What has Hirado to do with our Big-Walk ?
The small harbor of Hirado was the place where in 1609 the VOC (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie = United East Indian Company) started to built their first 'Factorij' (trading post) in Japan. From this place the first 'Opperhoofd' (Chief of the trading post) started the first 'Hof-reis' (court journey) to the castle of the Tokugawa-shogun in Edo (today: Tokyo).
On Wednesday March 11 at a quarter to three our rail bus arrived at the 'Most western railway station in Japan': Tabirahiradoguchi.
A walk of three quarters of an hour brought us to the Hirado Youth Hostel on a hill above the bay. After soaking for a while in the 'Onsen' (outdoor hot spa), we went inside for diner: for 1500 Yen we got a real Japanese meal for which at home you have to pay at least 25 Euro.
The following morning we started with a breakfast of the same quality and then a half hour walk to a local bus station. After crossing the red suspension bridge which today connects the mainland of Kyushu and the island Firando (Hirado). Ryokan Imoto, our stay for the next nights, was on the waterfront close to the location of the former Dutch trading post. After settling there was some time to explore the small town. First we paid a visit to the post office to collect money from the ATM, then we continued to 'Oranda-bashi' (Dutch bridge, a stone arc bridge built in 1702 with until then in Japan unknown European techniques).
Time for a common Dutch habit: a cup of coffee between 10 and 11 AM. Sometimes you need a little luck: in a small arcade we found a 'Coffee and Curry Shop'. Normally this kind of little bars is visited by Japanese for lunch or after working time. We spend the next hours there: starting with drinking coffee, then writing a press release and finally having a lunch.
At 4 PM a press meeting had been arranged at the city hall, followed by a meeting with the representatives of the city responsable for the opening ceremony on Saturday morning. The interpreter turned out to be a Japanese speaking Dutchman: Remco Vrolijk. Since 2000, the year of the 400th anniversary of the arrival Dutch ship in Japan and the beginning of the relationship between the Netherlands and Japan, a Dutch and Japanese speaking person is part of the city staff which was very convenient for us. This year the 400th anniversary of the commercial relations are commemorated and starting in May a large number of cultural and commercial events will take place. The start of our Hofreis now opened this festival year a two months earlier. Very soon it became clear that this opening ceremony was not going to be just a 'Hello, Thank you and Good bye'-event. For this occasion a walking event was organized, a marching band was arranged and the local and regional press had been contacted; only the weather forecast was less favourable. We were invited for an informal diner with the city staff that evening.
On Friday the 13th the weather was awful. Last night's diner had resulted in an invitation for a visit to a local sake brewery which of course ended with tasting the products of this family company at half past ten in the morning.
At 13 PM a meeting with the Mayor of Hirado, Mr. Makamoto Shirahama took was arranged, followed by a city tour guided by the Chairman of the Tourist Board himself. First Hirado Castle, in its high days a formidable fortress, later partially burnt down and partially demolished, now partially under reconstruction. During our visit to the castle we got the message that another member of our team Mr. Tamura had arrived in the ryokan and he joined us for the city walk after a short while.
A view of a Christian church between several Buddhist temples showed clearly the influence the Portuguese (and Spanish) monks still have. After the castle was burned down the lords of Hirado built a residence that survives until today and is now home of the historic museum. Finally we were guided to our main target: the place where the former Dutch trading post was established and were now one of the later warehouses is rebuild; it is scheduled to be completed in 2 years.
This day diner in the ryokan was postponed until Mr. Kitani, chairman of the Japanese Walking Association, had arrived. The day ended with preparing our luggage and everything else for the Big Walk.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Nagasaki
What has the city of Nagasaki to do with our Big Walk ?
From 1641 when the Dutch trading post was moved from Hirado to Dejima until 1859, that little artificial island in the bay of Nagasaki was the only place in Japan where the Dutch (and no other Europeans) were allowed to trade.
After touching down at Nagasaki International Airport, entering Japan proved to be more difficult than we are used to at Narita Airport. At the immigration desk it was hard to explain why we on the disembarkation card mentioned a 90 days stay in Nagasaki.
Except that 90 days is the maximum allowed stay for a tourist visum they just wouldn't believe in such a long stay in Nagasaki. Shortening my expected stay to 75 days made hardly any difference. Trying to make a non English speaking immigration officer understand that we intended to walk form here to Tokyo also didn't improve the situation.
Presenting a print-out in Japanese language of our website made him even more uncertain than before so he consulted a collegue who did understand some English. This finally resulted in granting us permission to enter Japan.
The customs had much less problems with our intentions, but when we entered the arrival lobby someone with a badge adressed me. I told him that we didn't need a taxi because we would take the shuttle bus but he persisted. He turned out to be a police officer who again wanted to know why we were here and what we wanted to do.
To make a long story a bit shorter we never really convinced him but he was so kind to assist us getting on the bus bound for Nagasaki city.
When we laft the arrival lobby the weather was much colder than we expected for this time of the year on this lattitude (about 35° North): only 11°C and a chilly wind.
Because of his back, LoLie will use a 'Wheely' Mk 2 (a backpack on wheels) for this journey. Unfortunately the Wheely was slightly but very uncoveniently damaged during ground handeling or air transportation so a repair had to be scheduled.
