Nagasaki / Fukuoka – Nagasaki Chinatown, Dejima Miniture Museum, Hakata
2015-08-20 (Nagasaki, Fukuoka)
Nagasaki Chinatown
Former Chinese Settlement
A Guide to Nagasaki’s Chinese Settlement
During the Edo Period, the Shogunate established a policy of national isolation. In order to prevent smuggling and the spread of Christianity, these Chinese Houses were built in 1689 to accommodate Chinese traders who came to Japan.
The Chinese settlement was surrounded by a high wall and a pair of ditches. There was only one point of entry, and visitors had to pass through both an Outer Gate (Daimon) and an Inner Gate (Ninomon).
Passage through these gates was stictly controlled: even Japanese officials were not allowed to pass through the Inner Gate without special permission. The only people allowed to use the gates freely were courtesans.
In 1859, Japan re-opened its borders, and Chinese residents settled in other parts of Nagasaki, such as the Foreign Settlement in Oura and the Shinchi and Hirobaba areas in 1868, the Chinese Houses were officially closed. Today, the former site of the houses is an urban area.
Dejima (Nagasaki Miniature Museum)
Nagasaki Famous Dish – Toruko Rice: A touch of Turkey in Japan. Actually didn’t expect I could find it here.
Pilaf rice, spaghetti and pork cutlets in a dish!
Casutela
Discounted Local JR Ticket to Fukuoka! (Hostel person recommended this place for discounted ticket. Usually the store buy these tickets in bundle for discount and sell tickets to individuals for cheaper price)
Arrived in Hakata!
Saw a bakery with many people lining up with croissants. Might as well get some for myself.
Hakata Ramen!
Ridiculous Night in Fukuoka
Probably the worst night of stay I had with Expedia.
Well, for most people, assuming you are booking through Expedia, you would expect the hotel/hostel your are staying would meet the standards of what a hotel should be, but unfortunately, this hostel doesn’t even qualify as a hostel.
1. The location is not what it says on the website
I had to look somewhere else (hotel.com) to look for the exact location of the hostel, which is in a shady commercial/apartment building with no easy access. I had to tail gate someone to enter into the building.
2. There is no reception / owner whatsoever appeared inside the hostel.
I have not seen the owner not even once. There was a friend of the owner who only speaks Korean (Yes, Korean! no English at all. It was ridiculous.)
3. The owner’s friends smokes within the apartment, even though I booked a non-smoking bed.
4. I called Expedia, and asked them to contact the hostel, but no one was able to help. Of course, they couldn’t reach the owner.
I left the place with only one night of stay because I couldn’t have stayed anywhere else. I had a really bad impression with Korean-centric ho
