Day two in Nagasaki was just as predicted……68 degrees with 56% humidity and light winds. The best thing was that the sun came out and the rain was gone. A few scattered clouds did not matter.
There was another crew drill held at 9:30am, so it was a good time to leave. Today we followed the directions to Nagasaki’s Shinchi Chinatown, touted to be one of the oldest ones in Japan. On our way out of the dock, we ran into the same information fellow that teased us about the pizza yesterday, or the lack of finding an Italian restaurant. He asked if we were successful in locating pizza and beer, and we said, as a matter of fact, we sure did. And it was within walking distance from the pier. He asked where it was, then wished us a good day in town.
We took a long way around passing the wharf area, then going by the huge Prefectural Art Museum. We seem to recall touring here many years ago. Following the street signs, we did locate the correct street to the portal over the Chinatown, which some joked it was Chinastreet, referring to how small it was. Sitting under a shrine across the street, we spotted friends already coming out of Chinatown. They joined us for a spell while we discussed ship news and world news, most of which has been cut off to us. We told them about the pizza café we found yesterday, and they would check it out since they have had their fill of Asian food for awhile.
So this Chinatown was small in comparison to some we have seen but also was very clean and uncrowded for a change. There were the usual hanging lanterns and Chinese decorations to brighten up the scene. Souvenir shops were scattered between small eateries with two main restaurants down the far end. We suspect that many of the passengers may have come here for dinner last night. None of the souvenirs appealed to us since we already have them all at home.
From here, we wandered back towards Dejima Wharf passing the Dutch Trading Post Site, that was built in the Edo period centuries ago. It is a nationally designated historic site about Nagasaki’s unique Wakaran culture which is a mixture of Japanese, Chinese, and Dutch cultures. We did not have time to go inside but did walk past the ancient rock wall that has recently been excavated. We could see the original rocks that lined the harbor here for a long block. The walls of the trading post have been reinforced to preserve the site as well.
We crossed a pedestrian bridge to the Youme shopping mall, a modern 4 or 5 story building with modern clothing, a supermarket, and a food court. We made a quick pass through the first floor, then down to the food court. Everything was fast food style and included a McDonalds.
From here, we strolled through Dejima Wharf with several eateries, mostly fish- oriented, and the small marina with a few boats. No good pizza place here, we continued onto the Seaside Park. This time we walked the backside of the park to find it was beautifully landscaped and followed the canal all the way to the end of the park.
Going the samedirection we went yesterday, we easily found the ALI pizza café and had another delightful lunch there. This time, we were among the first customers to be seated, followed within ten minutes by a full restaurant. We got lucky with our timing, since today being a Saturday, many more locals were out and about. We ordered the same draft beers and two of the Margherita pizzas once again. We do not know when and if we will find good pizzas like this for the remainder of the trip.
We got back to the ship by 3pm, with the all aboard time of 4:30pm. Of course, we worked until then online and writing our day’s adventure. Captain Frank came on with his daily talk and stated what a wonderful two days we had here in Nagasaki. Even with one rainy day, today’s nice weather made up for it. He said we will have 600 nautical miles to go to the next port of Shimizu with a day at sea before arriving. He expected gusty winds and a three-foot swell tomorrow. The temperature will be around 65 degrees and no rain predicted. Once leaving, there would be some scenic cruising on our way out of the harbor. He was right.
Much to our surprise, a group of high school kids performed a show for us when the lines were being dropped. There was a small band with the boys and girls doing a song and dance routine. Then each and every kid grabbed an instrument and wowed us with their talent. They cheered in Japanese of course and gave us an outstanding send-off. We could hear the applause from the guests coming from each deck as well as the promenade deck. Glad we went out on deck six forward, or we may have missed the show.
Viewing from the portside from our veranda, we did get some nice photos as we passed various parts of town. We did see a few very old cemeteries carved out of the stone hillsides. Shipyards were everywhere on this side of the harbor as well as the opposite side. We passed easily under the 2005 Megami Ohashi Bridge, built in the new cable-stay design. It is the longest type of this bridge in the city at 558 feet tall, allowing for the biggest cruise ships on the seas.
We passed by the tip of the city where there was a good view for the starboard folks to see the old Kaminoshima Church and the statue of the Virgin Mary also locally known as Venus wings. On our side of the ship, we could see Iojima Island with the Iojima Lighthouse and Observatory on the tip of the island. We were minutes out of the harbor into open waters when all of a sudden we spotted dolphins swimming and jumping near the ship. Big ones too. We sure did not expect that although one of us had a feeling we might see them. Why, we don’t know…just instinct. They lasted only a moment and we were lucky to be able to capture some of their antics. Watching the wake, they disappeared and never came back. It was time to go inside because it had gotten really cold outside and it was time for dinner soon.
Soup was a good starter to warm up along with along with salads. The Caesar salad dressing has continued to be rather nasty, so we have learned to ordered it on the side or substitute something better. One of us had the teriyaki chicken with mac and cheese, while the other had the flank steak (chewy). This time the chicken won. We had one scoop of pecan ice cream for dessert.
The entertainment was provided by the onboard singers with Boulevards rock and roll music. The Casino remained closed for the evening, perhaps due to the fact we were not in international waters. Really looking forward to one glorious day at sea to re-boot.
Bill & Mary Ann
