I'm in a place called Hirato, and it's full of Dutch things! This place used to be a big trading post, and the Dutch in particular visited this place a lot in the 1600s, even before Nagasaki's Dejima port became more popular. There's a lot of historical things to see here. I'm planning to travel south along the coastline of Hirato island. I'm about 80% sure that there's a ferry at the bottom. If not, I'll have to cycle back up again..
I think I found the moistest place in Japan last night. When I woke up it wasn't just the inside of my tent that was moist, it was everything. My entire bicycle, side bags, everything. Next time I'm putting my electronics in the dry bag. It's a miracle my iPod survived..
There's a lot of heavy industry in this area, and route 204 is designed to destroy cyclists. It's extremely narrow, full of huge trucks and there's not a single flat section anywhere. It's always going uphill then downhill, uphill then downhill... Tiring, stressful and not many spectacular sights to see along the way, so I took some random pictures instead.
The island looked horrible from this side: only hills! not a flat area to be found. Let's see in the afternoon how that goes..
I went to the town first to look around a bit. I visited a Christian church that was under restoration and could hardly be seen under all the scaffolding, and after that I cycled along a road and kept seeing Dutch things.
Not to be confused with the Chinese wall, which is slightly bigger.
Near the Dutch wall I found a nice stone with inscription.
The Dutch inscription reads:
Adventurers of the great travels of discovery Your determination supports our present That you may rest in peace A piece of Holland for all eternityRespect for my ancestors, who came all the way to Japan at a time when there were no convenience stores.