A great day out

I spent the entire day in town today, leaving the dorm at 10 in the morning and not returning until 8 at night. I met up with some of the other students, and we took a trip to the Nagasaki Aquarium. Tons of great pictures and memories.

This creepy fellow is called a warasubo, and is apparently a popular local snack

The mantis shrimp has some of the most impressive eyes in the animal kingdom

This funny looking guy is called an elephant shrimp

 

 

The main attraction was the penguins

I think this one was molting

A Bering Wolf Fish

According to the aquarium, Nagasaki is the only part of Japan where mudskippers live

The largest freshwater fish in the world, Mekong Catfish are revered as messengers of the gods in Thailand

It didn't really photograph well, but there was a great interactive exhibit with "doctor fish." You put your hand in and they'd nibble on the dead skin cells. Lots of larger fish go to them to get parasites removed.

After the aquarium, we headed off to Temple Street.

On the way was Meganebashi, Japan's first stone bridge.

This pigeon came right up to me

One thing I'd been looking forward to since my arrival was seeing Sofukuji, a Buddhist temple built by Chinese residents in the 17th century.

The main gate, an excellent example of Ming architecture

The inner gate

The main Buddha hall, the oldest building in Nagasaki

The Buddha statues inside are also unlike any others in Japan

After the trip to Sofuku-ji, I split off from the main group. I ended up visiting a maid cafe, which was a wonderful experience, then stopping at a bookstore before returning to the dorm.

End of Silver Week

And so as I type this, midnight is arriving, marking the end of "silver week" and the return of normal college life. Tomorrow is the entrance ceremony, and then my classes begin the next day. I've gotten familiar with Nagasaki's public transportation system, found a restaurant I like that's a short bus ride away, and made a few plans. All in all, I'm settling in pretty well, I think. I got lost in Nagasaki for a while today, but the extra walking was good for me, and everyone I met was really helpful in getting back to the university.

Visit to Suwa

So, today I took some time to get more familiar with Nagasaki's public transportation. It was a beautiful day, so I went into the city and visited the Suwa Shrine. Suwa Shrine is the largest Shinto shrine in Nagasaki, dating back to the 17th century. There was a wedding going on at the shrine, and the couple let me take a picture.

Field Trip to Unzen

OK, so it's been a few days since I've posted, I was busy enjoying myself. The group went on a field trip. Our first stop was the Mt Unzen Disaster memorial museum. The next stop was Shimabara Castle, which I've wanted to visit for quite some time. We also walked around Shimabara, which is a gorgeous and historical neighborhood. There are a few houses set aside as mini-museums where you can see how samurai families lived. Shimabara itself seems to be a very nice place to live, I guess the closest American equivalent I can think of is Salem.

We got to try on samurai armor at the castle

The view from atop Shimabara Castle

Met this cutie in Shimabara.

Almost walked right by without noticing this guy

One of the old samurai houses.

We then stayed at a hot springs resort for the night. My first experience at an onsen, and I loved it. Obviously, no photography allowed there. The baths were so relaxing.

Karaoke night at the hotel

The next day, we went to the top of Mt Unzen for sightseeing. This was where my phone died on me, but I can promise the view was breathtaking.

Our last stop was Obama, a pretty seaside town known for its foot bath. The town is centuries old, the name is a coincidence.

After that, I got off the bus at Sumiyoshi to visit a local shrine, then took another bus back to the university. All in all, a great couple of days.