PART III

Dejima, Chinatown, Spectacles Bridge, Sofukuji Temple, Glover Garden

- Dejima was being restored as we walked through the little island. Tons of things had changed since the dutch was here. They used this little island off the coast of nagasaki sea port (mainly reclaimed land now so the "island" is really inland rather than an island) to contain the dutch during the 1600s when christianity was prohibited but trade was still opened.

- Chinatown was pretty vibrant and more money was spent for lunch and knick-knacks. Famous food in Nagasaki are called the Chompon and Sara Udon. The former tasting alot like cabbage-soupy noodles with meat and assorted stuff while the latter is alot like hong kong noodle (i.e. fried crispy noodles) draped in a gravy with the same ingredients like the Chompon. Speaking of food, we had rice handroll from the local convenience store for Y120 almost everyday for lunch till we are almost sick of it. Well, it was nice while it lasted.

- Spectacles bridge was only interesting because of the carps that swam in the waters and the hawks flying above us.

- Sofukuji built by chinese residents in the 1600s. Ma zu is being worshipped here and there is an old chinese cemetary beside the temple. Being the only port open to the rest of the world during the national isolation period, this is the only city in japan with a continual influx of portuguese, dutch, chinese and korean nationals. So i guess it is also the usual habit of chinese people to build ma zu temple wherever they landed to ensure harmonious sea voyages.

- Glover garden has the japan's oldest western-style wooden house. Again, another example of the presence of Europeans in Japan, but only in Nagasaki mainly due to its role as an trading post. Lots of influencial europeans, including the most famous, Thomas Blake Glover who aided overthrowing the shogunate and in establishing a constitutional government in Japan. But the garden itself is really just a collection of old houses (some relocated from other places) in the formal european settlement in Nagasaki, overlooking the harbour.