![Picture](/uploads/5/0/7/1/50717593/2040496_orig.jpg)
Edo Wonderland
Review by NO
Living in Japan is an extraordinary opportunity. Anyone who gets the chance should take it. It’s hard, though, to know the right places to explore when visiting or living in Japan if you don’t know the area. One place you might consider looking into is Edo Wonderland. Admission for adults is ¥4,500 and ¥2,300 for children. It’s an amazing Japanese cultural theme park in the Nikko prefecture. The best part about it is that it’s based off of the history of Japan! I had so much fun when I went there! I definitely wouldn’t mind going again.
One of my favorite parts of Edo Wonderland was the ninja training house. It was on a huge hill, so the whole house was slanted. When I went inside, it felt as though I was defying gravity; I could lean at a 120 degree angle and not fall over! It was mind blowing! My sisters and I on a bridge in Edo Wonderland
Even though the Turtle Inn is located about thirty minutes away, it’s worth the drive to stay there. It is in a great location, right next to a beautiful river. You can stay there for a night, then wake up early the next morning and drive right to Edo Wonderland.
Another attraction at Edo Wonderland is the amazing ninja theater. At specific times, you can go there to see a play featuring ninjas. During the play, all the lights are out, making the actions of the ninjas even more dramatic. The suspense will keep you on the on the edge of your seat!
At Edo Wonderland, there is a mascot called Nyan-mage. He is a very special character, and children love him! When you go to Edo Wonderland, make sure that you get a picture with him.
Yaba archery range in Edo Wonderland is a wonderful amusement spot. In Japanese, “Ya” stands for archery. If you pay ¥500, you can shoot 5 arrows.If you succeed in getting a certain amount of arrows on the target, and you can win a prize! There are also other entertainment spots around Edo Wonderland with similar mini games. Another one of these worth considering is the Shuriken Dojo, where you can practice with ninja throwing stars. You could also try the Yakata boat cruise, and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere as you glide along down the river that winds through the town, highlighting the most interesting places of Edo Wonderland. My family and I posing with Nyan-mage
Kodenma Prison is one of the various places to go that teach you about life in the Edo Period. This prison served as a detention and punishment for criminals during the Edo period. Though this is an educating place to explore, I have to warn people who might not want to subject themselves to some disturbing pictures or those with weak stomachs that the prison includes some very gruesome details that some people might not want to see.
Edo Wonderland is worth the long drive from Yokosuka. I hope that you decide to visit. I definitely wouldn’t mind going again!
Review by NO
Living in Japan is an extraordinary opportunity. Anyone who gets the chance should take it. It’s hard, though, to know the right places to explore when visiting or living in Japan if you don’t know the area. One place you might consider looking into is Edo Wonderland. Admission for adults is ¥4,500 and ¥2,300 for children. It’s an amazing Japanese cultural theme park in the Nikko prefecture. The best part about it is that it’s based off of the history of Japan! I had so much fun when I went there! I definitely wouldn’t mind going again.
One of my favorite parts of Edo Wonderland was the ninja training house. It was on a huge hill, so the whole house was slanted. When I went inside, it felt as though I was defying gravity; I could lean at a 120 degree angle and not fall over! It was mind blowing! My sisters and I on a bridge in Edo Wonderland
Even though the Turtle Inn is located about thirty minutes away, it’s worth the drive to stay there. It is in a great location, right next to a beautiful river. You can stay there for a night, then wake up early the next morning and drive right to Edo Wonderland.
Another attraction at Edo Wonderland is the amazing ninja theater. At specific times, you can go there to see a play featuring ninjas. During the play, all the lights are out, making the actions of the ninjas even more dramatic. The suspense will keep you on the on the edge of your seat!
At Edo Wonderland, there is a mascot called Nyan-mage. He is a very special character, and children love him! When you go to Edo Wonderland, make sure that you get a picture with him.
