we headed to the museum. The museum was full of everything from melted glass bottles, to bent steal and concrete structures, a replica of the "Fat Man" nuclear bomb that was dropped on the city, to videos, paintings, pictures, and other similar sorts of items. I was blown away at the power and devestation of the bomb. Inside the museum there is a segment of a tree-trunk that is probably 8 inches across, and in the center is a piece of ceramic bowl that become lodged there when the bomb went off. To imagine a piece of plate or bowl being forced through 8 inches of wood, is something that I can't really imagine. The museum taught me a lot about the bombing and the events afterwards, but it also showed the world and how many bombs every country is supposedly holding. I think the United States and Russia really need to cut back on their arsenal of nuclear bombs. There is no need to have thousands of nuclear bombs in stock, especially when other countries are limited and told not to possess bombs or face economic sanctions.

After the museum, we went to the park near the epicenter of where the bomb went off. It was a surreal experience having a picnic lunch in a park where a nuclear bomb leveled a city. I still wonder if I ate some lingering radiation with my rice...In the center of the park are the mangled remains of what was once the biggest Catholic church in all of Asia (according to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urakami_Cathedral). That is all for my post today. I will continue with part 2 on another day.