Cliff(y) Goes Travelling

Nagasaki City, Nagasaki, Japan Literally meaning 'Long Cape', Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of the prefecture of the same name on the western side of Kyushu. Prior to 1543, it used to be a small fishing village that had little significance until contact with Portuguese explorers that was the catalyst for the development of the port city.

10-13 Shinchimachi, Nagasaki, Japan Nagasaki Chinatown is the oldest among the three designated Chinatowns in Japan. Most of the Chinese members there are of Fuzhounese descent. In 1980, Nagasaki and Fuzhou established ties as sister cities to recognise the historical connections between them and Fuzhounese immigrant community.

4-5 Matsugaemachi, Nagasaki, Japan Daily: 11.30am - 8.00pm Have you tried champon before? It's a soupy noodle dish of Chinese origin containing pork, seafood and vegetables that was first served in Nagasaki at Shikairou , a famous restaurant that has stood the test of time since 1899. There's a small museum dedicated to  champon  housed inside the majestic building where Shikairou is.

[Hypocenter Park] 5 Matsuyamamachi, Nagasaki, Japan The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: many of us have probably heard about it from our History class. On 9 August 1945, the USA dropped a plutonium implosion bomb nicknamed "Fat Man" at the place which is now known as Hypocenter Park in Nagasaki. Not far from it is Peace Park that was established 10 years later to commemorate the grievous event.

Fuchimachi, Nagasaki, Japan Rising 333 m above sea level, Mount Inasa is located on the western side of the city of Nagasaki. The observatory at the summit offers a spectacular view of the thriving port city and its surrounding areas, especially the so-called "10 Million Dollar Night View" that's considered to be not only one of the best three in Japan, but also in the world.

8 Fuchimachi, Nagasaki, Japan Daily: 9.00am - 10.00pm Opened in 1958, Nagasaki Ropeway is an aerial tramway service that allows visitors to go to the top of Mount Inasa, which is said to offer one of the best three night views of Japan, located on the western side of the city of Nagasaki. There's a way to get a discounted round-trip ticket by navigating the Japanese website, which I'll talk about in this post.

2-1 Daikokumachi, Nagasaki, Japan Located across the road from Nagasaki railway station, APA Hotel is a budget-friendly accommodation, the building of which is thin and compact. It's also conveniently located next to a bus terminal where you can catch a ride to the airport and many other destinations.

1-1 Huis Ten Bosch-cho, Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan Daily: 9.00am - 10.00pm Hello again! Hope everyone is doing fine amid the current COVID-19 situation. Let's stay home and stay safe together. I've finally had the chance for a breather from work, so allow me to continue with Part 2 of Huis Ten Bosch (lit. House in the Woods), a Dutch-themed amusement park in Sasebo, Japan that I visited in December 2019. Oh, how I've missed travelling!

1-1 Huis Ten Bosch-cho, Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan Daily: 9.00am - 10.00pm It was in 2018 when I first heard about Huis Ten Bosch (lit. House in the Woods), a Dutch-themed amusement park in Japan that resembles a town in the Netherlands with canals and windmills, from an online friend who had a blast there. It's named after a royal palace in The Hague, a former home of Queen Beatrix from 1981 until her abdication in 2014.

10 Huis Ten Bosch-cho, Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan Sun-Thu: 9.00am - 9.00pm Fri-Sat: 9.00am - 10.00pm Shiba inu is a Japanese hunting dog breed that's well-loved by many. Look no further than Mameshiba Café should you wish to pet and play with those adorable smaller-sized dogs. One session at the café lasts 30 minutes, and if you're lucky, you can get another 30 minutes for free should there be no other guests coming in.

Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan Once a small fishing village, Sasebo is an important port city in the Nagasaki Prefecture of the Land of the Rising Sun. Truth be told, it was one of the original targets selected by the USA for the dropping of the atomic bomb. It's now the base for Japan Self-Defense Force and home to Fleet Activities Sasebo, an overseas US Navy base.