Yaba archery range in Edo Wonderland is a wonderful amusement spot. In Japanese, “Ya” stands for archery. If you pay ¥500, you can shoot 5 arrows.If you succeed in getting a certain amount of arrows on the target, and you can win a prize! There are also other entertainment spots around Edo Wonderland with similar mini games. Another one of these worth considering is the Shuriken Dojo, where you can practice with ninja throwing stars. You could also try the Yakata boat cruise, and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere as you glide along down the river that winds through the town, highlighting the most interesting places of Edo Wonderland. My family and I posing with Nyan-mage
Kodenma Prison is one of the various places to go that teach you about life in the Edo Period. This prison served as a detention and punishment for criminals during the Edo period. Though this is an educating place to explore, I have to warn people who might not want to subject themselves to some disturbing pictures or those with weak stomachs that the prison includes some very gruesome details that some people might not want to see.
Edo Wonderland is worth the long drive from Yokosuka. I hope that you decide to visit. I definitely wouldn’t mind going again!
![Picture](/uploads/5/0/7/1/50717593/8420818.jpg?343)
Nagasaki City
Reviewed by DP
I visited Nagasaki over Spring Break and was amazed at how different it was from Yokosuka despite the lack of true geographical distance. The rich history of how Nagasaki was only place of contact with the outside world during the period of isolation in Japan is on full display in the forms of the Glover Gardens (mansions built by dutch businessman), Dejima Island (the only place with contact to the outside world/where Dutch sailors set up their own settlement), Dutch Slope (small road leading up a hill lined with old historic Dutch houses), and other historical locations. I particularly enjoyed Glover Gardens as you can see the beautiful mansions built by filthy rich people hundreds of years ago. The backstory of each resident and how they came to live in this neighborhood is fascinating. The entry fee, although the walk up there can be considered one too, was about 300¥.
The city also goes retro with its streetcar system. Extremely convenient and cheap, the streetcar system is the easiest and most efficient way to travel from one location to the other in the city of Nagasaki. My family used the streetcar system the most of any other public transportation system. It was only 150¥ for as far as you can go per trip. Probably the thing Nagasaki is the most well-known about is how it was one of the two locations in Japan that was bombed by an atomic bomb. Although the bomb was of a different design than the one dropped on Hiroshima, it still had the same effect. Seeing the story of it in the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum was fascinating and, at the end of the exhibit, you were able to see survivors of the bomb speak about and the horrors they had to go through. Their stories are uplifting and inspiring and push the limit of what a human can go through. I personally was fairly hard hit by the blatant, gruesome, crude, evidence that war is the ugliest thing in the world. The entrance fee for the museum was 200¥. After visiting the museum my family visited the tranquil Peace Park which includes statues donated from countries from all around the world promoting peace. The statues are all unique and included something special about the country that donated it.
After walking to the extremely close harbor, my family took a scenic boat ride through the bay of Nagasaki to Gunkanjima Island which is an abandoned island that has the same sort of shape as a battleship when you view it from a certain angle. The story of how an almost entire city was established on the island (the first concrete high rise apartment building in Japan was built there and it once had a higher population density than Tokyo itself) was interesting and you could see how they lived on the island through the ruins of the buildings and other pieces of evidence. Our cruise we took out to the island was about 1200¥ per person.
If you want to see the city from a wider scope, I highly recommend the summit observatory of Mt. Inasa. It offers a wonderful view of the city of Nagasaki. You can see the harbor and other parts of the city. Although your nighttime view is somewhat limited, the view of the sun setting over islands on the opposite horizon is simply awe-inspiring. The lights on the hill side also seem to float above the harbor from your spectacular mountain top view. The entrance to the cable car that will take you up the mountain is tucked away in the corner of a temple, which simply adds to the effect. The ropeway costs 1000¥.
The food in Nagasaki was special and delicious. it was a mix of Chinese and Japanese, the two fantastic cuisines melding together in a perfect blend. The two signature dishes of Nagasaki are the Champon Nagasaki (a noodle soup with a white broth and a mix of seafood and vegetables) and Sara Udon (chop suey with a mix of vegetables and seafood and other little bits of food over crunchy noodles). The restaurant my family ate at their was in Chinatown, which was right across of our hotel. We also ate at an excellent restaurant that served Japanese food such as curry and karaage. I overall highly enjoyed the food in Nagasaki, as it was unique and a mix of multiple cultures--which matches the entire feel Nagasaki.
