Headed down for breakfast since it was included in my stay. Decided to have a full one to last me on my trip to Nagasaki. The breakfast corner was small but it had all the essentials and to be honest, it was rather decent for a 3-star hotel

Hot food on the right

Coffee corner. Though I have to say the coffee really cmi

And my breakfast. lol

I’m happy with just croissant, eggs, sausages and juice 😀 Everything else would be a bonus. lol

And with that, I went to catch the train. It was a Friday and also the 3rd day of Saga Balloon Fiesta so when I reached the platform and saw the truckload of people descending onto the platform of Saga station, I was like WOW

And also you could hear the staffs shouting ‘Trains to Saga Balloon Fiesta departing …’ on repeat mode

Apparently there were multiple trains that could lead to Balloon Saga station and they were at different platforms. Thankfully my experience was over. The day I went was much more peaceful. lol. As I settled happily in my seat, the train passed by the event site and everyone went SUGOI

I was more shocked at the number of people. Don’t people need to work or go to school? And this was only 9am. I was amazed

In any case, I reached Takeo-Onsen 20 minutes later and I had to change to Kamome 9 with 3 minutes to spare. But at the very least, it was just a walk across the platform. lol #nostress

The interior of the train was rather modern yet with warmth. I say, very Japanese. lol

And 30 minutes later, I reached Nagasaki H2 Hotel, which in my opinion was in a rather good location

I was too early for check-in. So I dropped my bags and ventured out to explore

The Hamamachi shopping arcade was literally just downstairs and you could just shop/walk at your own time

But I wanted to check out a specific Castella cake store so I cut across the arcade and made my way to Baijyuken, that was supposedly famous for it

Yup, that’s the shop

Only to find out they were sold out for the day?! It was only 10.45am.. I was more amused that they were taking pre-orders for March, in November. Okay, this shop wins hands down. The Castella cake better be out of the world. lol

In anycase, I walked to the next shop – Shooken Honten that were recommended by locals. Yes, Castella cake is so famous here every 100m you walk, there is one shop selling one. Is just a matter of how famous they were/whether you like it or not

This place has a cafe on the second floor where you can choose to dine in, and the first floor for takeaway. The interior gave an old school charm, traditional yet with hints of English influences

Gosanyaki Castella Set

Well. Honestly, it tasted like 鸡蛋糕. lol

Ended off with complimentary hot tea and sweets – A for Japanese service

Walked around the area and decided to check out this random store that had quite a few locals in there

They were an old couple and felt like they were serving food for the neighbourhood kids and tempura was their main menu. Most of the menu comes with both rice/udon and I didn’t think I would be able to finish them. I know I can’t

So I just went with a simple bowl of udon with tempura. Yes, it’s very home-cooked and simple. On hindsight, maybe I should have gone for the rice instead. lol

After lunch, I decided to check out another Castella shop nearby – Shōkandō cos it was also quite highly rated

And here’s the shop. They also have a small cafe for dine-in but I was too full so I decided to buy a small box to takeaway instead

And with that, I was ready to move to another part of Nagasaki

After a 20 minutes walk later (in the hot sun no less)

I was finally at Dejima! It’s a former district reserved for Dutch traders and most of the historical structures still remain till now so one could visit the venue to see how it was like back then

The mini structure of the entire Dejima exhibit

Honestly, it was a very hot day. I just couldn’t wait to get indoors

So anyway, these were some of the exhibits. It shows the life back then, with warehouses, residences and certain archeological finds. It was well.. interesting I guess. lol

Tired me decided to find a place to rest, and also a photo for keepsake

So after which I walked over to Dejima Wharf since it was just a short walk away and it was on the way to my next sightseeing attraction. Then I saw this shop selling seafood don that was crowded with locals and I made a mental note to come back for dinner later

And here’s the port. lol

I was contemplating really hard if I should just head back to hotel to rest cos it was warm and I was really tired. But I decided to bite the bullet and proceeded with my plans since I was all the way there already

And here goes, next sight – Dutch Slope

And why is it so special? Well, according to Google – this was a preferred settlement area for foreigners from the mid- to the late-19th century and the architecture along the slope is mainly Western in style

Half of me wished I had gone back to hotel directly. lol

I decided to make one last stop before heading back to rest by visiting Chinatown

Well, the Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown is also quite a famous area for it’s one of Japan’s largest and oldest. It was really quite Chinatown in its own way. lol. IYKYK

So when I googled what to eat in Nagasaki, one of it that came up was Champon noodles but it really didn’t look any appetising to me so I decided to just skip it anyway. There’s an array of Chinese restaurants in this area so if you are really craving for Chinese cuisine by any chance, well, take your pick here

I decided to google for a coffee cos I really wanted one, and found one nearby

This iced mocha from June Coffee was really good. So good I finished it in less than 5 minutes. lol

And I finally made it back to hotel! Yay

To be honest, I thought my hotel room was really nice. It was cozy, has space to walk and the furnishing was really quite modern, bright and clean. Like even though I was only there for one night, I really highly recommend this hotel

You can even do your laundry free of charge, detergent provided even. So yes, I decided to wash all my clothes. lol. Why not make the best out of it right?

