Beer Garden
Afternoon Walk
Steeple
Glass Factory
Shimmering Fountain
We finally got out to take a tour around Huis Ten Bosch, which is walking distance from our house. It is actually a lot nicer than we had expected and I now wish that we had gone over to check it out sooner. We've been living next door for more than six months, but never bothered to go over there because many of the people we spoke to about it didn't speak very highly of the place.
Once again, I've learned that everyone has their own opinion and it's not a good idea to plan your life around what others think. I should have known better for a number or reasons...there are people, after all, who dislike movies that I love; beer is not my favorite alcoholic beverage, although some won't drink anything else; and I love Asia enough to have spent nearly half of my life here while many aspire to travel no further from home than the local Quick-E-Mart.
OK, back on track...below is an excerpt on the history of Huis Ten Bosch that I borrowed from their website at http://english.huistenbosch.co.jp/index.html. If you're interested, then read on and/or check out their site for much more information. If not, then simply enjoy the pictures - the first of many more to come.
It was during the summer of 1979 that Mr. Yoshikuni Kamichika, the founder of Huis Ten Bosch, went on his first trip to Europe. The natural splendour of the Mediterranean Sea reminded him of Omura Bay. It occurred to him that the Omura bay area, despite its beautiful scenery, did not attract that many visitors. Mr. Kamichika pondered upon possibilities to turn this beautiful area into a unique place.
At that point he suddenly thought of the small island of Dejima near Nagasaki, from which only the Dutch were allowed to conduct trade during Japan's period of national isolation (1600-1868) and the significance of the part the island played in the history of Japan. The idea to build a "Modern Dejima" was born.
During Mr. Kamichika's visit to The Netherlands he learned about the age old Dutch tradition of regaining land from the sea and developing it. Especially the fact that this land development was carried out in harmony with the environment impressed Mr. Kamichika. Instead of using concrete, the Dutch use natural rocks to build their dikes. This way they succeed in protecting their country from the water while maintaining an ecological balance.Kamichika decided to build a town in Japan that combined Dutch city planning with Japanese technology. The first step towards towards the realisation of his dream was the construction of a small town called Nagasaki Holland Village, in 1983.
In October 1988, construction of Huis Ten Bosch started. A network of over 6 kilometers of canals was created, replicas of famous Dutch buildings were built, and over 400,000 trees and 300,000 flowers were planted. Huis Ten Bosch (named after Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands' official residence) has become a place where nature and classic Dutch architecture are in harmony.
In order to capture the charm and beauty of a 17th century Dutch town, numerous historical landmarks were painstakingly duplicated. In order to ensure their authenticity even the bricks were imported from The Netherlands. On March 25, 1992 Huis Ten Bosch opened its gates. The total costs of the project were $2.5 billion.
Gift Shop Row
Dutch Shoes
Vendor Booth
Main Street
Shooting Straight?
Banners on Ceiling
Windmill Through the Trees
Canal
Windmill Garden
Self-Portrait