We went through a culture warp today, leaving bustling
Nagasaki in the morning and ending the day at our hotel on the premises of a
Dutch-inspired theme park called Huis Ten Bosch (Dutch for "House in the
Forest"). The park, which opened in 1992, was located at this site because
a Dutch trading post operated near here beginning in 1609. The theme park has
life-size replicas of Dutch buildings, museums, shops, and windmills, and is
full of flowers. It also has amusement park features, such as a large ferris
wheel and a thriller fantasy museum.
The park was successful in the early-to-mid 1990's, but has
fallen on tough times since then, with bankruptcies and several changes of
ownership. It was a virtual ghost town today. We wandered around and saw only
two or three other people, and had dinner in a large dining room in our hotel
with no other diners. Our waiter said that there are some busy periods, such as
the summer, but admitted to having plenty of boring weeks (such as this one)
with nothing to do while he's at work.
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| Leaving Nagasaki in the morning ... |
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| ... and arriving in "Holland" in the afternoon |
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| A view of Huis Ten Bosch theme park |
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| "Utrecht" |
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| Hotel Okura |
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| Hotel Europe |
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| A ride for kids (if there had been any here) |
