Nagasaki

'Please refrain from acts that are annoying to others'. - Food-Court Rules.

in

As previously mentioned, another reason to travel over to Nagasaki was to go and see the Sumo Wrestling.

We bought our tickets in England as soon as they were released about 8 months ago. As promised, our tickets were waiting for us at our hotel when we arrived. We travelled two hours to the city of Fukuoka to watch the tournament that everyone over the age of 40 appeared to be glued to on both TV and the newspapers. 

Waiting the arrival of the Sumo Wrestlers

Sumo wrestlers are a lot like geishas, in as much that both their professions occupy all aspects of their lives. They have to live by rules that dictate their daily routines and decorum in and out of their sumo stables. As far as clothing is concerned, they are required to dress traditionally whenever seen in public. Interestingly, the specifics of how they are dressed is determined by their rank. For instance, lower ranked wrestlers only get to wear Yukatas even in winter. Sumo is a sport steeped in history and is still closely associated with its Shinto principles.

Inside, around the sacred arena, everyone sits on tatami mats or raised cushions in marked bays. Everyone takes food, beer and a few banners to hold. This is a long day and everyone takes supplies into the arena with them.

Oh my goodness how the ladies love the Sumo. In and out of the stadium, they were shouting, clapping, cheering and waving their banners. They queued behind the restriction tape desperate to get a photo of their favourites sumos. The men took a quieter approach and drank lots of beer.

Crowd control.

Unfortunate losers has to leave early.

Sumos are banned, by the Sumo Association, from driving their own cars.

Our day at Sumo was fascinating and very entertaining. It is potentially a sport with an uncertain future, as the harsh lifestyle makes it more and more difficult to attract new recruits.

So it’s farewell to Nagasaki. We are off to Hiroshima next.

'We look forward to returning without traffic accident.' - Car-hire Slogan. Nagasaki.

in

Nagasaki was the only major port open to foreign trade during Japan's era of isolation, and the Chinese and Dutch were the only traders allowed in the city. Today, evidence of both these countries can be seen in various quarters of the city and in the food. In more recent history, Nagasaki became the second city after Hiroshima to be destroyed by an atomic bomb towards the end of World War Two.

We arrived late at night in the pouring rain, of course.

For us, travelling all the way over to Nagasaki was about seeing a variation of character and culture, Gunkanjima Island and Sumo Wrestling. Nagasaki isn’t just about the atomic bomb devastation, but it is a big part. My goodness though, once you’ve walked round the no-holds barred museum and seen the utter horror of it all, it is quite unbelievable how an area can come back from that.

Nagasaki feels different, a bit more chilled and very, very steep. The cars are not quite as pristine and the taxis still sport the white lace covers but the drivers don’t always wear white gloves.

The streets are less sanitised and there is a mixture of old and new and higgledy-piggledy disorder as you leave the centre.

Moving house looks hardwork.

The streetcars add a nostalgic charm, they are great for flitting round the city and we loved them.

Gunkanjima - Battleship Island was our initial reason to go to Nagasaki and we were devastated to discover that there were no boats landing there for the foreseeable future due to recent typhoon damage. Absolutely gutted, another one to add to the list of ‘Unseens’. 

Instead, we hired a car and went over to the ‘hidden potteries’. Well, they’re not that well hidden - it was like Hebden Bridge mid-summer. What we did find in the most beautiful village of Okawachiyama is the studios and kilns are all closed and turned into tourist shops, all selling traditional Japanese porcelain with no contemporary pieces. We enjoyed the mountainous backdrop and the beautiful setting.

We then drove to Arita, the home of porcelain. We saw the outlet stalls lining the roadside and decided to keep driving.

Most independent businesses appear to have very infrequent, random opening times. Maybe the big shopping malls have taken their business away?

The most peculiar thing is that here in Nagasaki, everywhere closes at 8.00pm. With the exception of a convenience store, a Pachinko Parlour or an occasional fast food restaurant. If there are late night bars and clubs hidden away you certainly don’t see them or hear them.

Pachinko customer.

So where is everybody?