Ebysu Youth Hostel was only 10 minutes walking from the busstop at Nagasaki Main station. After checking-in at about 7 PM, storing our luggage and making the beds, it was time for dinner. From the Hostel-keeper we got a discount ticket for a restaurant in China Town; 'Champon' was the recommandation for 'a cheap but hearty Chinese dish created in Nagasaki', but we ordered another local dish called 'Sauradon'.
When we returned in the Youth Hostel Masaji Kitayama, one the Japanese members in of walking team, had also arrived. Sadly he told us that Katayama-san had some health problems and gave us each a sealed photo so he could 'walk' with us.
The next morning a city sigth-seeing was arranged. It was sunny and the wind less chilly than the day before; in the wind shade it was quiet nice weather. With an old-fashioned tramway we went to the Atomic Bomb area: Museum, location of the Hypocentre, Peacepark, Urakami Cathedral, the remaining but twisted half of the 2nd torii and the still alive camphor trees of the Sanno Shrine.
For lunch our guides took us again to China Town; thereafter we went trough Holland Street to Glover Garden, really nice hill overlooking the bay, and Hollander Slope where the Western foreigners built theis houses after the lift of the seclusion of Japan in the 1860's (because of the for more than 200 years the Dutchmen had been the only foreigners in Nagasaki, all foreigners were called 'Hollander').
At 5 o'clock we were home at the YH and the next priority was the repair of the damaged Wheely. So very soon we were on the road again with the Wheely; at a gas and tyre service station around the corner we found the neccessary tools for repair: a bit of oil, a screwdriver and a little screw.
The last morning we visited our main object in Nagasaki: the reconstruction of the Dutch trading post on Dejima. In the late 19th century the island had become part of a land reclamation but now the outlines are restored and several buildings are reconstructed according old plans and drawings.
After buying lunch we left Nagasaki at half past eleven on a train bound for Hirado.
From 1641 when the Dutch trading post was moved from Hirado to Dejima until 1859, that little artificial island in the bay of Nagasaki was the only place in Japan where the Dutch (and no other Europeans) were allowed to trade.
After touching down at Nagasaki International Airport, entering Japan proved to be more difficult than we are used to at Narita Airport. At the immigration desk it was hard to explain why we on the disembarkation card mentioned a 90 days stay in Nagasaki.
Except that 90 days is the maximum allowed stay for a tourist visum they just wouldn't believe in such a long stay in Nagasaki. Shortening my expected stay to 75 days made hardly any difference. Trying to make a non English speaking immigration officer understand that we intended to walk form here to Tokyo also didn't improve the situation.
Presenting a print-out in Japanese language of our website made him even more uncertain than before so he consulted a collegue who did understand some English. This finally resulted in granting us permission to enter Japan.
The customs had much less problems with our intentions, but when we entered the arrival lobby someone with a badge adressed me. I told him that we didn't need a taxi because we would take the shuttle bus but he persisted. He turned out to be a police officer who again wanted to know why we were here and what we wanted to do.
To make a long story a bit shorter we never really convinced him but he was so kind to assist us getting on the bus bound for Nagasaki city.
When we laft the arrival lobby the weather was much colder than we expected for this time of the year on this lattitude (about 35° North): only 11°C and a chilly wind.
Because of his back, LoLie will use a 'Wheely' Mk 2 (a backpack on wheels) for this journey. Unfortunately the Wheely was slightly but very uncoveniently damaged during ground handeling or air transportation so a repair had to be scheduled.
Ebysu Youth Hostel was only 10 minutes walking from the busstop at Nagasaki Main station. After checking-in at about 7 PM, storing our luggage and making the beds, it was time for dinner. From the Hostel-keeper we got a discount ticket for a restaurant in China Town; 'Champon' was the recommandation for 'a cheap but hearty Chinese dish created in Nagasaki', but we ordered another local dish called 'Sauradon'.
When we returned in the Youth Hostel Masaji Kitayama, one the Japanese members in of walking team, had also arrived. Sadly he told us that Katayama-san had some health problems and gave us each a sealed photo so he could 'walk' with us.
The next morning a city sigth-seeing was arranged. It was sunny and the wind less chilly than the day before; in the wind shade it was quiet nice weather. With an old-fashioned tramway we went to the Atomic Bomb area: Museum, location of the Hypocentre, Peacepark, Urakami Cathedral, the remaining but twisted half of the 2nd torii and the still alive camphor trees of the Sanno Shrine.
For lunch our guides took us again to China Town; thereafter we went trough Holland Street to Glover Garden, really nice hill overlooking the bay, and Hollander Slope where the Western foreigners built theis houses after the lift of the seclusion of Japan in the 1860's (because of the for more than 200 years the Dutchmen had been the only foreigners in Nagasaki, all foreigners were called 'Hollander').
At 5 o'clock we were home at the YH and the next priority was the repair of the damaged Wheely. So very soon we were on the road again with the Wheely; at a gas and tyre service station around the corner we found the neccessary tools for repair: a bit of oil, a screwdriver and a little screw.
The last morning we visited our main object in Nagasaki: the reconstruction of the Dutch trading post on Dejima. In the late 19th century the island had become part of a land reclamation but now the outlines are restored and several buildings are reconstructed according old plans and drawings.
After buying lunch we left Nagasaki at half past eleven on a train bound for Hirado.
Friday, December 26, 2008
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