Mount Inasa, Nagasaki

We climbed to Mount Inasa (稲佐山) to see Nagasaki's 10 Million Dollar Night View from an observation platform.

 I'm posting night views of each direction.

• The Central Nagasaki (Nagasaki Station, the Port of Nagasaki, Dejima, China Town etc..)

• West (Place Memorial Park, Urakami Catholic Church etc..)

• East (Mitsubishi Dockyards, Megame Bridge)

Higashi-yamate, Nagasaki

Higashi-yamate (東山手) is a district in Nagasaki. Along with Minami-yamate (南山手), both are designated Groups of Traditional Buildings by the government.

History
Japan is the opening of a country in the late Edo period, Nagasaki became opening a port in 1859.  Foreign settlement was established in the city, but Higashi-yamate is the first settlement in the city. Therefore, many consulates were built one after another.

Presently, the district still remains many old western-style buildings in Japan. In addition, It is well-kept historic scenic beauty, such as the Dutch Slope, located below the Kassui Gakuen College, is composed of stone pavement, stone wall, brick wall etc..

In 1991, it was designated important cultural properties by the government.

Dutch Slope seen from below the Kassui Gakuen College.

Western-style Houses at Higashi-yamate (東山手洋風住宅群)

Higashi-yamate No.12 Building, Nagasaki

The Higashi-yamate No.12 Building (東山手十二番館), a wooden European-style building, was built in the early Meiji era.

Originally, the building was used as the Russian consulate. Later, it was converted to the U.S consulate and Methodist missionary house. In 1976, Kassui Gakuen has been donated to the city of Nagasaki, it is used as the old settlement private school history museum now.

In 1998, two buildings of the main and annex houses were designated important cultural properties by the government.

=The old settlement private school history museum=
The exhibition materials on private school that was founded by missionaries from the Christian factions mainly to the birthplace of Nagasaki. It was used as the exhibition room inside the building.

• Open hours: 9am to 5pm
• Admission: free
• Closed: From December 29 to January 3

The one-leg torii at the entrance of Sanno Shrine, Nagasaki

After watching cosmos at Shirakimine Plateau, we visited to Sanno Shrine (山王神社). The shrine, located about 800m southeast of the hypocenter, is famous for its one-leg stone torii at the shrine entrance.

 One of the two pillars of the Sanno Shrine torii was toppled by the A-bomb blast.

The blast also blew away the branches and leaves of the two camphor trees in the precincts of the Shrine, which were then more than 500 years old. At that time, it was feared that the trees might wither and die; however, they gradually began to recover, and now are thickly covered with leaves and branches.

Cosmos at Shirakinime Plateau

Yesterday, on October 22, we decided to take a drive to see cosmos at Shirakimine Plateau (白木峰高原), Isahaya, Nagasaki.

Unfortunately, the plateau's cosmos is withering little by little, with over 50% of the flowers already died.  But we enjoyed for a watching cosmos.

From here, you can see the Isahaya Bay land reclamation area. The bay's drainage project is currently in progress.

Re-uploaded:Cosmos in full bloom at Ikoma Plateau, Kobayashi, Miyazaki

I'm uploading two of my best photos taken in last October.

First, colorful cosmos with mount Hinamori in the background.

Next, cosmos field along the prefectural route 1.

Yuko Oshima (大島優子) getting ready to celebrate her 25th birthday today!

Happy birthday to Yuko-san, my favorite member of AKB48! Since Mariko Shinoda was graduated from AKB in July, she became the oldest member of the 48s with Haruna Kojima.

She won the best newcomer actress award on 2013 Japan Academy Award in March.

Haruna Kojima (left) and Yuko-san (right).

The former Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank Nagasaki Branch Museum

Today, I'll take about the story of the former Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank (=HSBC) Nagasaki Branch Museum (旧香港上海銀行長崎支店記念館) .

=Summary=
The branch was established in 1892, and was completed in 1904. The building, designed by Kentaro Shimoda, an architect, is only existing the scale of the largest stone mansion in Nagasaki. It was the only foreign capital bank to the west of Kobe. The special exchange bank was mainly dealt with foreign traders for currency exchange, and buying and selling foreign currencies to London, Hong Kong and Shanghai at that time.

After finishing the sales business, it has been acquired by Nagasaki Prefecture, used as Umegasaki and Oura police station, and later acquired by the city of Nagasaki, it became the Nagasaki City Museum of History and Folklore, now moved to another place.  Although planned to dismantle the building and built "International house" in 1987,  but saved and determined by the opposition of the citizens. Through the repair work of about four years, in 1996, it was opened as "The former Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank Nagasaki Branch Museum". It has been designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan by the government in 1989.

=Floor Info=

• Ground floor: Museum and remaining bank counters for business at that time. There is a multi-purpose hall it can accommodate up to 100 people.
• Second and third floors: Museum. Nagasaki - Shanghai ferry route, history of the port of Nagasaki and Kentaro Shimoda, are on display.

Former British Consulate, Nagasaki (旧長崎英国領事館)

On 5 June 2012, I went to former British Consulate in Higashi Yamate (東山手), Nagasaki. I visited there once in January of the same year. But we arrived at there before 5 o'clock, the sky became more and more dark. So we have decided to take a drive to see the building again this day.

=Summary=
The building, used for both consulate and a guesthouse, was built by William Cowan, the UK Government Building Division engineer in Shanghai in 1907. It was closed in 1942 during the World War II. In 1955, it became a property of the city of Nagasaki, re-opened as a children's science museum. It was designated important cultural properties by the government in 1990. In 1993, Nagasaki City Noguchi Yataro Memorial Art Museum (長崎市野口弥太郎記念美術館) was opened at the site. The museum was moved and the building was closed in 2007.

At the main entrance

A view of the building from Oranda-dori (=Dutch Street) on the opposite site.

Hirabaru Historical Park (平原歴史公園), Itoshima, Fukuoka

After leaving Keya no Oto, we went to Hirabaru Historical Park. The park is considered to be the grave of queen of the former Ito country (伊都国). In 1965, a flower shaped tetrahedral statement mirror was excavated from the grave. It is a 46.5 cm diameter which is the largest in Japan.

The No.1 tomb. It is considered to be the queen of the former Ito country.

A view of Mount Takasu (高祖山) from the park.

Old Fujise House (旧藤瀬家住宅), a traditional Japanese style house, near the Park.

ANA's B747-400D Pokemon Jet has retired/全日空のB747-400D”ポケモンジェット”が退役

ANA Boeing 747-400D "Pokémon Jet" livery, registered as JA8957, has retired on September 30. The last flight was NH126 from Okinawa Naha to Tokyo Haneda. She was working as 74D Pokémon Jet only after retirement of the other fleet, JA8956, on November 30, 2012.
全日空のB747-400D"ポケモンジェット機”（機体番号:JA8957）が去る9月30日をもって退役しました。最後のフライトは沖縄那覇発東京羽田行きANA126便でした。当機は2012年11月30日をもってJA8956が退役後同社唯一の74Dポケモンジェットとして活躍していました。

Pokémon Jet at Fukuoka Airport. Taken on April 4, 2013./福岡空港でのポケモンジェット。2013年4月4日撮影。