April 12-15
Hi All,
After being kicked out of the “city which we shall not name”, we left at 0700 on Thursday April 12 for the 53nm run to Hirado….trawler conditions….<10 kts winds except a brief period up to 14kts and calm seas…..yea!!!! And, encouraged by Junichisan in Akune I fished for the first time this season…..hmmm, the trusty white/red cedar plug which has worked everywhere was a bust….I must find a lure these Japanese fish will like…the search is on:))))
“Hirado (平戸) is an island in northwestern Nagasaki Prefecture. Off-the-beaten path today, the island enjoyed brisk international trade in past centuries as one of Japan’s closest points to the Asian mainland. In particular, it served as the trading post of the Dutch East India Company during the early Edo Period (1609-1868) until the company’s operations were moved to Dejima in the port of Nagasaki.
Early Western traders were accompanied by Christian missionaries, and the religion gained a bit of a foothold in Hirado and across Nagasaki Prefecture. However, as the religion’s influence grew, the Tokugawa Shogunate responded by expelling missionaries and banning Christianity for more than two centuries. Some Christians in Hirado continued to practice their religion secretly until the ban on Christianity was lifted in the Meiji Period.”
There is a pontoon we were allowed to use and we pulled in behind Spruce…lovely….and a man came out to greet us and said all is good….wow….so much nicer than the reception in the “city which we shall not name”. But….and there does always seem to be a but cruising here in Japan….the pontoon had these gigantic fenders which looked good but we soon discovered we could not easily get off the boat….you had to step on the fender first….think walking on logs….with a lot of trepidation and Andy and Sue holding/pulling us we managed to get off and up to the information center to check in. The information man said we could go on the other side of the pontoon after a small ferry left and on that side there were only very small black rub strips so much better…..we got back on Mystic and switched sides….so it is now 5 of 7 ports we have had to move after the first try…..ugh!!
But wow, what a lovely historic town. We were able to visit the Hirado castle, historic Matsura museum, a catholic church and Buddhist Temples, Dutch Trading Post with a museum and many local shops. If you recall the Shogun series, the English pilot character was based on the real person named William Adams. William eventually was located here in Hirado where he helped set up the Dutch trading. He died here and we visited the death location as well as his gravesite. We also enjoyed several local lunches where we had our first “champon” noodle soup…..wow, excellent!!!!
This visiting of historical sites, especially during the Edo period was exactly what I was hoping to experience in the “city which shall not be named”…..so, this small, historical town with wonderful, friendly people has helped all our altitudes and washed that nasty feeling/taste away!!!
“Champon (ちゃんぽん Chanpon), also known as Chanpon, is a noodle dish that is a regional cuisine of Nagasaki, Japan. There are different versions in Japan, Korea and China. The dish was inspired by the cuisine of China. Champon is made by frying pork, seafood and vegetables with lard; a soup made with chicken and pig bones is then added. Ramen noodles made especially for champon are added and then boiled. Unlike other ramen dishes, only one pan is needed as the noodles are boiled in the soup. Depending on the season and the situation, the ingredients differ. Hence the taste and style may depend on the location and time of year”
We also bought a local Hirado Shochu (distilled from sweet potatoes) and sampled it over a happy hour w/Spruce.
If you want more historical information on each of the sites go to this website and click on the various sites: https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4490.html
Weather: We had to wait out another squash zone between a Low that formed right on top of us and a 1040 High to the west…..25-35G40kt winds for 2 days and one day of significant rain…at least Mystic got washed on the bow and port side!!!! Now the wind is from the north….as in Mongolia….and it has turned cooler….like in the mid-50’s which feels pretty cold!!!! Yep, the Kabola diesel heater is now on maybe permanently!!!
The Plan: We left Hirado for Fukuoka on Monday April 16 where we have a reservation at the Miranoa marina. There we will see if we can get our sanitary hose replaced, get fuel, go to a Costco and do some sightseeing. There are several cruisers there who have been very helpful and we look forward to meeting them. We will stay 6-7 days and then it is off to continue north!!
Hope all is well!!
John
Mystic Moon
Fukuoka Nagasaki Japan
PS: Pictures on the website: http://mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/Hirado-Japan
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