Well, just that the wash took quite awhile. lol

Made it back to Dejima wharf just in time for the sunset and managed to get a place for dinner at Seafood Market Dejima Wharf which was surprisingly quite packed

Got myself a glass of sake and tea to start. Guess which is which. lol

Scallop ¥1,166 and Tai ¥1,155

which was rather disappointing

Hokkai Donburi ¥3,168

I can only say it looks better than it tastes. The quality of the uni was soo bad. I had to scoop my wasabi, close my eyes and just swallow it. I think I have been spoilt by good uni. lol. Why is this place even crowded? This is a mystery

So after a very unsatisfying dinner, I walked around the wharf and spotted a ship being docked and curious onlookers taking photos of it. Well, I decided to join them too cos #fomo lol

The wharf at night was actually quite peaceful and it wasn’t very crowded. Makes a good place for a night stroll, if you feel like it

I decided to make my way to the next attraction on my itinerary which was Mt Inasa Observatory for the night view and you could actually book the shuttle bus to take you there. So I chose the pickup at Hotel Belleview that was closest to my dinner place

The shuttle bus has different timings for the pickup and I chose the first outward trip at 7pm and return trip at 830pm

The shuttle bus was packed by the time they reached the last stop for pickup. I guessed this shuttle bus was a very popular mode of transport

It took about 30 minutes before the bus dropped us off at Nagasaki Ropeway station and from there we had to make our way up to buy our tickets, then wait for the ropeway to take us all the way to the top. It was so crowded we had to wait a few rounds before we reached the top and to our horror, it was already 8pm. Well, that gave me 10 minutes to look, see and take all the photos I want before I have to come down to catch the shuttle bus

To be honest, I wasn’t very impressed with the view. lol. Like, HMMM. lol

So I made haste and rushed back down to the ropeway only to be met with a very long queue cos everyone was waiting to get back down to the ground. And the queue was moving so slowly we asked the staff if we would be able to make it back for the bus and the staff confidently told us we would. So by the time the ropeway landed where it picked us up, it was already 830pm and the bulk of us ran towards the bus because everyone knew how much Japanese value punctuality. Thankfully we were not the last, and the bus spent another 15 minutes waiting for the last group of people before it finally took us back to the drop-off point

By the time I reached hotel, I was tired and hungry so I decided to try the castella I bought earlier in the day. Well, this was a little sweeter but I really don’t get the hype about it. And with that, I decided to call it a day

Breakfast was included in my stay and I was very pleased cos that means I could sustain till I reached Huis Ten Bosch.

And I must say the breakfast was really good. I was really impressed with this hotel and I would recommend anyone to stay here

I decided to visit the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb museum since I’m here anyway

I can only say, I felt angrier and angrier as I walked through my museum and read what they wrote and displayed. So I entered and exited the museum in 5 minutes, flat

Popped by the one-legged Tori gate that was the remains of the blast back then. I thought it was quite artistic. But I really won’t go all the way for this

And so, that wrapped up what I wanted to see for Nagasaki and if I were to summarise in one sentence..

I’m never going back there again. lol

I wanted to go to the train station earlier since I saw a shopping mall there when I passed by earlier and I was hoping I could buy some tees cos the weather was really damn hot. But to my dismay, the mall wasn’t officially opened yet. booo. In the end I loitered at Starbucks with a cold drink before it was finally time to board the train

The train had me confused for a moment cos I wasn’t sure which line was this under and if reservations was required but I guess it was more like a local train and I could just buy the ticket on the spot

And I finally understood how to read the board vs the sticker on the floor. HA

I know, it’s abit duh for someone who had been in Japan for so many days. But, better late than never? 😀

And here comes the Section Rapid Seaside Liner that will take me to Huis Ten Bosch

I read that it was supposed to be scenic, but I guess scenic is quite subjective

1.5 hours later, Hello Huis Ten Bosch!

Stayed at Hotel Okura Jr Huis Ten Bosch for the next 2 nights that was a short walk away from the park and I would say that was the best decision ever

The hotel was abit dated in my opinion but the room was huge and it had all the facilities and amenities you would require

View from the room!

