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In 1992 I did an internship in Tokyo, twelve years later I have finally returned. As I had really enjoyed Japan at the time the surprising thing for me is that it took so long to come back.

Impressions of Japan and Nagasaki's history

Odv
2006-04-13 19:50:39

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may wonder why I love Japan so much. Although history should not be forgotten, it should not be used as an excuse to perpetuate hatred which in turn may lead to new wars.

Furthermore the Japan that I love, is the present day Japan, with all the qualities that I have exposed earlier in this story as well as its people and the boundless kindness that they have always shown me.

Fortunately there is also some positive history in Nagasaki. It is a city where from 1641 to 1854, a small Dutch outpost, on a small artificial island called Dejima, used to be Japan's only connection to the outside world.

The previous Portuguese occupants of Dejima, had abused their preferential status, by trying to introduce Christianity into Japan in spite of strict agreements to limit their activities to trade. This violation of trust was not appreciated by the Japanese, so they evicted the Portuguese and instead gave the Dutch a sole trading concession. The Dutch were seen, rightly so, as being more interested in trade than in religion.

Nowadays the island has disappeared as the sea around it was reclaimed, but a Nagasaki city project is slowly recreating the island, moving roads, buildings, tram lines and digging a canal around the perimeter. As this is in the middle of the present day downtown area, one can only imagine how expensive this project is! Some buildings have already been reconstructed, and the outline of the island has partially been made visible. The current phase of the project will be completed by 2010, but the final phase may last until 2020.

The historical ties between Japan and Holland are still somehow present in Japanese minds. Whenever someone asks me where I am from, the answer "Holland" is greeted with special enthusiasm.

The rest of our trip in Japan will be covered in the next update.

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otto2003(at)de-voogd(dot).com Otto de Voogd