I had to go to Nagasaki for a 2 week work trip! Because it included as weekend and I'd be there for a while (compared to how long we usually make our personal trips), I wanted to be sure to do some siteseeing when I had time outside of working hours.
Two Stars 4047 Futatsuboshi D&S Train to Nagasaki
My husband and I had fun on the Ibusaki no Tamatebako D&S train when we visited Kyushu for the first time in November 2023. Since we were going to be in a completely different area now, I thought there would be no better way to get an idea of what it's like than by another D&S train offering! We were able to get tickets for the Two Stars 4047 train which runs between Takeo Onsen in Saga prefecture to Nagasaki city in Nagasaki prefecture.
I chose the Ariake Sea (AM) course but the return route (PM) from Nagasaki to Saga is along Omura Bay. So if you need to return to your origin point, you'll get two different experiences!
Generally passengers know they need to get back on the train quickly but the staff will ring a bell to notify you as well.
I got the "4047 (Yonmaruyonnana) Bento—Saga Beef Prepared Sukiyaki Style and Nori Bento".
I ordered my husband the "Special Two Stars Bento—Double Layer Meal with Saga Beef and Nori" which came with a 4047 furoshiki.
Finished mine in time for our 3rd stop at Tara station. We lined up to ring and take a picture with the Bell of Happiness at the platform. The line wasn't very long but the people in front of us really took their time. Cheerful and helpful station staff ushered them along so the rest of us could get our turn as well before the train left lol.
Our seats were along the Ariake Sea side so we had a good view of the water and the fruit bus stops (if we were attentive!) as we continued on our way.
There is a quick 5 minute stop at Konagai just for the view (which is great). There doesn't seem to be any vendors or staff on the platform at this one, so we could take a picture of the train with the coast and get out of the wind and back into our seats.
The rest of the ride (about 70 minutes) is mostly uneventful and I actually did take a short nap. We arrived at Nagasaki station at 13:15, so we still had a good chunk of the afternoon for a little exploring.
From Nagasaki station, we found our way to the streetcar so we could head to the Atomic Bomb Museum.
But first, a quick champon stop at Horaiken because they were going to close for lunch soon. It's quite close to the museum so it's convenient when you visit. We ordered one regular champon and one sara udon.
Then we proceeded to the Atomic Bomb Museum. I didn't take too many photos, but we took our time going through each exhibit and learning more about the bombing event and its affect on the city and its people.
We didn't actually have much else on the agenda, so we returned to Nagasaki station so we could catch the 2 hour train that would take us back to Sasebo. It only runs once an hour, so we did have to rush a little to make it, but we did!
It was a little crowded at first (and only 3 cars) but eventually emptied out, so we could relax.
We headed out to dinner at a restaurant recommended by one of my coworkers, so we had a bit of a walk from the station.
About a 10-15 minute walk to Toride ramen where we were able to get the last table with the accompanying dunk rice. This was a pretty unique type/style of ramen than what we were used to and quite reasonably priced. It's a (small) chain, so if you get a chance to try it, I recommend it!
Yumihari Observatory
The view is quite nice from this observation point, but it does get cold as the sun goes down. We opted to go to the nearby Yumiharinooka Hotel to catch the free shuttle back down the hill. (I'm not sure if we were really meant to catch it as non-guests of the hotel, but in this instance they didn't seem to have a big issue with it.)
I really enjoyed being able to get on and off the train at the different designated stops and it was a relatively relaxing ride while will being a bit exciting to see what would come next! I'm not really a "train person" but still very much recommend these D&S trains if you don't mind the time commitment and they're headed to an area you want to visit! The theming is always lovely and the reserve seats can be done online and easily picked up at a midorinomadoguchi.
This was kind of a second lunch for us so it was a lot of food but we were glad to be able to try both regional dishes!
I have also visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and they do have similar content but aren't the same. I wouldn't really recommend going to both back to back, but having had about 7 years in between, I considered it good to go to both. The focus on the Nagasaki one is very much on the direct affects on Nagasaki itself.
Kujukushima (99 islands) viewpoints & running around
Aside from the D&S train, my only other plan was to try to check out the Kujuku Islands off the west coast of Kyushu which is actually closer to 200 islands rather than 99 like the name implies lol. Initially I thought I would try to take a boat cruise/tour around since we didn't have a car for this visit. I ended up making it to 4 popular viewpoints while running instead!
This one was not initially on my radar, but was actually not that far in distance - just in elevation lol. Our coworker who was traveling with us had walked up to this observatory in the past when she had previously lived in the area so she knew the way. We spontaneously headed out after work one day, trying to catch the sunset. It is pretty much 4km of just straight uphill but we made it in time despite the clouds!
Yumihari Observatory take 2
Kujukushima Park
I wanted another chance to try to tackle the intense uphill and possibly try for a better sunset with a clearer sky, so during the week I stayed on my own, I headed up solo. I don't think I would have felt confident doing this without the preview the previous week since there isn't really sidewalk alongside most of the road and it is seemingly endless lol.
slightly better but still quite hazy!
Proud that I ran the whole thing without stopping though.
The view on the opposite side (city view) was much more blue.
side by side (taken within the same time frame)
There's a second observation deck (I guess it's actually the first one if you come from the parking lot, which I didn't lol) which has its own great city view as well. I stopped by for a quick look this time. We didn't bother the first visit because it was already so cold and windy, but it's really quite nice to see.
