Monthly Archives: August 2009
Come explore the Southern Nagasaki Peninsula!
Many people in this prefecture (probably even many locals) are somehow unaware of all the great areas that lay hidden in the Nagasaki Peninsula located directly south of Nagasaki City. Either by car or by city bus you can spend a wonderful day exploring this beautiful, lush peninsula. Below are two of the local hotspots that without a doubt should be included on any visit to the area.
Night Views in Nagasaki
Enjoy night views, but don’t like cold weather or paying for gas? Then you need to check out this website.
I just came across it today, and it appears to be dedicated to night view photography from all across Japan. In Nagasaki-ken, make sure to check out: Sasebo, Omura, Nagasaki (Inasayama), and my personal favorite Nagasaki (Nabekanmuri-yama).
Cheers,
- Jason Howard
A Hot Guide to Nagasaki’s Amazing Hotsprings
Whether it be to wash the sweat from your body during the humid summer weather, or to warm up your chilled bones during winter, a visit to the onsen (hot spring) is perfect for any season. What exactly is an onsen you might ask? It is a gender separated public bath usually built on a natural hot spring. While donning your ‘birthday suit’ and bathing with strangers might cause some embarrassment at first, as it did for me, I soon found that going to the onsen with girlfriends is about as natural as going out for coffee to gossip. There are several great places in Nagasaki prefecture where you can (Read more)
Let’s Hike Nagasaki!
As a newcomer to Nagasaki last year, there were two things I wanted to do more than anything else: go swimming, and go hiking. Unfortunately, swimming was out of the question due to the mass numbers of jellyfish that infest the waters during the summer. Luckily, I soon found out how many amazing mountains there are in this area. This is of course true for most of Japan, which is 75% covered in mountains, but it’s especially true for Kyushu. The mountains aren’t necessarily bigger or better than those in the rest of Japan, but the beautiful views surrounding them makes the area truly unique.
Nagasaki’s perimeter of ocean is extremely long as the coastline juts in and out all around this oddly shaped prefecture’s inlets, bays, and peninsulas. This makes for (Read more)
Pining for the Simple Things in Life? Go to Goto
If you’re low on cash and high off exhaust fumes from the city, consider coming to Goto Island for an affordable detox. Only 80 km off the coast of Nagasaki and abounding in natural beauty, this seemingly forgotten island is the perfect place to rent a car and road trip it for a weekend with friends.
Dejima Wharf – Nagasaki’s Underappreciated Waterside Haven
Located behind Yumesaito shopping plaza in Nagasaki city, Dejima Wharf is a quiet, lovely area that is unfortunately looked over by many. It’s a real shame, considering it offers a number of tantalizing opportunities for you to spend your leisure time!
Nagasaki Bio Park – A Return to the Wild
The Bio Park, located on the western side of Omura Bay in the Saikai region, is not your typical zoo. Unlike the layout of many zoos out there, the Bio Park has more of a “World Safari” type atmosphere, and during your tour around the premises you will encounter a vast assortment of wild creatures from all over the globe, many of whom you will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with (if you so wish).
The basic theory behind the Bio Park is that if a space resembling the natural habitat of an animal can be accurately recreated, the animal will feel so at home that a cage won’t be necessary to make it stay put. This makes for an interesting situation where (Read more)