Megami Bridge- Nagasaki City

It's not too often that the Grand Lady of Cruising, the QE 2 is in town. When an opportunity to see this majestic ship in the Port of Nagasaki arises then a true fan will do whatever it takes to see her up close and personal.

In a true story, my mum and I were supposed to cruise around NZ on the QE2 back in 2020 but the night before our departure from Sydney our cruise was cancelled by a Covid outbreak.  Obviously our chance to cruise on the QE2 went down in flames but it still remains on our agenda and I am sure that one day this cruise will come to fruition.

On this particular day not only was I able to see the ship depart from the Port Terminal but I hightailed it to the best vantage point in the city, the Megami Bridge to see her in all its glory.  In fact, I wasn't the only one!!  There were hundreds of people already on the bridge and arriving at ever minute to get a last glimpse of her on its departure.

Hope you enjoy the pictures and videos, I know I did when I was taking them!

Please click on this link to see the Megami Bridge on a map:

Please click on the photos below to enlarge:

Please click on these videos below to see more of the QE2 and its departure from the Port of Nagasaki.

Sohonzan Shrine: Saikai Town, Nagasaki Prefecture

Our popular WW2 History and Culture Tour of Nagasaki incorporates a long drive at the beginning of the day. So, I was looking for a location to visit in order to reduce the time spent between attractions. Low and behold this huge Torii (Gate Entrance of Shinto Shrines) came into view and instantly I knew that this was the place that I was looking for.

At first, I thought that the Cultural component of the tour would be boosted to meet up with the many historical locations already firmly in place. But little did I expect the Sohonzan Shrine to tick every box and literally surprise me to no end that this location in its own right is one of the highlight attraction of the whole day.

It has everything you need as a shore excursion stop.  A chance to stretch your legs, a toilet break, nature and landscapes, a strong cultural component and in total a site that makes you glad it was included in the itinerary. 

Of course, in my time here in Japan, I have been to a thousand shrines. Some are excellent, some are ho hum, some are preached as the most important or religiously significant shrines of the region.  In this case, I won't do any of that but what I will tell you is that Sohonzan Shrine will leave a strong impression on you even if you have been to many in the past.

I am really please that many of our clients have felt exactly the same way about their visit and time here at Sohonzan Shrine as I did on my first time.  It is now a mainstay attraction of this tour and I hope it will be for many years to come.

Please click here to see the Sohonzan Shrine on a map:

Please click on the photos below to enlarge:

The entrance

Pray for Ukraine

Names of benefactors

Cleansing
station

Peaceful location

Beautiful gardens

Shinto heavenly powers

Plenty of Carp

The torii gate is massive

Please click on the videos below to see more about Sohonzan Shrine and its appeal.