Kyushu conference

Tomorrow is another travel experience for me. I was granted an all-expense paid trip to the Kyushu island in western Japan to attend the Japanese Society for Periodontology's annual convention. The first stop is Fukuoka International Airport and from there, I am taking the train to Nagasaki where the conference will be held for two days.

Since I learned about world history, I have hoped to one day visit the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These cities have carved their bitter past on the walls of history to forever echo the horrors of war and to never again let the two cities and the rest of the world suffer the same fate. I have been to Hiroshima more than two years ago, so I was pleased to learn that I'd be going to Nagasaki this time.

I love Hiroshima. It was replanned after WW II so the city has transformed into a modern, romantic and spacious metropolis with the remains of the old days carefully preserved. I heard that Nagazaki could rival any other cities in Japan. It was there that some parts of the film "The Last Samurai" were shot. The city has a considerable Christian population and is famous for mimicking European buildings especially the gothic architecture of Amsterdam. I was also advised to have a taste of their local delicacy called "Champon".

After the conference, I'll stay in Fukuoka for one day to have a look around. I like to visit Hakata port, the gateway of Japan to the Korean peninsula. I can't wait to be there!