Overall, I highly recommend traveling to Nagasaki as it is almost like an entire other country despite the fact that it is only a 1-hour plane ride from here. Its rich culture and fantastic layout is sure to get anyone who loves anything about Japan excited and interested. The foundations of Japan's relations were set here and the country has from there excellently transformed the city into a must-visit for the country, which is saying a lot.
Reviewed by DP
I visited Nagasaki over Spring Break and was amazed at how different it was from Yokosuka despite the lack of true geographical distance. The rich history of how Nagasaki was only place of contact with the outside world during the period of isolation in Japan is on full display in the forms of the Glover Gardens (mansions built by dutch businessman), Dejima Island (the only place with contact to the outside world/where Dutch sailors set up their own settlement), Dutch Slope (small road leading up a hill lined with old historic Dutch houses), and other historical locations. I particularly enjoyed Glover Gardens as you can see the beautiful mansions built by filthy rich people hundreds of years ago. The backstory of each resident and how they came to live in this neighborhood is fascinating. The entry fee, although the walk up there can be considered one too, was about 300¥.
The city also goes retro with its streetcar system. Extremely convenient and cheap, the streetcar system is the easiest and most efficient way to travel from one location to the other in the city of Nagasaki. My family used the streetcar system the most of any other public transportation system. It was only 150¥ for as far as you can go per trip. Probably the thing Nagasaki is the most well-known about is how it was one of the two locations in Japan that was bombed by an atomic bomb. Although the bomb was of a different design than the one dropped on Hiroshima, it still had the same effect. Seeing the story of it in the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum was fascinating and, at the end of the exhibit, you were able to see survivors of the bomb speak about and the horrors they had to go through. Their stories are uplifting and inspiring and push the limit of what a human can go through. I personally was fairly hard hit by the blatant, gruesome, crude, evidence that war is the ugliest thing in the world. The entrance fee for the museum was 200¥. After visiting the museum my family visited the tranquil Peace Park which includes statues donated from countries from all around the world promoting peace. The statues are all unique and included something special about the country that donated it.
After walking to the extremely close harbor, my family took a scenic boat ride through the bay of Nagasaki to Gunkanjima Island which is an abandoned island that has the same sort of shape as a battleship when you view it from a certain angle. The story of how an almost entire city was established on the island (the first concrete high rise apartment building in Japan was built there and it once had a higher population density than Tokyo itself) was interesting and you could see how they lived on the island through the ruins of the buildings and other pieces of evidence. Our cruise we took out to the island was about 1200¥ per person.
If you want to see the city from a wider scope, I highly recommend the summit observatory of Mt. Inasa. It offers a wonderful view of the city of Nagasaki. You can see the harbor and other parts of the city. Although your nighttime view is somewhat limited, the view of the sun setting over islands on the opposite horizon is simply awe-inspiring. The lights on the hill side also seem to float above the harbor from your spectacular mountain top view. The entrance to the cable car that will take you up the mountain is tucked away in the corner of a temple, which simply adds to the effect. The ropeway costs 1000¥.
The food in Nagasaki was special and delicious. it was a mix of Chinese and Japanese, the two fantastic cuisines melding together in a perfect blend. The two signature dishes of Nagasaki are the Champon Nagasaki (a noodle soup with a white broth and a mix of seafood and vegetables) and Sara Udon (chop suey with a mix of vegetables and seafood and other little bits of food over crunchy noodles). The restaurant my family ate at their was in Chinatown, which was right across of our hotel. We also ate at an excellent restaurant that served Japanese food such as curry and karaage. I overall highly enjoyed the food in Nagasaki, as it was unique and a mix of multiple cultures--which matches the entire feel Nagasaki.
Overall, I highly recommend traveling to Nagasaki as it is almost like an entire other country despite the fact that it is only a 1-hour plane ride from here. Its rich culture and fantastic layout is sure to get anyone who loves anything about Japan excited and interested. The foundations of Japan's relations were set here and the country has from there excellently transformed the city into a must-visit for the country, which is saying a lot.