nagasaki. september 10th-12th

we arrive in the early evening, and carrying our heavy packs around has been wearing a bit thin. we make our way to our hostel, a streetcar ride, a short walk to the river, a quiet street, old stone bridges and the city has already drawn us in. then we are welcomed at the lovely akari hostel, a quick walk to get our bearings, some groceries and my dinner. we venture out again, this city is beautiful. the search for stephen's dinner, an hour later, he picks a really nice kushi/yakitori restaurant. the staff, friendly and helpful. wandering back, it is slow, and quiet here, and has this great energy.





with only one full day here, we try to get up early to go to nearby ioujima island for swimming and onsen. miss the ferry, rearrange our plans, and visit peace park and the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial hall 'ahead of schedule'. Nagasaki seems less talked about, but is equally as sobering as Hiroshima, sharing a history that speaks of a great inhumanity. it is important to bear witness, and to learn. the hall is stunningly designed, we take our time and absorb the monumental scale and immense impact of the memorial hall.






head back to the ferry, making it to the island in the late afternoon. the beach, a 30 minute walk from the ferry port, is empty except for a man with his two young children. it is peaceful, the water is cool. the beach facilities area appears to be closed for the season, meaning no access to change rooms or anything else in the area for that matter. then on to the onsen. i guess we should have checked, as it is the norm here, but we are refused entry because of our tattoos. tattoos in Japan were/are often associated to the yakuza (mafia) and therefore not welcomed in most public baths. disappointed, we leave, no relaxing onsen soak and no shower to clean off the sandy beach residue from our bodies and nowhere to change out of our swimwear. the next ferry is not for an hour, everything is closed, we wait. that night, spent in the hostel talking with guests until 2am. lovely conversation, an intersection of cultures. not enough time here, but well spent.