An American Abroad Part 3: Goodbye Kyoto, Hello Fukuoka
BY TOM HACH
We got up earlier than usual, and went to the Samurai Ninja Museum, which Grove had discovered online the night before. Our 20-something museum guide was great and was actually an exchange student in North Carolina, so his English was terrific!
To understand the samurai, he gave us information on Japanese feudal society. From 1100 until the late 1800's, Japan had a unique four-tier class feudal society: 1. Shoguns/daimyo/samurai, 2. Farmers/peasent, 3. Artisans and 4. Merchants. Shoguns gained power through military might, the daimyo were local warlords loyal to the shogun and the samurai were employed by daimyo as mercanaries. The order of the lower three-tiers was driven by Confucianism, which was observed during this period. Little known fact: Ninjas came from the farmer class, and their weapons were often modified farm tools.
Those above the class system included the Emperor, who was a figurehead at this time, and religious monks, while actors, tanners, butchers and others were below the system. This structure lasted until 1868 when Emperor Meiji restored himself to full traditional authority during the Meiji Restoration.
At the end the tour, we put on some faux samurai armor (but with real helmets), and we got to try our luck at throwing some plastic Ninja stars. After a few practice throws, we all had a competition, and Grove won with a bullseye. His prize: He got to keep his star!
After the samurai museum, we headed to the train station to travel to Fukuoka. Unfortunately, the Shinkansen lines to Fukuoka are not finished, so we had to switch to a regional train for part of the journey. We checked into our hotel, and, yes, it was after 4 PM! Grove was feeling a little tired, so I decided to go to the Tenjin Christmas Market, which was about a 15 min walk from the hotel to have my own little adventure,. It also gave me a chance to try Google Maps offline, which works for driving but not for trains or walking. Since my walking route was also a driving route, it worked really well!
There were many light displays, some entertainment, lots of people and , of course, food. The entertainment was provided by a 20-something guy who performed some magic tricks, and then some fairly impressive feats of balance. I got hungry and decided to get some Turkish food. It was very popular, because it took about 15 min to get through the line. When I got near the front, I could hear the Turkish proprietors speaking in Japanese, and when it was my turn they switched to perfect American English before I even said a word. I was pretty impressed, and I guess it shows that it is easy to distinguish between Americans, Germans, Australians, etc.. The meal was great, and then I headed back to the hotel again using my trusty Google Maps app offline.
Tuesday, December 24 - Christmas Eve: Nagasaki
It was a travel day, so we got up fairly early and left the hotel and had breakfast at Nooice Cafe and it was one of the best meals ever. Mine included pancakes with carmel, ice cream, as well as hash browns and sausage. OUTSTANDING! Before heading to Nagasaki, we went to the Old Town Hakata section of Fukuoka consisted of a small garden and some homes which were very old and some Buddhist shrines.
We took the train to Nagasaki, and checked in at the hotel and then left for some sightseeing. Our first stop was at the Dejima or exit island. Before the modern era, Japan was extremely isolationist and Nagasaki was the only port open to foreign trade, first with the Portuguese in 1570, and, after a Portuguese revolt, with the Dutch starting in 1639 and ending in 1869. The Dejima was originally a peninsula, but after the revolt a channel was dug making it into an island connected only by a bridge.
Designated a historical site in 1922, the Dejima has been restored to how it looked in the 19th century. There are warehouses, manufacturing shops and living quarters, as well as archaeological items found during the site restoration which can be viewed and experienced. Truly fascinating!
After the Dejima, we toured the waterfront and saw a Roll on/roll off (RORO) ferry. The Nagasaki Museum of Art is also on the waterfront, so we took a tour. They had a nice collection of paintings by Spanish artists, including a Picasso, but NO PICTURES ALLOWED!
Before going to dinner, we stopped by the hotel to get a few things, and I lingered in the lobby where a pianist was playing some Christmas music. I got there right at the end but heard the last half of 'O Holy Night.' I really appreciated her and the hotel for arranging that session.
After dinner, we stopped at Lawson’s to get dessert and Grove found a green cupcake kind of shaped like a Christmas tree, and SO IT WAS! As a surprise, I brought our Christmas stockings from home and we filled them with various things we bought along the way.
We then headed outside to smoke some cigars. While we were there, a fellow from Germany stopped over to have a cigarette. We found out he was teaching German to new immigrants from Ukrainian, Syria and other places. As we talked, I asked how he was able to communicate with people speaking some many different languages. His answer, “Google Translate.” Only in a time such as this!
Wednesday, Dec 25 - Christmas Day!
We took picture of our “make do” Christmas Tree, complete with stockings, and sent to family and friends. We then proceeded to have an EXTREMELY lazy mornings! Although it may be regarded as strange thing to do on Christmas, we decided to go to the Nagasaki Atom Bomb Museum.
The human loss was staggering. There were some personal items from victims of the bomb, but the museum focused more on physical destruction. As we went around the museum, most of the visitors were Japanese, but neither Grove nor I felt any negativity towards us.
The bomb was dropped by a B-29 named Bockscar, which I have visited at the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. The day of the bombing the primary target, Kokura – near Fukuoka, was overcast, so Bockscar diverted to the secondary target – Nagasaki. Closer to home, the list of potential targets for the atomic bombs included Niigata, which is where Uncle Jimmy was imprisoned. (Below: Picture: Bockscar, Remains of Catholic Church near ground zero, Melted glass bottles.)
Outside the museum, toured Nagasaki Peace Park. It was surreal to think of what happened there on August 9, 1945.
Observation: Grove and I discussed the decision to drop the bombs. Having a good understanding of WWII, I believe the Japanese would have bombed the US had they had the bomb and the means to deliver it. Grove further observed that there have been no peer to peer war since the atomic bomb. His example was The Cold War between the US and USSR was cold because nuclear war was unthinkable. So I think a case can be made the bombs have likely saved more lives than they cost. [Note: Our conclusions are in no way meant to minimize the horrific costs paid by the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.]
After the museum, we went back to the hotel and did some more Christmas slacking off, and then had GREAT burgers at The Stand Hill!
Thursday, December 26: Next Stop – Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni
After a great stay in Nagasaki, we headed to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni via Hiroshima. We arrived in Hiroshima, but only had a two-hour window, so we only had time to visit Hiroshima Castle. The castle has been destroyed and rebuilt serveral times, most recently as a result of the atomic bomb during WWII. The exterior maintains a terrific traditional fascad, but the building itself was of modern construction. The most amazing thing I learned was that the original site, including castle and moat was constructed in just two years starting in 1588.
After our brief stop in Hiroshima, we headed back to the train station to get to Iwakuni, so Grove could check in from leave. Once in Iwakuni, Grove and a shipmate, also on the train, got a taxi to the base, and I walked to the hotel to check in. I then walked over to the base, and Grove met me at the gate to give me a tour. If you've ever been on a US military base, they're all about the same – little patches of America in the middle of foreign lands.
We saw the Marine Corps Exchange, the commissary, food court and enlisted quarters, etc. At one point as we were walking, Grove said he had a surprise in his backpack. We soon came to an athletic field, and he produced a baseball and two gloves. I truly love playing catch with him, and we threw the ball around for about 30 min. It was truly one of the highlights of the trip!
We parted ways around 10 PM, but not before he showed me the general location of the hanger for his squadron, VFA-195 Dambusters, and a vintage F/A-18 Legacy aircraft at the entrance to the base. Grove and I really had a great 10 day together, and it was a somewhat emotional parting of the ways because I will likely not see him again until 2027.
