This post will be edited after I go out for dinner, but right now it’s about 3:30pm and I’m back in the hotel relaxing for a bit. Hey, it’s my vacation, I can do what I want.

Nagasaki is much better without sciatica. I’ve been here twice before, once with my mom and sister about 20 years ago (man I’m old) and once three-ish years ago, right before the new section of the station shopping mall opened up. In fact, I left on opening day. It was also the year the Japanese COVID travel restrictions lifted and was my first time in Japan since 2019. In any case, I got sciatica on the trip and going up slopes and climbing stairs was particularly painful. Nagasaki has a lot of small steep hills and pedestrian overpasses with stairs and that wasn’t great.

Breakfast was in the hotels’s restaurant, next door in the new mall, and I remember it being better. Then again, it was right after the COVID shutdown and I think there wasn’t a buffet. I also remember it being way more crowded since there weren’t that many breakfast options then. Even with my complaints, breakfast today was really good and honestly I wasn’t hungry at lunchtime.

They had a couple of desserts but I just took a picture because I was full.

I put in my contacts and then I couldn’t find my reading glasses. Off I went to a 100 yen shop where the ladies laughed because they wore reading glasses too and probably have done the exact same thing.

After that I went to the tourist information counter at the station. As usual, they were surprised that I wanted to walk around instead of taking mass transit. The first thing I did, of course, was get lost. I did find this great view of the harbor.

It was actually not far from the back of the train station.

After that I wanted to find the mall we ate at during my first trip to Nagasaki. It was a long time ago and the train station was much smaller back then. Now there’s a giant complex of stores at the station.

I was expecting a run-down department store like I’ve been to in a lot of smaller Japanese towns, but this mall was renewed quite recently. Very clean and nice and much further from the station than I remember. The first time I went with my mom and my sister it was pouring down and I think we took a taxi.

Then it was off to walk to Chinatown (or more literally translated, China Street). On the way I was going to a shopping arcade to check out a chawanmushi shop where I think they invented the dish. In any case my sister wouldn’t stop telling me to go there and so I did. Turns out I went there on my first trip to Nagasaki and I remember the loud entryway where they clack wooden blocks to get the attention of the attendants upstairs. This time I sat at the counter downstairs.

I was still full from breakfast so I got the basic set.

Ha. Here it is with the lids off. It was very tasty and I’m saying that as someone who wasn’t even hungry at the time.

Then it was off to Chinatown. I gave the literal translation earlier because Chinatown is two blocks long, in an ell. It’s tiny. I was hoping to try some street food but it was mosly pork buns and Nagasaki pork buns and you can get those at the station. Plus I was stuffed from the chawanmushi.

By that time it was only about 12:30pm and I had run out of things on my short to-see list. I decided to visit the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture which is also quite new. On the way I saw this restaurant that was full of businessmen and took a picture of the plastic food display mainly for my sister who hates onions. Every dish seemed to have a ton of spring onions in it. (The joke probably isn’t worth it, but you’re not paying to view these pictures so whatever.)

Near the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture was the Santo Domingo Church Museum which was free but I really couldn’t be bothered to go. The NMHC (I’m not typing it all out again) was interesting, half being history and the other half being a reproduction of historic government offices.

The reproduction area required you to remove your shoes because there were tatami rooms you could enter to see what the government offices looked like.

That’s it for except for dinner. I’ll add that later (the half-dozen people who read this probably won’t notice because you’re in Portland and it’s after midnight and you should all all be asleep.)

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I was paying my bills on my computer, one reason I bring my computer, and I had to scribble some notes using the hotel room pen. It had a surprisingly nice feel to it but it had some interesting writing rather than a logo:

I tried booking my “Shinkansen” ticket online (the mini Shinkansen that goes from Nagasaki to Takeo Onsen) but the payment page said I had to go pick up the ticket in person so I just went down to the station to make the reservations in person. That’s one of the benefits of staying at the station. The ticket office was surprisingly empty and they told me I just hit it at the right time. They’re usually quite packed. I remember having to take a number the last time I was there.

It was dinnertime but I wasn’t hungry yet so I went shopping. I’m not a great shopper unless there’s something I’m looking for. I went to the nearest “Loft” and checked out the new water-based gel ink pens since I saw several ads on Instagram but couldn’t decide on anything. I also looked for some better reading glasses but they were ¥4000! I’ll stick with the cheapies. Then I looked around the restaurant floor of the new mall building thinking it was very familiar just to realize it’s the same one where I had breakfast. It’s weird approaching it from a different direction. I also realized I’d been there before when all the restaurants were open. It’s kind of confusing because there is only one open restaurant at breakfast time and the whole place has a different feel to it.

I usually ask the front desk of the hotel what the area food specialty is and they suggested toruko rice, Turkish rice which has nothing to do with the country of Turkey. They also suggested I get it at “Nicky Austin” in the train station restaurant area. I ordered the one that was marked “ichiban ninki” (most popular) because they have over a hundred different combos. I also realized I’d been there before during my sciatica visit and probably ordered the same thing.

Needed a touch more salt but it was good.

Here’s another picture that’s mainly for my sister.

She said she couldn’t find flavored WIlkinson during her last trip to Japan in the fall and so far I’ve had good luck. Usually it’s just plain or lemon but in Nagasaki I’ve been finding all sorts of flavors. Wiikinson is like LaCroix but better. Just like LaCroix, the tiny bit of flavor does make a difference.

Anyway, that’s it for Day 1. It’s only 7pm but I’m no longer a drinker (also I’m old) so I’m just going to hole up in my room and hope my jet lag doesn’t get to me tonight.