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Kameyama Shachu
I adore Nagasaki’s signs that are in Japanese, Korean, English and Chinese. Because I couldn’t read Japanese back when I first visited Japan, I found Korean, in addition to English to be quite helpful. (Things made a lot of sense to me whenever I read something written in Korean that didn’t have an actual meaning in Korean. And for that, I’m thankful I was able to read Korean.) These signs I liked so much led me to temples and eventually to the site of the former Kameyama Shachu.
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Nagasaki’s Dejima Wharf
I looked forward to visiting Japan’s Nagaski for two main reasons:
#1. Back when Japan closed itself from the outside world, Nagasaki was the only place that remained open to foreigners. (Most likely for selective trading reasons, but still…)
#2. Ninja Shadow. I want to say enough said but I realize that some of you may not know what I’m talking about. It’s a game/app that takes place in NAGASAKI! Because I’ve played Ninja Shadow (I don’t care if you judge.), a big part of me wanted to see exactly how legit their history and imagery of Nagasaki was. I want to say it was on point but then again, I didn’t exactly have the opportunity to see every nook and cranny of Nagasaki.
The area around Nagasaki’s Dejima Wharf was a pleasant place to take a stroll. While it wasn’t much of a walk, I found much joy in the ambiance. The fresh air. The people, here and there. The hilly backdrop. And the ships.
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Overrated Nikko
Of all the places I was looking forward to visit in Japan, it was Tochigi’s Nikko. I was drawn to Nikko due to my images of nature and its many world heritage sites.
Unfortunately, Nikko couldn’t meet my expectations (whatever they were) and left me with much bitter disappointment. A part of the negative experience could very well in part be due to my travel companion being a major pain since the morning of the trip. She was just bitchy AF and for the life of me, I could not comprehend why especially when she didn’t do any of the planning for this trip. (I kid you not unless you want to call a calendar showcasing our departure and arrival date as planning… Begin the eye rolling, folks.)
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Hsi Lai Temple
With 2018 coming to a close, I felt it was necessary for me to do something spiritual.
I ended up visiting Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple. Got there early enough and was able to get a nice parking spot easily. It wasn’t crowded and I was free to roam the grounds of the temple.
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Mom Thinks I’m Crazy to Marry a Japanese Guy
Okay, first of all, contrary to this post’s title, I’m not getting married to a Japanese guy. Heck, I’m not even getting married to anyone! Well, at least not yet anyway… One day, perhaps?
You’re probably wondering why I titled this post as “Mom thinks I’m crazy to marry a Japanese guy” and it’s because it’s the title of a movie I watched recently. On the 8th, the Japan Foundation held a screening of this movie at the Taiwanese Art Academy in Westwood. Yeah, Westwood of all places. (Westwood traffic was bad. The 405 traffic was also bad. So, what else is new?) Because of it being in Westwood, I was close to not attending this screening. I was actually quite hesitant to RSVP for this screening. And then on the day of the screening, I had other errands to tend to prior to the screening which made me second guess on whether I actually wanted to even go to Westwood. In the end, I decided to go to the screening. I was a few minutes late, but I made it and me being a tad bit late wasn’t a problem because 1) I managed to get a seat and 2) the screening hadn’t begun yet. I honestly wished I had gotten there early so that I could have gotten a seat in the front row. Sitting behind people taller than me was a pain. Worst of all was how I couldn’t see all of the movie’s subtitles thanks to it being blocked by heads in the audience. Meh. (Thank goodness that my crappy Japanese skills came in handy, I guess?) The idea of sitting on the ground, right in front of the first row actually crossed my mind a few times during the screening but I suppose I knew better and chose to stay put. (I mean, I was actually fortunate to even have a seat. There were actually people standing against the wall in the back of the room to watch the movie.)