While my coworkers were introducing some of the area to me in a car when I first got there, we passed by signs showing this Kujukushima Park and they mentioned that it's relatively new. I kept in mind where it was located and figured out that I had a planned possible route somewhat nearby for my long run. I tweaked it a bit to focus more on the viewpoint and optimistically headed out on Sunday morning with a clear weather forecast. Again, there was a lot of uphill, but at least there was more sidewalk and thankfully it wasn't to difficult to navigate for my first time trying it out.
I got a little lost along the way because the navigation would tell me to turn where there was nothing there but eventually found my way and I was a little too happy to get there lmao.
My phone had dropped down to 30% at this point and since I wasn't super familiar with the area, I decided it was more important to get back to where I could easily find my way back if it died, so no 4th observation point for me.
Since separates are easy to mix and match, I planned for 3 work outfits of a knit top + skirt and 2 work outfits that were dresses. I also packed an additional cardigan and one of the knit tops has an accompanying bolero which I used for other outfits as well.
I didn't care too much about the weekend outfit and actually only ended up needing 1 since I spent pretty much all of Sunday running or relaxing in the room, so I chose to repeat one of the dresses that day. Since it's a 2way dress (can be worn switched front and back and has a cut out), I wore it with the cutout in the front for the weekend.
Not pictured anywhere, but I also had 1 casual outfit for when I wanted to quickly go out to a conbini or something after running or just walk within the hotel (outside my room) to do laundry while still being decent. This was a pair of long green khaki pants and a baggy knit top and I repeated it many times since I was often wearing it for such short periods of time.
I also had to make room for sleeping clothes, underwear, socks, accessories and toiletries and 2.5 sets of work out clothes + athletic shoes which I'm definitely glad I brought because I was able to do so much running! I did laundry 3 times during the trip but could have gotten away with less if not for the workout stuff.
Thankfully managed to fit everything into my Liz Lisa x My Melody fukubukuro suitcase + a tote bag "personal item" which also functioned as my go-to bag to get all of my stuff between the office and hotel each day. Japanese airlines don't seem to care too much about small crossbody bags being an additional item which was good because by the time I left and had all the omiyage, I couldn't fit my little heart bag into the the tote lol.
There was a small phone stand to assist me with photos since I was by myself.
I was happy to get such a clear view and a nice reward to my run so far. There's quite a few different viewing areas at this park and a large lot for cars. It's really quite nice and I enjoyed taking a quick rest here.
But I wasn't done yet!
Tenkaiho Observatory
Just a short distance away from Kujukushima Park, Tenkaiho Observatory is a little more well known and does seem much older. They're along the same road, so if you visit once, it's probably worth it to just get to both for the slightly different experiences.
3 goats near the entrance of the parking lot!
The observation tower/area is a lot smaller so it seemed like there was a lot more people here just because we were all in the same small space. Managed to get my photos, enjoy the view for a minute and then got out of the way!
The view on Monday when my coworker took me on a rainy day vs. view during my run! I'm glad I took the time to come back lol.
Ishidake Observatory
Having accomplished my main goal which was to get a nice clear view of the islands, I still felt like I wasn't done, so I pushed on for a second goal which was to hit one or two of the observation points on the Funakoshicho side. Ishidake Observatory seemed the most accessible to me for some reason, so that's what I entered into Google Maps. I got a little lost along the way because the navigation would tell me to turn where there was nothing there but eventually found my way and I was a little too happy to get there lmao.
There's two lookout points here but the higher one had a couple who set up a tripod for themselves so I didn't spend too much time there.
My phone had dropped down to 30% at this point and since I wasn't super familiar with the area, I decided it was more important to get back to where I could easily find my way back if it died, so no 4th observation point for me.
I was still happy with what I was able to get to and managed to run about 33km with lots of elevation gain! I rewarded myself with being lazy for the rest of the day, but also the views and getting to these spots felt rewarding enough. There's a different sense of accomplishment getting to them on foot vs navigating there in a car lol.
Other photo memories while I was walking or running around the area during my stay:
Based on when I was done for work, I spent a lot of time running during sunset, especially the longer (~19km) runs which made for some really nice glows. Two of the days it was a bit rainy during the run but thankfully it wasn't terribly cold, so I managed fine without a jacket and I'm still glad I went!
Foods
Aside from the champon and sara udon mentioned above which we got in Nagasaki, other notable local items for us were the kakuni manju (from Iwaksaki Honpo) and the lemon steak.
For the lemon steak, we went to Steak Salon as recommended to me by a coworker who had visited prior, and it was great there! It's more expensive than trying the dish from a family restaurant like Hachinoya but the course dinner was great and actually not that pricey for what you get (full salad, soup and dessert in addition to the main) imo.
We didn't end up getting to try a Sasebo Burger but as people returning to the US soon, that wasn't high on our list.
Outfits
I was determined to only bring carry-ons for this trip just because it's so much simpler when moving around and catching the train on my own. I needed to consider what I'd need for 12 days during a season where an outer (like a jacket or coat) would definitely be required + be easy to walk 1-2km at a time and be work appropriate.
I picked the shoes first (wanted a nicer pair of heels and then something casual that was more comfy) and then that determined the color story for the clothes.
I wanted two outers that looked distinct from each other, so that's how I ended up with a black coat and a white cropped jacket.
Not the most exciting trip, but I'm really pleased with how the running went and happy to be able to travel occasionally for my job to new places. I like visiting Kyushu a lot!
I also think I did a decent job with the clothes/packing. You can't tell the outfits apart very much with the outer pieces on but I did a lot of swapping and mixing to try and make them distinct from each other when I could which I'm sure no one noticed but me. This is the longest work trip I've been on so I'm pleased with myself for how I was able to pick these items and coordinate them.
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