60 Days in Japan | Nagasaki | Dejima | Travel Vlog | EP. 36

60 Days in Japan | Nagasaki | Dejima | Travel Vlog | EP. 36

It’s my last day in Japan. The clouds know it, too. During Japan’s 200-year isolationist period, this island was the only territory open to foreigners. Gaiian were not allowed to set one foot on Japanese soil and were segregated to this trading post. This is Dejima today. In 1636, the Japanese dug the canal, separating Dejima from the mainland, creating the small island. Dejima served the Portuguese traders first and later the Dutch under the Dutch East India Company. For 220 years, over 600 Dutch ships harbored to trade silk, cotton, sugar, spices, and furs. The Dutch also introduced Japan to coffee, chocolate, and tobacco. That tobacco came from the Americas by way of slave labor. My ancestors. Small world, right? The Dutch were limited to no more than 20 people, and their trade was seen as a necessity by the Shogun. The main reason for the isolation was Jesuit missionaries insistence on spreading Christianity. Religious procilitizing was viewed as a direct threat to Shogun authority. Dejima’s decline came in 1854 with the Treaty of Kanagawa which opened Japan to foreign trade and diplomatic relations. The story of the Dutch plight at Djima is captured in the Shogun novels written by James Clell and more recently the Netflix series Shogun. The 220 years of seclusion created a culture that everyone should experience once in their lifetime. I’m headed to Singapore in a few hours and it feels like I’m leaving an old friend. 61 days in total. This was a heartfelt experience. More

My last day in Japan I visit Dejima, the Dutch East India Trading Company Post. Glad I got to visit it before my flight. Now its time to say goodbye to Japan… I’ll be back!

Welcome to Pinpoints. I’m Rory and this is my travel vlog. After 30 years of living and traveling overseas, I share my journey of leaving America and retiring abroad. A lifestyle of carefree travel, open itineraries, and global citizenship.

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