Secret Christians and nice Buddhist monks

I am still waking up at around 3 AM. Damn you jet-lag. Nevertheless, I roll out of bed and get to the station, on my way towards Shimabara. The journey includes a small train, which slugs along the sea side for over an hour and stops at every little cluster that could be called a "village". But the scenery is beautiful, so I shall endure.

 On arrival, I first make for the Shimabara castle. It houses a big museum with some of the largest variety of "christian" artifacts, At some point, most of the region (including the feudal lord) actually converted to Christianity. They built churches, schools, and even send a delegation of little boys for an audience with the pope. No, really. They send 6 little boys to the Vatican. There are so many inappropriate jokes I could make right now. But at least the little boys made it back to Japan within 10 years. Sadly, the tale of Shimabara Christianity has a cruel end. After Christianity became first strictly regulated, and finally outlawed after a big uprising, Christians who refused to denounce their faith were boiled alive in the volcanic hot springs or crucified. However, a few thousand continued to practice in hiding. Which led to the creation of "hidden" christian artifacts. Like a hidden cross in a street lamp. Or a Holy Mary stature disguised as Kannon Buddha. Without official rules or regulations, their faith developed into... interesting paths. If I ever get to write another thesis, I would like to write it on them.

The top of the castle also has a viewing platform, and a friendly elderly volunteer. Who doesn't assume me to be american, so we talk for a while, about the devastating volcano eruption, which caused the breakdown of part of the mountain, and a gigantic tsunami. But as the gentleman puts it "It only happens every 200 years or so. That's not too bad."

From the castle, I visit a few old Samurai houses. Sadly, there is not much to see beside the natural water ways through the districts. Another district has an abundance of kois and traditional garden views. In one of the houses, and older Lady in Kimono serves free tea and also does not just assume I am american. I like this town!

She also sends me off towards the natural (and free!) hot springs. Which are a bit too hot for the weather. But the cold natural water springs around the city keep me well hydrated. Of course, I need to make a trip to the local temples. At the first one, an elderly lady approaches me as I am about to leave. She asks me if I had seen the sleeping Buddha yet. And without even waiting for an answer, she basically drags me off towards the statue. All in Japanese, by the way. I like this town! Not only does she show me around the temple, she also brings me to the next one, and asks the local head monk for a private sit-down. Before I know what is happening, I am in the temple garden, drinking tea and conversing about Buddhism with the monks. They also give me a private tour of the temple and its 30 holy "kami" statures, which include gods of different denominations as well as shinto gods.

After I make my way back to Nagasaki, I search for a good place for my last dinner here. I decide on sushi. The first place actually tells me they don't serve foreigners. Which I have not experienced before. But of course, every restaurant owner can make that decision for themselves. The second little shop actually welcomes me gladly, and I get told to sit down. The couple next to me is a bit drunk but lots of fun. We talk, and I get to ask the sushi master for recommendations. And all he provides tastes great. So in the end, I had amazing conversations today, met lots of great people and I learned a lot. Did I mention they also did not let me pay my bill?

Tomorrow it's off to Kumamoto.

Pictures Shimabara