Nagasaki, April 7, 2026

After leaving South Korea, we have landed again in Japan in the city of Nagasaki. We have already visited the main attractions, especially the Peace Museum and the Peace Park, during our last visit. Thus, we could take it easy today. The weather is excellent, a bit cool in the early morning, but soon it became really summery warm. As a result, the beautiful cherry blossoms almost fall like snow, which is a pity but still beautiful.

First, we visited the Oura Church again. It is dedicated to 26 Christians who were executed in the 16th century and have been venerated as martyrs ever since. The church was built in 1853 when Japan reopened during the Restoration.

We then walked along the Nakashima River through the city. Although it is canalized, it has beautiful bridges and is lovingly planted by the residents. There are also many small shrines along the river where offerings are made and prayers are spoken.

We made our way to the Suwa Shrine, one of the most important Shinto temples in Nagasaki. It was built in 1614 in response to the Christianization efforts of Western missionaries. Like most large temples, it is wonderfully located, surrounded by ancient trees with many auxiliary temples. There are 277 steps leading to the main building, but the access to the temple has more steps, and it goes even higher to the auxiliary temples. A special attraction is, of course, a temple cat that apparently enjoys sleeping in a lantern.

We then continued to the Omagari Neko Shrine. It is actually a small shop designed like a temple that sells all sorts of cat-themed trinkets. We couldn't resist buying some.

We actually wanted to go to a cat café, but couldn't find a good one or one that was open. Therefore, we walked further along another branch of the Nakashima River close to the city outskirts.

There, we took a tram back to the center. The tram line still operates with the same technology as the old Basel trams with sliding doors and ticket clerks. But they are in perfect condition and, unsurprisingly, the line is dedicated to cats.

We then searched for a small restaurant that offers small dishes. We had Udon noodles with egg as we requested. These are thick, soft wheat noodles in a well-seasoned soup with roasted chives. You can have all sorts with the noodles, from tempura shrimp, chicken, or fish to Kobe beef.

We enjoyed the weather and the city a bit more and then slowly returned to the ship. Even if we try to leave the weather out of it, we definitely prefer Nagasaki over Hiroshima. The city is, of course, a bit smaller, but the green hills that surround Nagasaki, the three large rivers with many branches flowing through the city, and the many different (rebuilt) buildings from various eras make the city charming.