"Haus Ten Bosch" a Sasebo Travel Page by o00o

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<font color=blue> Hey my friend; do you know that even here in Japan, you can go to some Western Countries without needing a Passport? You can even visit there without going to the embassy in advance, saving the hastle of queueing for the Visa? How about on one fine Saturday, you can either drive there with your old Grand Pa Car or perharps hitch hike there? Well, if you are serious, please come and visit my <font color=red> Sasebo<font color=blue> Page.,

Please allow me start her historical back-ground, Western culture in Nagasaki with the arrival of the Portuguese in 1571. The first Dutch ship, "De Liefde" reached the eastern shore of Kyushu in April 1600, and the Dutch were granted permission to set up a trading post in Hirado. The Portuguese had come not only to trade but also to spread Christianity. The Japanese rulers of those days were eager to trade but they were afraid that Christianity might be a danger to the country, native converts might facilitate an invasion by a European power, and in 1639 the government decided to thoroughly suppress Christianity and expel all foreigners except the Dutch and Chinese, who were willing to trade without engaging in missionary activities. In 1641 the Dutch were ordered to move their trading post to Dejima, a small artificial island in the harbor of Nagasaki. The city became Japan's sole gateway for international trade and exchange till 1859 when the isolation was ended.</font>