Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Unzen Spa House: Nagasaki Prefecture

Unzen Spa House Nagasaki is located high up in the hot spring mountainous areas of Unzen, is a great place for taking a hot spring to take away all the weariness but one of the more interesting places is the Vidro Museum which is located on the 2nd floor of the building.

For a measly price of 700 yen ($6 US) you can enjoy all types of glassware from all around the world.. The Unzen Spa House has an extensive display of Japanese Edo (16th and 17th century) Era Nagasaki glass and Bohemian glassware from Italy, France and other European countries.

On this day, I was lucky to be the only customer in the building so basically I had the whole place to myself. This allowed me to take my time and to stroll around the various exhibits at my leisure and therefore I was able to really inspect a lot of the different glass wares in full detail.

I must admit I hadn`t expected the amount of variety that was on offer and of course the buildings lighting was absolutely amazing as it showed each piece at its most beautiful apperance. For any glass lover or someone who enjoys the beauty of art, the Unzen Spa House Nagasaki is a place to visit, even if only for an hour.

I can see myself bringing some Private Tour groups here in the future.

Click on this link to see Unzen Spa House Nagasaki on a map:

Please check out the pictures below, click to enlarge:


Impressive table settings
Ceramics of all styles
Beautiful table settings
Ceiling motifs
Beautifully presented
Many types of glasswares
One of the center pieces

Ceramics were great too!





Please click on the videos below to see Unzen Spa House Nagasaki and its amazing Vidro Museum:

Saturday, December 6, 2014

One Piece Cruise: Huis Ten Bosch, Nagasaki Prefecture

The One Piece Cruise in Nagasaki is located at Huis Ten Bosch the replica village of a real Dutch counterpart. This amusement park/ attraction/ botanical masterpiece/ cultural center has tens if not hundreds of different activities for adults and children alike. It is the One Piece Ship that is one of the most popular attractions for the kids.

For those not in the loop, One Piece is the latest and biggest animation to come out of Japan since Pokemon. It has fans all over the world and on a recent trip to Norway and Finland I came to realize just how big the One Piece characters really are as just about every child I spoke to from the ages of 6 to 16, knew all the characters by name and really into the whole One Piece concept.

My children aren`t any different! Every time i have the chance to go to Huis Ten Bosch they ask me if they can go on the One Piece Cruise around the Harbor. On the last trip they wanted to ride the ship so desperately they had no problems forking over 500 yen (US$4) of their own hard earned precious money and so for 20 minutes they enjoyed all the sights on the ship and around the Harbor. Money well spent in my book as the wife and I enjoyed a nice coffee at a nearby restaurant whilst the kids sailed away on a ride into the imagination.

Click on the photos below to enlarge:

The One Piece Boat
My kids love One Piece
The view from the dock
Looks authentic
Up close
































Click on the link below to see the One Piece Cruise Nagasaki on a map:



Click on the video below to see the One Piece Cruise Nagasaki in full swing: