Sasebo getaway

My first trip of the new year was to Sasebo, a city in Nagasaki known for having a large US Navy base. What was originally just me accompanying Sheridan on a day trip to get a new tattoo, turned into an impromptu weekend getaway, with Olivia and Simona joining in on the action. It wasn’t the most eventful and jam packed of trips, but it was the change of scenery we needed.

That weekend Sasebo was almost dead, to my surprise, but that was because all but one of the Navy ships were out at sea. 

I’m sure that once all the Americans are back in town, the atmosphere changes completely and that’s something I’m wanting to see.

 It was still pretty damn cold, so after a day of mooching we had a decidedly chill night in, complete with face masks, Netflix and eating about 3 days’ worth of sodium in one sitting due to a badly judged beef jerky binge. Living in Japan makes you crave the oddest foods, especially when you have access to all the goodies from the US base. 

We had our first taste of the famous Sasebo burger, which honestly was nothing to write home about, but the cowboy hats at the restaurant definitely make it feel like I was in 'merica.

The next day we became complete tourists and visited Kyujuukushima, or the group of 99 (but officially 208) islands. The cruise on a pirate-esque ship took about an hour, weaving its way through the shallow channels. 

Some of the islands had an array of ladders into the water, which I can imagine would be great to canoe out to, and spend the day swimming in the clear water slightly away from the busier areas. 

 

Being January, obviously we didn’t do anything quite as exotic, but we did have lots of laughs. It goes to show that sometimes you don’t need to have a crazy schedule somewhere, and the right company can make for the best retreat.

Drip drip drop, little (by that I mean relentless) April showers.

My parents recently visited Japan for the first time, and I was able to join them for all but one part (Tokyo) of their whirlwind journey. We visited Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Miyazaki prefectures, all in the space of 9 days. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

The only place I hadn’t been to before was Hiroshima, and what a beautiful place. My parents had timed their visit to coincide with the cherry blossom, and once we arrived in Hiroshima, the sakura were in full bloom.  Hiroshima itself was somewhere I’ll definitely be returning to soon. It had such a relaxed vibe, and that, along with hundreds of people enjoying hanami (cherry blossom viewing) along the riverbanks, made it utterly beautiful despite the greyness.

Visiting the Atomic Bomb Museum was a solemn one, as you’d expect, however I’d recommend anyone to go to the museum in Nagasaki instead. While Hiroshima is still the more well-known of the two atomic bomb targets, that is seemingly its downfall, as I felt like I was being hurried through the museum without any time to reflect.

The day we took a trip to Miyajima was the only day we weren’t soaked. It’s somewhere I’ve wanted to go for a while to see the Great Torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine, and it didn’t disappoint. We also took the cable car to the top of the moutain, and the view was just stunning. Momiji manjyu is now one of my favourite local delicacies, and the fried version, age momiji, is something else.  

I also had the most hilarious food experience after going to a recommended ‘hole in the wall’ Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki restaurant. After explaining to the elderly woman working (doing everything alone might I add), that my mum wasn’t a particularly adventurous foodie, she proceeded to practically shove things in my mum’s mouth to prove it was okay and cook away at 100 mph.

Never did I see the day I’d be taking my parents to purikura, but we took some hilarious photos there. The one I chose in Hiroshima apparently gave my dad a sensory overload, much like the pachinko parlour I told my mum to just pop her head into.

My parents have vouched to return to Japan again, and I can only hope they decide to take things easier. Here’s me, over a week later, still catching up on sleep after Japanese-ing to within an inch of my life. 

All in all though, I’m happy they actually got to see what my life over here is like, especially after meeting Sheridan and Clare, and spending a few evenings in cute little Kumamoto. 

They got to meet Kohei too! Even if I did have to spend a day nursing him to recovery, I’ll give him credit where credit’s due… he attempted to keep up with my dad’s bourbon drinking, not a feat many would take on. 

So here's to next time, when their new found love for Kumamon and fancy Japanese toilets will have hopefully blossomed even more. またね！

Two nights in Nagasaki.

Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Musuem & Peace Park
I’ve been told by many that this is the much better experience compared to Hiroshima, which I’m yet to visit. I really appreciated being to take all the information in without hordes of people, and learn so much about the lesser-known of the two cities that suffered from such a horrific ordeal.

Kohei told me that one of the tour guides was speaking like he’d experienced it all first-hand. His spirit never seemed to waver during the time we were there, despite us being able to see the cataracts and keloid scars on one side of his face. It was solemn, but truly humbling.

Glover Garden
Another famous spot in Nagasaki. Within the grounds are two secret heart stones, that if found, legend says they will grant happiness to those who found them together. Happy to say we found them, and so did Pooh Bear. I’ve been forgetting to take him on little day trips I make lately, purely because they’re so impromptu, so I think he enjoyed the outing.

Mt. Inasa 

We headed up to Mt. Inasa after sunset on Saturday evening to visit Fuyu no yu, a place which most definitely didn’t disappoint. There’s something slightly special about relaxing in an onsen, accompanied by good friends, with the view overlooking the twinkling lights of Nagasaki. I fully recommend the salt sauna, however, I don't advise scrubbing your body raw and returning to 42 degree water afterwards.

Megane Bashi
Hands down my favourite place in Nagasaki so far was the so-called Spectacle Bridge.  Early on Sunday morning, Kohei and I took a stroll along the river, frolicked on the stepping stones (by that I mean I almost tripped and fell in about 4 times), and found yet another heart stone set in the wall. 

In the afternoon, we returned with manju in hand and sat on the riverbank to watch the koi swim by.

I also made a group of little friends, something which was a theme on this trip; on the ferry from Kumamoto I fell in love with a 2 year old who played peek-a-boo with me, clung to me like a koala, and refused to let go until I’d walked her to her family’s car.

Nearby was a cute little spot where I tasted my first Castella (カステラ), a light sponge cake which is a delicacy in Nagasaki. However, I think the novelty of the cute portion sized boxes outweighed the actual cake. 

All in all, although it was a fleeting visit, I’m looking forward to going back for a day trip with my parents on their upcoming trip. I wouldn’t have chosen a better bunch of people to sing along to Destiny’s Child in the car with (I'm looking at you, Clare and Sheridan), even if I did want to vom on the ferry.