Freshened up a little before heading down to the park to explore

Started with the Teddy Bear Kingdom at the welcome area

And some of the halloween deco that dressed up the park

It was really pretty

I think the park has many good spots if you would like to have your photos taken nicely. Is insta-worthy everywhere. lol

So the plan for the day was just to walk around the park and take photos, leaving most of the rides and adventure for the next day. And so, since I was in time for their halloween event, I decided to do touristy stuff by going on a halloween dinner cruise. I know, very touristy. But hey, I’m a tourist anyway

I was a little too early and wondered if I was at the right reporting place but it turned out, I was really at the right place. I got my table number and waited patiently for boarding to commence

And that’s the cruise in the distance with its lights all up and ready

They really put effort in the deco – food, drinks, interior, music. And I was a little taken aback when the locals made a beeline for the buffet immediately. Like I had expected them to be a little more.. polite. lol. Anyway, I did what the locals do by displaying my Singaporean spirit 😀

The food was alright. Not fantastic but it’s filling enough

Free-flow drinks if you are really thirsty :p

Fruits and desserts to end the dinner

And with that, we were invited to the upper deck when the ship will dock and we could watch the fireworks

Well, the drinks party continued. But I was too full from dinner already. lol

Honestly, the fireworks were just okay. The theatric effects were not great and definitely cannot be compared to Disney. But for the experience, I think it’s still worth a try

And with that, I made my slow walk towards the park exit, admiring the light-up that brightened the darkened sky

And on the last stretch of the walk, I sighted many people waiting by the rails but since I don’t know what was happening, I decided to just join them. lol. It turned out, there was a light/music show for the fountains. I stayed about 10 minutes and decided I shall just move on

Well, I decided to make a quick stop at the bear gift shop and that quick stop ended up buying some teddy bears back. lol

It was getting harder to get up but I still made my way to the park. The weather was also getting warmer. Should have just packed summer clothes. Honestly, I tried to find tees to buy there but omg, they were all selling autumn/winter clothes. I didn’t know t-shirts are so hard to buy

Went to the Teddy Bear Kingdom and honestly, they aren’t that cute. lol

I really love the halloween deco that you see throughout the park. Really alot of thoughts put into them

Got myself a churro cos I was feeling hungry

Dropped by the Flower Fantasia which reminded me of teamLab and their installations. It’s really quite pretty I would say

Soon it was time for lunch. I wanted to eat something Japanese and so, ended up at Hananoya which was located at Harbour Town. The place wasn’t that crowded so it made a good choice if you wanted somewhere to chill for abit

I got their Nagasaki Wagyu Beef centric set-meal, which hmmm, wasn’t great. lol

It wasn’t bad bad, but it wasn’t wow either. Maybe I should have just stick with burger and fries in a theme park. Ha

Dropped by the Castella souvenir shop where you find all sorts of brands here. I was on a mission to find a good Castella cake. Cos honestly, they just tasted like 鸡蛋糕 to me

Bought these 2 to try and I thought the one on the left was not bad

It’s sweeter on the crust but moist on the sponge. Still, it tasted like 鸡蛋糕. Ha

Was feeling so hot and tired I decided to grab an iced coffee, head back to hotel to rest before coming out for the evening again

I only came out when the sun was about to go down and the weather was much more desirable by then. My trip coincided with the wine festival so I was actually pretty excited

and. they really had lots of wine for you to try. Yes, it’s free-flow. I was determined to try as much as I can. lol

This is how much they gave per cup. After the 4th drink, I decided I will just try how much my stomach could endure. lol

And cos you need some snacks to munch on. They had some food stalls next to the festival just so you can enjoy with the wine

And of course, enjoy the scenery as well alongside the sunset. I made some friends as well cos the Japanese girls sitting beside me decided to start talking to me. I think they were very impressed I was alone. lol

Most of the wine was quite decent though. I was impressed. I would do this wine festival again. Then I decided to move to the row beside just cos I had a ticket for the lantern festival show at night. But you could still enjoy the food and wine, which I thought was quite a steal

The whole place did feel very European. It just made you feel like you are not in Japan

And that marked the start of the second snack, to go along with more wine

It was show of song and dance with some familiar hits

before moving to the highlight of the show

To be honest, I was quite impressed with the theatric effects of how they made it seem like the lantern went all the way to the sky

It’s not bad la. Worth watching if you are there and especially so if they got the wine festival. lol

And the marked the end of my trip at Huis Tens Bosch while I went to recce where’s the bus stop for the airport bus the next day

It’s always sad leaving Japan. lol. But I guessed that meant you had a very good trip

And was pleasantly surprised it was the wide lazy Z seats when I boarded. I love these seats

Am always entertained when the staffs waved goodbye to us. And yes, I always waved back. Whether or not they can see is another question

The flight started with some Singapore Sling & Chicken Satay

Smoked Salmon, Marinated Seabream w Lime Mayonnaise

Before moving to this appetiser which was okay I guess. But I think the sea bream went missing. lol. Maybe they had removed them intentionally

Fried Hokkien Mee for mains

Whisky Highball

They came around asking for drinks and I asked for whisky highball which wow, I had never tasted such highball with so much sincerity (not even in Japan). I wondered how much whisky they had poured inside. lol

Azuki Red Bean Ice cream

The icecream was good. It was a pretty decent meal

We landed rather quickly, sadly. I wished the flight was longer. lol. And that marked the end of my Kyushu trip! Till next time!

Read here for my previous travelogue:

Travelogue: Yufuin to Saga – Exploring Kyushu