Japan & Korea – May 24, 2016

The weather prediction was for rain today so the gloomy sky, but no rain, was a bonus.  Did carry my rain hat and jacket, however.  Not being able to face cold, runny, eggs at the hotel breakfast, I headed for Starbucks for a latte and a scone.  Did take out and ate along the harbor.  Had a good view of the observatory I’d been in last night.  I was very glad I’d done the night tour when the skies were clear; don’t think there would be good views tonight.

 

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Walked along the harbor and through Seaside Park to find the Glover Gardens.  This part of Nagasaki was the area in which most Westerners lived in the late 18^th and 19^th centuries so the gardens contain a number of homes and other buildings from that era.  On the way to Glover Gardens I passed Oura Catholic Church, built in 1864 by a French priest; it is Japan’s oldest remaining gothic-style wooden church.

After climbing up some more, I reached the Glover Gardens entrance – and more stairs!  Fortunately the Japanese do believe in mechanical aids so there were also escalators and moving sidewalks for some of the worst hills within the Gardens.  There was a major effort to make the Gardens area handicapped accessible.

     

Given the dates of the buildings and no information talking about major reconstruction, it appears that this part of the city must have escaped major damage by the atomic bomb. Nagasaki is the setting for the opera Madame Butterfly and there is a lot of pride in that fact as evidenced by these statues of Giacomo Puccini, composer, and Tamaki Miura, opera singer who was famous for her role as Madame Butterfly.

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The Ringer House and Glover House are examples of the 19^th century western homes.  The Glover House is the oldest western-style wood building in Japan, built in 1863.  Inside there are some artifacts from the Glover family.  The gardens were lovely, and there was a large conservatory, outside which I’m standing in the picture below. All rooms in the Glover House opened directly to the outside – great for views and airiness, probably not so good for security!

The gardens which surround the buildings are varied and lovely.  The cycad tree is 300 years old, having been presented to Thomas Glover by Lord Shimazu as an already-large plant when the house was built.  This particular rose had a really lovely smell.

Leaving the Glover Gardens I found myself at the Nagasaki Traditional Performing Arts Museum.  There was a large-screen video showing the Nagasaki Festival and its dances while the props used in the Festival were on display.

Walking back toward the hotel I saw a sign for Dutch Slope so headed in that direction.  At the point I saw another sign, pointing up a fairly steep road, it began raining.  I decided I wasn’t interested in climbing in the rain just to see a slope and more western-style homes.  So returned to my hotel-bound journey.  Met a young woman who looked Japanese who commented in English how difficult it was to find one’s way with signs only in Japanese.  Of Japanese heritage, living in Brazil, she was in the country for a medical conference.  Having some free time she made a one-day trip to Nagasaki and wanted to see the Dejima, which she understood was the start of western medicine in Japan.  Knowing the Dejima was a block from my hotel, we walked together until she reached her destination and began taking some pictures.  She speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish, and French, but, despite the encouragement of her Japanese-born parents, hasn't yet mastered Japanese.

Reached the hotel and decided to spend the evening in.  The rain had stopped, but the weather wasn’t great.  After two days of hard sightseeing I was ready for relaxing a bit.  Also, had to pack since my flight to Osaka and on to Seoul leaves tomorrow.